Even though it dates to 1843, the Guysborough courthouse is the third to serve a county founded by disbanded British soldiers after the American Revolution. The first courthouse, which also housed the jail, was built in 1790 and a replacement was completed in 1825. It was replaced, in turn, by a simple, one-storey courthouse with a gabled roof and windows featuring Gothic arches reminiscent of a church. A separate jail building was erected next door. When court was not in session, the building hosted municipal council meetings and rallies and housed exhibits for agricultural fairs held on its grounds. Court sittings moved to the town’s new municipal building in 1973 and the courthouse is now a museum.
From Courthouses of Nova Scotia
The Old Court House Museum is located in the historic shiretown of Guysborough, at the head of beautiful Chedabucto Bay. Housed in the former Guysborough District Court House, the museum is currently maintained by the Guysborough Historical Society.
The Guysborough District Court House was constructed in 1842-43 in the British Bulldog architecture style. It is one of the few surviving examples of 19th century court houses in the province. The building’s design and location were selected to reinforce its importance as a centre for justice. Visitors are able to observe some of the building’s unique features, including a projecting enclosed porch with a gable roof as well as a series of beautiful tracery windows.
During the building’s 173-year history, it served not only as a court house, but also as a town hall, a venue for political debates, a polling station, an enlistment centre for both World Wars, and even as an agricultural fair exhibition centre. Numerous artifacts representative of the building’s diverse past are on display throughout the museum. Many of these artifacts were kindly donated or loaned to the museum by residents of the Guysborough area.
Highlights of the museum include dioramas of the 17th century French forts on nearby Fort Point, as well as a fascinating collection of historical photographs and maps of the Guysborough area. The Museum also has an assortment of tools and handcrafts collected from the Acadian and Black settlements in the area. Together, these items tell the story of Guysborough County’s remarkable marine, agricultural and lumbering history.
From Tourism Nova Scotia
Old Guysborough Court House Museum
DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
The Old Guysborough Court House Museum is located in the heart of the rural community of Guysborough, NS. Built in a simple meeting house style in 1842-1843, the historic place is distinguished by its Gothic arched windows. The designation includes both the building and the property.
HERITAGE VALUE
The Old Guysborough Court House Museum is valued for its over one-hundred and thirty year role as the principal public building in Guysborough County, and for its Gothic arched windows.
The Guysborough Courthouse was built in 1842-1843 and immediately became the most important building in Guysborough County, which is located over two hundred and fifty miles from the provincial capital of Halifax. As the only Courthouse in the County, it served as the location of the Court of General Sessions, and later as the meeting place of the municipal council. The building and the surrounding grounds served multiple purposes for the people of Guysborough County. They were used for agricultural exhibitions, as a polling station, a recruiting station during both world wars, and for legal trials. On September 18, 1867, Guysborough residents voiced their opinion on Confederation by voting, at the Courthouse, for two anti-Confederation province assembly representatives. In 1973 it ceased to function as a courthouse when a modern building was constructed. Today it is operated open to the public as a museum, operated by the Guysborough Historical Society, interpreting the history of the building and the county.
The Old Guysborough Courthouse is an important building in Nova Scotia and is unique among historic court houses in Nova Scotia. It was designed by carpenter Elisha Randall, who also was the builder, and he added what are considered his own personal touches to the design, including the buildings’ distinct Gothic arched windows. Using local materials, Randall built the Courthouse in a plain symmetrical meeting house form, with the exception of the windows.
CHARACTER-DEFINING ELEMENTS
Exterior Character-Defining Elements of the Old Guysborough Court House Museum
related to its simple symmetrical meeting house style and location within the community include:
- wood shingle cladding;
- windows with true Gothic Revival point arch with a simple tracery pattern;
- projected, enclosed porch on the street side with gable roof;
- south side wing;
- wood shingle roof;
- sandstone foundation;
- location on a main road, in the centre of the community.
Interior Character-Defining Elements of the Old Guysborough Court House Museum include:
- all historical and original elements related to the function of the building as a courthouse, including: Petit Jury room, judge’s bench, gallery, barrister’s room, main courtroom including benches for spectators, and Grand Jury room.
From Historic Places Canada