• Broken Promises
    February 11, 2023 to April 23, 2023 Credit: Image provided courtesy of Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre. 1994.69.4.29.1. Grounded in research from Landscapes of Injustice – a seven-year multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional, community engaged project – this exhibit explores the …
  • Enemy Aliens - Internment in Canada 1914–1920
    February 11, 2023 to April 23, 2023 Credit: City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1244, Item 867A During the First World War, national security fears and wartime prejudice drove the policy of internment, which lasted until 1920. During this time, Canada interned 8,579 people identified as “enemy aliens”, …
  • Hold your next event at this award winning national historic site.
    Located on the Halifax waterfront, beautiful and elegant spaces are available for all types of functions. Your experience at the Museum is sure to be as unique and special as the venue itself. The Museum hosts over 200 events each year. Museum staff take pride in providing quality service that …
  • Stefano Paoli
    Alumni Type: Immigrant Country of Origin: Italy Port of Entry: Halifax Date of Arrival: Thursday, November 11, 1954 Age on Arrival: 16 My dad Stefano Paoli at the tender age of 16 left his small town of Vallelonga (CZ) in Calabria Italy to join my grandfather Vincenzo and my uncle Vito Paoli who …
  • Historical Thinking (6) : Take Historical Perspectives
    by Steve Schwinghamer, Historian (Updated January 28, 2022) The Historical Thinking Project ( www.historicalthinking.ca ) points to the importance of taking of historical perspectives as part of constructing and understanding histories. It is a central part of historical work. It seems facile to …
  • The Pier Goes To War: Halifax’s Pier 21 and the Second World War
    by Steve Schwinghamer, Historian (Updated January 28, 2022) Aerial view of Ocean Terminals c. 1940. Credit: Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 Collection (DI2013.1197.1) As Canada prepared for war in late 1939, the advantages of Halifax’s port were considered of value for military purposes. …
  • Resettling Child Refugees: Canada and Armenian Orphans, 1923-1927
    by Jan Raska, PhD, Historian (Updated October 20, 2020) Introduction For centuries, child orphans have sought permanent resettlement in Canada. Refugee orphans seeking to enter Canada today must hold legal documentation and provide testimony to a federal immigration official that he or she is a …
  • Borders, Groups, Statistics: Researching Immigrant Arrival at Pier 21
    by Jan Raska, PhD, Historian (Updated October 23, 2020) Introduction How do I find a passenger list? Is there a ledger? What if my ancestor came from a country that no longer exists? While the Scotiabank Family History Centre at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 does not hold copies of …
  • Hooks for History: Using a Building Model to Introduce Complex Pasts
    by Steve Schwinghamer, Historian (Updated July 20, 2021) Our Museum is located at a National Historic Site: Halifax’s historical immigration facility at Pier 21. One of the principal tasks for the Museum has been to introduce and orient visitors to the historic place as they stand in the converted, …
  • A Reflection on Curating Perfect Landings
    by Steve Schwinghamer, Historian (Updated January 28, 2022) Perfect Landings was created by the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 to coincide with the Canadian Tire National Skating Championships in Halifax, to draw some of the guests interested in the event to the Museum, and to connect …