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 Queens County Museum - Liverpool, Nova Scotia Posted by:  T0SHEA
N 44° 02.393 W 064° 42.716
20T E 362838 N 4877727
Queens County Museum is the holder of one of the most important historical documents in Canada, the Simeon Perkins diary.
Waymark Code: WMZ68H
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada
Date Posted: 09/16/2018
Views: 1
That document, the Simeon Perkins diary, was recovered in 1897 from the 1766 house in which Perkins lived and is today in the care of the Queens County Historical Society and is housed in the Queens County Museum, next door to the Perkins House.
A successful businessman in the town of Liverpool, Simeon Perkins was a diarist who recorded the every day life of Liverpool in the years 1767 to 1812, the year of his death.
"C. Bruce Fergusson—in a biography for the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online—describes Perkins diary as “a mine of information for the study of economic, political, and social institutions, shedding light not only on the life of a community but also on a region occupying a significant place in the North Atlantic triangular trade and an important position in the evolution of the second British Empire.”
In his diary, Perkins kept a careful record of births, deaths and marriages; faithfully recorded the weather; and often commented on religion, the war at sea, and public affairs. The Diary of Simeon Perkins was published in five volumes by the Champlain Society and edited by H.A. Innis et al, but the book is currently out of print.
From the Perkins House Museum
That diary is not the only interesting item to be found in the museum. It seems that the museum is haunted, and has been for quite some time. The staff at the museum have, on many occasions, witnessed the appearance of the resident spirits of the museum, heard their voices and their footsteps, and have even witnessed books flying from the shelves. The Shelburne Coast Guard article, below, provides more detail.
‘We love our resident spirits’: Staff happily shares Queens County Museum with spirits
LIVERPOOL, NS - There are ghosts lurking in Liverpool, and Linda Rafuse, director of the Queens County Museum, knows a few stories about these spirits.
Aethne Hinchliffe | Jul 21, 2017
“I love anything and everything that has to do with the paranormal,” said Rafuse. She grew up listening to her father and grandfather’s ghost stories, and she’s been telling stories since she was a teenager. “We love our resident spirits,” said Rafuse. “They’re actually on our (the museum’s) website.
The resident spirits have lived in the Queens Country Museum for a long time. The ghosts and staff share the building happily. Rafuse started working at the museum as a volunteer in the mid-1980s, and that’s when she saw her first spirit. “It was a gentleman who walked past the desk when I was out at the front desk during lunch hour,” she said.
Alone in the building, Rafuse initially thought the man was another staff member. When she got up to check, though, no one was there. Over the years, Queens County Museum staff has learned there’s a gentleman in the main gallery and young girl in the gift shop. There are also an older and a younger woman in the research centre.
“The older lady always hangs around the bookcases,” said Rafuse. Rafuse sometimes hears the spirits talking. She might be in the research centre and no one is in the gallery, but there will be two women speaking. She has also heard a man and child conversing. Sometimes, footsteps go across the deck on the Liverpool Packet. Other times, Rafuse has been in the gallery and heard what sounds like a researcher flipping through book pages.
“While I was here one day, sitting at my desk, one of the books flew out of the bookcase,” said Rafuse, who had her back to the bookshelves and heard a clunking sound. Rafuse stood up to investigate and found a book lying on the floor that had fallen from one of the higher shelves.
“We’ve lived with these resident spirits for so many years that we’re very comfortable with them and they’re very comfortable with us,” explained Rafuse. “We say good morning to them when we come in the door.”
From the Shelburne Coast Guard
Public access?:
Yes
Visting hours:
Museum hours:
June 1st to October 15th - Monday - Saturday - 9:30 am - 5:30 pm
Sunday - 1:00 pm - 5:30 pm
October 16th to May 31st - Monday - Saturday - 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Website about the location and/or story: [Web Link]
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