Though not in its original location, the 1790 courthouse at least remains in Guysborough and today is home to
Days Gone By. Days Gone By houses what must be the most eclectic collection of businesses we've encountered under one umbrella. Within, one will find a bakery, a restaurant, a gift shop, an antique shop and a Christmas store. If that weren't enough to pique one's interest, these shops are housed in what was once the first Guysborough Court House, built in 1790. This makes it one of the oldest, if not
the oldest, buildings in Guysborough. When built, it housed not only the courthouse, but the jail, as well.
Days-Gone-By Bakery and Café, Main Street. c1790. This
building incorporates the first court house in town, which was
built in 1790 and was moved to this site. Another portion of
the building was floated across the harbour from its previous
location, and the gift shop was originally the home of
Alexander Torrey, carriage builder.
From A Walking Tour of Guysborough
Days Gone By is a bit of everything: a bakery, restaurant, antiques and gift shop, plus a Christmas loft where you can stock up on ornaments any darn time you please. The business is housed in what was the community’s first courthouse and, like the many historic buildings in Guysborough, its heritage is noted on a small plaque on the front of the structure.
From the Halifax Chronicle Herald
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