Perkins House Museum

By Suzanne Rushton.

Queens County Museum Board Chair Dave Nickerson says the museum complex has been given the opportunity to apply for $50,000 through the Canadian Museums Assistance Program (CMAP), following the provincial government’s decision earlier this year to cut heritage funding.

The announcement came after a premature post on the museum’s Facebook page suggested the funding had already been confirmed, but it hasn’t. “We have applied, but we have not heard back yet,” Nickerson told QCCR.

The provincial cuts, announced in February, were a blow to the Queens County Museum Complex, which includes Perkins House, the courthouse, the lighthouse, and the main museum. The complex lost its provincial operating funding, leaving the board scrambling to keep the doors open.

For Nickerson, this isn’t just an administrative challenge. It’s personal. He grew up steps from Perkins House and says his earliest memories include ringing the brass bell at the front door. He later built display cases for the museum as a cabinetmaker, funded through community sponsors. “We have to preserve our history,” he said. “It’s always been in my heart.”

The community responded quickly to the funding cuts with protests and letters to MLAs and Premier. The museum board has what Nickerson describes as a dynamic group of local business leaders, and they came together quickly to respond.

Perkins House has traditionally opened around the May long weekend, but with funding still uncertain, this year’s opening date remains up in the air. If funding is granted, Perkins House will be able to open eight hours a day through the week, a significant step up from the one or two days a week that is the alternative.

The Queens County Historical Society, which holds charitable status over the complex, will issue tax receipts for donations. Fundraising events are being planned, with details to be announced through QCCR, community bulletin boards, and the Queens County Museum and Historical Society Facebook pages.

“Through community involvement, everybody stood up and realized we cannot lose Perkins House,” Nickerson said.

To donate to the Queens County Museum Complex and Perkins House, visit https://www.canadahelps.org/en/pages/queens-heritage-complex/.

Perkins House.

Last week, the province’s heritage department announced that it plans to close the Perkins House Museum, in addition to 11 other museums throughout the province

A statement by the Dept of Communities, Culture, Tourisms & Heritage said some of the material and objects currently housed at the museum will be shuffled to other locations in the province-wide system, while others “may” be transferred to “other institutions” or “community organizations.” The statement did not say ‘what’ would go ‘where’ or provide a timeline for what it calls the “de-accessing” of material.

The government’s “Collection Management Policy” govern its museums. It includes a section outlining criteria for the saving of material and objects and provides guidelines on how they are to be handled. That policy can be accessed at https://museum.novascotia.ca/collections-research/policies/collection-management-policy. The section that controls access and the end-of-access to material begins on page 20 of that policy.

While general sweeping budgets cuts were announced, the impact on precise sites of arts, culture and heritage were not spelled out in detail. There are currently 28 museum sites in Nova Scotia.

Queens resident Mary Dahr shared her concern about the provincial debt and “such drastic cutbacks to everything in Nova Scotia.” Dahr added, “One of my major concerns is the Perkins House. For me, the Perkins House is a magical place, it’s something that we in Liverpool have always been really proud of…it’s almost like taking the lighthouse down at Peggy’s Cove – it’s that important…

“…and after they spent two million dollars fixing that house and then to turn around five years later and close it down!”

Local resident André Haines, speaking of the broader funding cuts, spoke of the importance of arts, culture and heritage in drawing visitors and as part of life in Nova Scotia. “We know that arts and culture and heritage have been the cornerstones of modern living throughout history.”

Perkins House Museum. Photo Ed Halverson

One of the oldest homes in in Nova Scotia is new again.

Liverpool’s Perkins House reopened Monday following an almost year-long renovation.

Director of Perkins House and the Queens County Museum Linda Rafuse says like everything else, the pandemic played a role in the timing of the reopening.

“It was supposed to be opened a couple of weeks ago but that got delayed with the last COVID shutdown because we had to wait for the furniture to be transferred to the house,” said Rafuse.

The historic site has been closed since May of 2015 when staff reported structural issues.

The province stepped in and provided $1.5 million dollars to assess the damage and restore the site.

The house is now structurally sound and ready to resume its role telling the story of Liverpool’s past.

Rafuse says walking into Perkins House transports visitors to a different time.

“When you’re coming into a historic home, you want to walk into a historic home that looks like it’s been lived in,” said Rafuse. “That’s how the staff will interpret it to you and tell you the story.”

Visitors to Perkins House will experience the story of its owner Simeon Perkins through discussions and demonstrations with staff dressed in period costume.

Perkins House staff. L-R: Director Linda Rafuse, interpreters Linda Moulton and Jamie Dunn. Photo Ed Halverson

Many of the hands-on activities such as laundry, weaving and sewing will be made available as COVID restrictions lift.

Rafuse says finally reopening the building means a great deal to the entire community.

“This has been an iconic symbol in the community for over 250 years. Everybody always keeps their eyes on Perkins House and [are] always asking how are things coming and when is going to open and always the discouraging answer of, don’t know, don’t know,” said Rafuse. “So it has been a long road but the end result was worth the wait.”

Perkins House is open to the public seven days a week. Check their website for times.

Reported by Ed Halverson 
E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

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