Old Guysborough Court House Museum

Old Guysborough Court House Museum
The Old Court House in the 2010s
Interactive map of Old Guysborough Court House Museum
General information
Location	106 Church Street, Guysborough, Nova Scotia, Guysborough, Canada
Current tenants	Guysborough Historical Society
Year built	1842–1843
Owner	Municipality of the District of Guysborough
Design and construction
Architect	Elisha Randall

The Old Guysborough Court House Museum is a Provincial Heritage Property in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia, Canada. It was built in 1843 and served as the county's court house until 1974. The building was turned into a museum in 1974.

Location

The court house is located at the corner of Church Street and Queen Street. ^[1]

History

The first courthouse in Guysborough was built at a different location in 1785, shortly after loyalist settlers arrived. ^[2] In 1818, it was decided that a new courthouse should be built, and the new structure was built on the site of the present day building. ^[3]

Carpenter Elisha Randall from Bayfield, Nova Scotia was given a contract to design and build a new court house in 1842. ^[3] He added personal touches to the design, such as the gothic revival windows. The building was built with local materials in a simple symmetrical meeting house style.

As the only court house in the county, it became one of the most important buildings. It served not only as a court house, but also as Guysborough's town hall, enlistment office, and a venue for political debates and speeches. ^[4]

The Court House fell out of use in 1973 when a new municipal building was constructed. ^[3]

Museum

In 1974, the building was saved from demolition by the newly formed Guysborough Historical Society. ^[3] Since 1976 it has been open to the public as a local history museum and visitor information centre. ^[5]

See also

• Halifax Court House
• List of historic places in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia

References

Citations

1. Dunlop & Scott 2010.
2. Cook 2003, p. 120.
3. Cook 2003, p. 121.
4. Hart 1975.
5. Dunlop & Scott 2010; Samuel & De Visser 1998.

Works cited

• Hart, Harriet Cunningham (1975). History of the County of Guysborough, Nova Scotia . Belleville, ON: Mika Publishing. OCLC   1319332477 . Retrieved 20 May 2025– via the Internet Archive.
• Cook, Christopher A. (2003). Along the Streets of Guysborough. ISBN   0-9687379-1-9.
• Dunlop, Dale; Scott, Alison (2010). Exploring Nova Scotia: A Guide to 400+ Unique Adventures and Activities. Formac Publishing Company. p. 329. ISBN   978-0-8878-0903-3.
• Samuel, Alan; De Visser, John (1998). Treasures of Canada. Toronto, ON: Dundurn Press. p. 65. ISBN   978-0-8886-6642-0.

External links

• Old Guysborough Court House Museum . Canadian Register of Historic Places . Retrieved 20 May 2025.
• Guysborough Historical Society