• “This Is An Emotional Place” - The Notes They Left Behind
    The Thiessen family wearing luggage tags, September 1950, DI2013.848.2.   Hundreds of old-fashioned luggage tags adorn two walls in the Museum. They are left by visitors and covered with drawings and handwritten messages in different languages. During Pier 21’s years as an immigration shed, …
  • A Cuban maestro’s cunning escape to freedom, told in five movements
    Rafael Alcolado performs at the Museum at the 2018 opening of the Refuge Canada exhibition. First movement, Santiago de Cuba On January 1, 1959, Rafael Alcolado was a 12-year-old student at a Jesuit-run school, Colegio de Dolores , in Santiago de Cuba. That same day, on the other side of the …
  • “There was a thriving slave economy on our shores”
    Shackles like this reproduction, created by a blacksmith at Port Greville, Nova Scotia, were used on enslaved peoples in Canada. Courtesy of Dr. Afua Cooper. An interview with Russell Grosse , Executive Director of the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia, on the new exhibition A History Exposed: …
  • A mystery, archival film footage, an old suitcase, and a 75th anniversary
    The Leegwater suitcase, donated to the Museum shortly before its opening 25 years ago. Museum staff had noticed something strange in the Pier 21 exhibition - a discrepancy in dates. In a display case, amongst a collection of luggage brought by people immigrating to Canada through the Halifax …
  • The Museum is a March-Break Must-Do
    The city is a great place to spend March break if you can find the right things to do. And, because the week is sponsored by Emera, everything we're offering this March Break is complimentary , including: Movement programming Cooking workshops (space limited, register to reserve your place Access …
  • How to discover your family's immigration history
    Did you know that the Museum offers personalized and professional research assistance that can help you learn about your family, sometimes dating back many generations? A popular service “I am overwhelmed by the help I received.” In high season there are often lineups at the Museum’s popular …
  • The tiny Lebanese village that changed the face of Halifax
    Left: The mountain village of Diman and surrounding villages (photo courtesy of Jasmine Ghosn); right: The 161 unit Brenton Suites building, backgrounded by the 84 unit Trillium building, both projects led by Diman-born developer Wadih Fares. In the north of Lebanon, 1,400 metres above sea level, …
  • Why isn’t it called “Japantown”?
    © Government of Canada. Reproduced with the permission of Library and Archives Canada (2023). Source: Library and Archives Canada/RG18, vol. 3567, file c315-36-3. Page 119/136 Many Canadian cities have a Chinatown. There are neighbourhoods called Greektown, Little Italy and Little Portugal. In …
  • Why Kids Should Play in the Museum
    A grade 3 class is enjoying one of the Museum’s temporary exhibitions called Kids Celebrate! They are in their school uniforms. The exhibition focuses on 12 special times of the year. From Christmas to Diwali to Carnival, each is a day or a period of time celebrated by kids and families in Canada. …
  • “When Mom saw the picture, it was very emotional”
    Maria Zampini returned to the site of her arrival in Canada, 61 years later. Tony Antonitti had already planned his trip to the Museum, part of a tour of the Maritimes with his wife Tina. Living in Montreal, they were looking forward to returning to the place where their parents, like hundreds of …