Museums Yarmouth, Nova Scotia

General Information: Index

1. Court House
2. The Archives
3. The Argyle Municipality Historical & Genealogical Society
4. The Argus
5. Genealogical Inguiries
6. Operation & Admission

The Argyle Township Court House & Gaol, Canada's oldest standing courthouse, is located in the centre of the village of Tusket, nine miles from Yarmouth on Rte.3 (Lighthouse Rte.) Or Exit 33 from the 103. The first court session was held in the completed building in October 1805. Built in the manner of most early courthouse in this part of Canada, the old jail cells are found on the ground floor, while the court facilities are located above on the second floor of the building. The ground floor consists of two cell corridors, one on the southern side of the building and another on the northern side. The three cells located off the southern corridor have been restored both on the exterior and interior. These consist of one double cell for debtors and two very small single cells, one of those having served as "solitary confinement".

The most disturbing feature of the dungeon-like jail is the lighting. On the brightest day not enough light penetrated the small grill in the cell doors to permit the prisoners to read a book. A candle or lantern in the cells would not have been permitted due to the fire hazard. Every door in the cellblock is either a solid steel door or is made up of iron inch-bars. The security seems to have been somewhat extreme for a small local jail, but was largely the result of frugality on the part of local officials. A full-time jail keeper was never employed here. The jail keeper checked on the prisoners several times a day but did not remain in the building at all times. Hence in the early years of the building's operation, escapes were common. Each time a major escape took place something was done to further secure the building, rather than hire a full-time custodian.

The cells found off the northern corridor of the jail are currently used for other purposed, namely a fireproof vault for the archives and a tool room, but are restored on the exterior. A solid steed door closes the cell-block off from the front of the building where the entrance vestibule and the jail keeper's room are located. Here one finds the small stove which supplied the scant heat to the cellblock, a bed, the few dishes required for feeding the prisoners, period handcuffs, billy clubs and other items. From the front entrance vestibule a graceful spiral staircase leads to the second floor and the courtroom

. The courtroom is a large spartan and elegant. Seven large twelve over twelve paned windows flood the room with light. From the judge's podium the Tusket River can be seen form six of these seven windows, affording the judge a pleasing view for those times when the proceedings became dull.

The original jury benches, the prisoner's docket and the judge's podium are all still intact in the room. A stove is located at the rear of the courtroom and a stovepipe passes overhead. The oldest piece of moveable furniture in the room is the "Court Clerk's Table", a cage-like affair with two compartments. Some of the overhead slats on the table were for drying documents when the quill pen and later the fountain pen were still in use.

The Court of General Sessions was held here at least once a year from 1805 until 1836. After that date Supreme Court also sat in the building at least once a year, while the General Sessions and the Inferior Court of common Pleas continued to be held here at different times. It was travelling circuit judges who served the Supreme Court, while local magistrates presided over the lower court sessions. Supreme Court was held in this courthouse for the last time in 1925 and the jail was officially closed around the same time. Since that time Supreme Court for Yarmouth County has been held in the Town of Yarmouth, and the jail there services the entire county as well. Magistrate's Court continued to be held in the Argyle Township Court House from 1925 until 1945.

One of the best known trials to be held in the Argyle Township Court House was the murder trial of Omar P. Roberts in 1922. The Supreme Court tried Mr. Roberts for the murder of his house keeper, Miss Flora Gray. He was found guilty, and was the last person to be hanged in Yarmouth County. His execution took place in the Town of Yarmouth.

After 1945, the building served for some 30 years as the local Municipal Offices for the Municipality of Argyle. In 1976 the Municipal Office moved to more modern premises and the old courthouse was abandoned.

In 1981 through the efforts of a small group of private citizens federal funding was procured through whish a restoration of the building was carried out. In 1983 the restored building was opened to the public as an historic site. It has been open each year since.

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THE ARCHIVES

The Argyle Township Court House Archives is located on the ground floor of the courthouse at the rear of the building. It was formed around the important collection of original documents that remained in the courthouse at the time of its restoration. Since that time the archives has brought in many other materials, and the facility is widely recognized as one of the most important centres for genealogical and historical research in this part of Nova Scotia. Although the archives specializes in the history of the people and communities that make up the Municipality of Argyle in Yarmouth County, it is possible for people to carry out preliminary research on families from any part of Nova Scotia. This is possible primarily due to the fact that our archives holds all the census returns on microfilm for all Nova Scotia for the years 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891 & 1901. We also hold government birth & death records (1864 - 1877) for all of Nova Scotia, as well as the marriage records (1864- circa 1908). County and local histories for all parts of Nova Scotia are also held in our book collection. We are also very equipped to assist researchers carrying out research into Acadian families of the region, since we hold microfilm copies of the Roman Catholic parish registers for both Yarmouth and Digby Counties. Our full-time Historian & Archivist, Peter Crowell, is a Certified Genealogist. He and the other staff are on hand to assist visitors with research problems.

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THE ARGYLE MUNICIPALITY
HISTORICAL & GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY

The Argyle Township Court House & Archives is owned and funded by the Municipality of Argyle. The administration of the courthouse and archives is handled by the Argyle Municipality Historical & Genealogical Society incorporated in 1989 to act as a support group for the work being carried out at the Court House and Archives and to foster other heritage activities throughout the municipality. Membership int he Society is $15.00 per year for individuals and $20.00 for families. New Members are welcome.

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THE ARGUS

The Argyle Municipality Historical & Genealogical Society publishes a popular quarterly newsletter called " the Argus" . Each of the four issues consist of some 35 pages, and about one half of each issue is devoted to articles pertaining to the history of the communities and people that make up the Municipality of Argyle. All Society members receive "The Argus" as part of their membership.

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GENEALOGICAL INQUIRIES BY MAIL

Our Archives & Society does accept genealogical inquiries by mail. Short inquiries are usually handled free of charge. Those involving extensive research are subject to an hourly fee for the work carried out. Inquiries may be directed to the address found at the end of this pamphlet.

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HOURS OF OPERATION & ADMISSION CHARGES

Guided tours of the Court House are offered throughout the year. The hours of operation for the Argyle Township Court House & Archives can vary somewhat form year to year, depending on staffing. Hours for 1994 are as follows:

July & August - 7 days per week - 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

All other months of the yer the Court House and Archives are open five days per week, Mondays to Friday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Note: During the winter months, only our archives are heated. We are still willing to take groups and individuals through the rest of the building, but they should dress accordingly. School visits should be scheduled in advance.

ADMISSION CHARGES

We charge $1.00 per person for admission to the Court House. Children under 10 years of age are free, and there is a maximum charge of $3.50 per family. Our Archives has a user's fee of $3.00.

Members of the Argyle Municipality Historical & Genealogical Society do not pay admission fees or user's fee & we encourage people to join.