One of the newest additions to the museum is a seven-and-a-half foot tall tree trunk adorned with colourful wooden birds.
"It came from Shortts Lake," said museum board member Paige Baird. "It's got seven holes in it and it's hollowed out inside. You can look right into the holes and see the inside of the tree."
In recognition of the woodpeckers that created the holes, board chairman Dick Huggard created six wooden ones, along with a cardinal, and added them to the tree.
The museum also has an operating knitting machine from the 1920s. It was created from parts of three donated machines.
"I knitted with one of them when I was a kid," recalled Baird. "I was making so many socks that my mother cut me off because I used up so much yarn.
"I couldn't get this machine to work but I took it to a lady in Dartmouth who got it working and knit two socks and a mitten."
He said when the machines were new they cost about $72, which was a lot of money at that time.
"A person would buy the machine and the company would send them two and a half pounds of yarn. Socks could then be knit and sent to the company, in Toronto. If they felt the socks were good enough they paid $2 per dozen and then sent more yarn."
Near the machine are several printed items about it, including receipts for purchases, patterns and ads from magazines.
The design of the building keeps it cool on hot summer days so it's an ideal location for anyone wishing to escape the heat while looking into the past.
The museum, which is on the Nova Scotia Provincial Exhibition grounds, is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 3 p.m., as well as during special events.
One of the newest additions to the museum is a seven-and-a-half foot tall tree trunk adorned with colourful wooden birds.
"It came from Shortts Lake," said museum board member Paige Baird. "It's got seven holes in it and it's hollowed out inside. You can look right into the holes and see the inside of the tree."
In recognition of the woodpeckers that created the holes, board chairman Dick Huggard created six wooden ones, along with a cardinal, and added them to the tree.
The museum also has an operating knitting machine from the 1920s. It was created from parts of three donated machines.
"I knitted with one of them when I was a kid," recalled Baird. "I was making so many socks that my mother cut me off because I used up so much yarn.
"I couldn't get this machine to work but I took it to a lady in Dartmouth who got it working and knit two socks and a mitten."
He said when the machines were new they cost about $72, which was a lot of money at that time.
"A person would buy the machine and the company would send them two and a half pounds of yarn. Socks could then be knit and sent to the company, in Toronto. If they felt the socks were good enough they paid $2 per dozen and then sent more yarn."
Near the machine are several printed items about it, including receipts for purchases, patterns and ads from magazines.
The design of the building keeps it cool on hot summer days so it's an ideal location for anyone wishing to escape the heat while looking into the past.
The museum, which is on the Nova Scotia Provincial Exhibition grounds, is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 3 p.m., as well as during special events.
