Argyle Township Court House & Archives - ATCHA

06/12/2026

Please note that Argyle Township Court House & Gaol Museum was going to open for the season on June 15, but we will have to delay due to ongoing roof work, for safety reasons. We will advise when the museum and gift shop will open for the season, hopefully within a week or so. The archives next door is open all year.:)

06/10/2026

Both of these photographs are of The Ardnamurchan Club, a “private, family lodge” (ardnamurchan.org) located in Argyle, Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia. 🌳🛶 (ATCHA P2005:71 and ATCHA P2003:689)

06/06/2026

If you are in the Pictou area, check out this series of interesting upcoming talks at the Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library.

All are welcome to the Library for an engaging journey through our province's past. Over four weeks, expert speakers will share fascinating stories and insights about the events that shaped Nova Scotia. And refreshment will be provided! Can't make it in? Zoom live streams to each talk will be available.

Talks will be held every Tuesday from June 23 to July 14 at the Pictou Library located at 99 Water St., Pictou, Nova Scotia. The speakers, dates, and topics are:

A.J.B. Johnston (Parks Canada (ret.), Nova Scotia)
Tues Jun 23, at 6:00 p.m.
"French and Acadians in 18th-Century Nova Scotia: Upheaval and Beyond"

Adam Jortner (Auburn University, Alabama)
Tues, Jun 30, at 6:00 p.m.
"Nova Scotia's 'No': Rejecting the American Revolution, 1775-1781"

James Lees (Dominion Historical Consulting Ltd., Nova Scotia)
Tues, Jul 7, at 11:00 a.m. [NOTE: morning start time!]
"Sap and Sea Power: Nova Scotia, Tar-Making, and the Naval Stores Industry in the Long 18th-Century"

Hilary Doda (Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia)
Tues, Jul 14, at 6:00 p.m.
"Fashioning Acadians: Clothing and Cultural Identity Before 1755"

This speaker series is proudly funded by the Aberdeen Health Foundation. All are welcome to attend.

For more information about our speakers, additional details about each talk, and Zoom links, visit our events calendar at https://parl.ns.ca/events/calendars/PIC.php

06/04/2026

Historical wedding day photos 💐🤵

The first photo is of Stephen Roderick Murphy (1914-1987) and Anna Leah Fitzgerald (1917-___) on their wedding day on September 21, 1937. Stephen was the son of William Stephen and Frances (LeBlanc) Murphy, and Anna was the daughter of Jean Avite and Marie Arthenise (Surette) Fitzgerald. (ATCHA P1989:221)

The second image was taken on January 12, 1953—the wedding day of Joseph Leonard Surette (1931-___) and Rose Marie Thérèse Muise (1934-___). From left to right, the people in this photograph are:

1. Richard LeBlanc: the son of Leonice and ______ LeBlanc of Wedgeport, Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia

2. Joseph Leonard Surette: the son of Elisée and Rose Aimée “Emma” (LeBlanc) Surette of Surette’s Island, Yarmouth Co., N.S.

3. Rose Marie Thérèse Muise: the daughter of Jean Léo and Marie Georgine (Surette) Muise of Surette’s Island

4. Marie Dorothée “Dolly” Surette (1932-___): the daughter of Louis Melbourne and Anne Thérèse (Muise) Surette of Surette’s Island (ATCHA P1989:502)

The third photo was captured on the wedding day (April 21, 1951) of Sylvester Moulaison (1925-___) and Veronique Muise (1927-___), who are in the middle of the photo. Sylvester was the son of Louis and Marie Rose (Bourque), and Veronique was the daughter of Jean Guillaume and Marie Genevieve (Muise) Muise. The other four individuals are unidentified; however, it is known that two of the witnesses at the wedding were Eloi Muise and Helen Stewart. (ATCHA P1990:359)

In the fourth photo, Victoire Saulnier (1919-___) and John Doucette are celebrating their wedding day, which took place on May 12, 1941, in Amirault’s Hill, Yarmouth Co., N.S. Victoire was the daughter of Edmond and Lucie (d’Eon) Saulnier of Sluice Point, Yarmouth Co., N.S., and John was the son of Symphorien and Georgine (LeBlanc) Doucet of Wedgeport, Yarmouth Co., N.S. The identities of the others in the wedding party are presently unknown. (ATCHA P1995:321)

06/03/2026

📣 REMINDERS:

1. Our AGM is in just under two weeks. Everyone--members and non-members alike--is welcome! 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

2. In order to vote during our AGM, you must be a current (i.e., for the year of 2026) member of the Argyle Municipality Historical and Genealogical Society. 🙋‍♂️

Join us in person or online for our AGM on June 16, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. 🗓️🗣️ To attend virtually, please register by contacting us (902-648-2493 or [email protected]).

Carmen d’Entremont is our guest speaker this year. Here is a preview of the topic of her presentation, titled “Leaving for the States: Stories of Acadian Migrants”:

“Between the late nineteenth century and the Second World War, many Acadians from southwestern Nova Scotia left their communities to seek work and new opportunities in the States. Through a brief historical overview and several individual migrant stories, this presentation will explore their motivations, work experiences, family and social lives, and the continuing ties they maintained with Nova Scotia.”

Everyone is welcome!

— — —

Rejoignez-nous en personne ou en ligne pour notre assemblée générale annuelle qui aura lieu le 16 juin 2026 à 19 h. 🗓️🗣️ Pour y joindre virtuellement, veuillez vous inscrire en nous contactant (902-648-2493 ou [email protected]).

Carmen d’Entremont est notre conférencière invitée cette année. Voici un aperçu du sujet de sa présentation, intitulée « Partir pour les États-Unis : récits de migrants acadiens » :

« Entre la fin du XIXe siècle et la Seconde Guerre mondiale, de nombreux Acadiens du sud-ouest de la Nouvelle-Écosse ont quitté leurs communautés pour chercher du travail et de nouvelles perspectives aux États-Unis. Avec un bref aperçu historique et plusieurs témoignages de migrants, cette présentation explorera leurs motivations, leurs expériences professionnelles, leur vie familiale et sociale, ainsi que les liens qu’ils ont maintenus avec la Nouvelle-Écosse. »

Tout le monde est le bienvenu !

06/02/2026

Today, we are featuring some historical wedding anniversary celebration photos. 🎂👰🏻

In the first photo, Alfred Muise (1883-1970) and Rose Aimée (Hubbard) Muise (1886-1979) are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary. They were married on January 12, 1904. Alfred was the son of Théotiste Muise, and Rose was the daughter of Charles Abraham and Marie Delphine (Deveau) Hubbard of Hubbard’s Point, Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia. This photo was also featured in The Argus, vol. 2, no. 1, in an article entitled “‘La Grosse Picote’ : Local Men in the Small-pox Epidemic of 1901” by Joshua R. Doucet. (ATCHA P1987:113)

The second photo is of John Remi Hubbard (1886-1981) and Julie Delphine (Doucet) Hubbard (1889-1976) at the celebration of their 60th wedding anniversary. The couple was married on January 8, 1908. John was the son of Urbain Honoré (“Noré”) Hubbard of Hubbard’s Point, and Julie was the daughter of François Toussaint and Madeleine Léonisse (Hubbard) Doucet. (ATCHA P1987:160)

The third image shows Emilie (LeBlanc) Hubbard (1875-1970) and Jean Simon Hubbard (1870-1968) of Hubbard’s Point cutting a cake during the celebration of their 50th wedding anniversary. They were married on January 17, 1899. Emilie was the daughter of François and Françoise (Muise) Hubbard of Hubbard’s Point, and Jean was the son of Jean Remi and Ann Scholastique (Dulong) Hubbard of Hubbard’s Point. Jean and Emilie lived in Woburn, Massachusetts. (ATCHA P1989:323)

The fourth photo is of Clarence and Emilie (Doucette) Cottreau, taken on their 25th wedding anniversary. (ATCHA P1993:467)

06/02/2026

Happy Pride Month!

Pride is a celebration of resilience and progress. We celebrate pride in June to remember the Stonewall Riots in 1969, which are widely considered to be the turning point in the Gay Rights Movement in the USA and Canada. In Nova Scotia, the first public protest came not long after, in 1977- just under 50 years ago.

This month we celebrate and highlight the history and contributions of the vibrant 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and remember the brave activists that have shaped our province 🌈

05/27/2026

“Haul Up Day” is quickly approaching 🦞 The lobster fishing industry has helped shape and is extremely important in our region, as demonstrated in the following photographs. In the first photo (ATCHA P1999:95), two women are seated near a beach (probably in Markland, Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia) with a lobster pot in the foreground. The second image (ATCHA P2002:382), taken between 1950 and 1959 (approx.), is of (lobster?) fishing boats at the Yarmouth wharf. The third photo (ATCHA P2005:876), taken by Peter Muise, is of the Tusket Islands pier, where several lobster traps are stacked.