Events

September 16, 2026, 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM

From the 1860s to the 1940s, a vast child migration program brought more than 100,000 impoverished children from Britain to Canada. Among them, approximately 5,000 arrived in Nova Scotia.

Sending agencies believed that rural Canadian communities offered a "healthy, moral environment" and better opportunities for these British Isles children. Many of these children were transported without their parents’ knowledge or consent, often due to their families' financial struggles or poor living conditions. While some children were fortunate to live with families who treated them well, many were treated very poorly. Today, it is estimated that over four million Canadians are descendants of these British Home Children.

In his Lunch & Learn presentation, Don Ambler, a BHC descendant, will explore how these children and their descendants made significant contributions to Canada. However, their stories and placements remain largely overlooked in Canadian history. He will also share specific insights about Colchester County, along with details about his father, Irvine, an orphan sent from the UK to Canada at the age of 13 in 1927.

Bring your lunch, refreshments provided.
Admission by donation or free to CHS members.

Friday, September 18, 2026, 10:00 AM

Get involved, share your thoughts, and learn community history by joining the Cobequid Chapters Book Club, a new initiative of the Colchester Historical Society.

Over the course of the year, club participants will read and discuss several book titles with links to Colchester history.

The first book selection is "Acadian Driftwood: One Family and The Great Expulsion," by Tyler LeBlanc. It is billed as "the untold story of one Acadian family: their experiences following their expulsion and their determination to find home." Members will meet to discuss this story of Acadian resilience at 10am on Friday, Sept. 18.

The next book, by author Danice Roache, is "Five Seasons of Charlie Francis." It is described as a "bold, refreshing, and darkly funny debut novel about a mixed-ancestry Mi'kmaw woman balancing academia, grief, love, and new motherhood." It will be discussed at 10am on Friday, Oct. 16 

The selected novels are available by request through the Truro Library, local booksellers, and online options.

Participation is by donation or free to CHS members. 

Saturday, September 19, 2026, 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM

The Colchester Historical Society is getting ready for a fall book sale. If you have a surplus of gently used books, please bring them to the Colchester Historeum at 29 Young Street.

Using the ramp accessible from the parking area behind our building can make your delivery easier. Our summer hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm.

The book sale will be held on Saturday, Sept. 19. We will have lots of great titles to choose from. Payment by cash and debit. 

Thursday, October 15, 2026, 7:00 PM

In the 1840s, young Benjamin and his family live on an isolated Nova Scotia island. There is no church, no school, no store, no community; just them.

But Benjamin has a vivid imagination that fills his life with adventure. He sees pirates and sea monsters; devilish black dogs, schooners laden with treasure bound for his island.

And he sees a man with an axe in his hand.

In 1842, John Ruff was killed in a logging accident at his home on Fundy Five Islands' Moose Island. Two years later, one of his young sons came forward to say the incident was no accident.

What really happened to John Ruff?

Join author Laura Churchill Duke at 7pm on Thursday, October 15 as she dives into the history of this event, as portrayed in her historic true crime novel, “Ruff Tides."

Admission by donation, free to CHS members.

Saturday, October 17, 2026, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM

Discover the history and value of antique and vintage items at the Colchester Historical Society Antique Roadshow.

All proceeds from this fundraiser support the Colchester Historeum Museum & Archives.

Tickets are $15 and provide 15 minutes of appraisal time for up to two items. Our appraisers include local experts Clair Peers, Cees van den Hoek, James Bryson, and Paul Clark.

Areas of interest include general antiques and collectibles, furniture, primitives, folk art, advertising, toys, mercantile, mechanical, tools, oddities, local and international art, glass, objects d’art, gold, silver, jewelry, gemstones, watches, and clocks.

Appraisals will be conducted on a first-come, first-served basis. Easily portable items are recommended.

For more information or to reserve tickets, contact 902-895-6284, email event@colchesterhistoreum.ca, or visit the Historeum at 29 Young Street, Truro.

Join our Canasta card play every Thursday from 1:30-3:30 pm.

New and experienced players are welcome.

Admission is $2 or free with a Colchester Historical Society membership.