Fultz House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids (Bennett Daniel) Fultz House |
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Fultz House Museum
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| General information | |
| Location | 33 Sackville Drive, Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia |
| Coordinates | 44°45′10″N 63°39′54″W / 44.752804°N 63.664922°W |
| Construction started | 1863 |
| Completed | 1865 |
| Owner | Fultz Corner Restoration Society |
The Bennett Daniel Fultz House is a very old and important house in Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia. It is one of the first homes built in the area. Today, it is the only museum in the community. You can find it on its original land. It sits at a busy corner where big roads from Halifax to Truro and the Annapolis Valley meet.
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Sackville's Early Days
Lower Sackville officially began in 1749. This was when Fort Sackville was built under Captain John Gorham. The very first land given out in this area went to Colonel Joseph Scott. His home, the Scott Manor House, is now in Bedford. The Manor was finished in the 1770s.
The Fultz family's story in Nova Scotia started in 1751. Johann Fultz came from Germany on a ship called the Speedwell. He traveled to Halifax. Records show he then went to Louisbourg. Before Louisbourg fell in 1758, Johann and his wife, Elizabeth, had two children. They had married in Nova Scotia.
The Fultz Family and Their Inn
One of Johann's children, Anthony Fultz, asked the Crown for land in Sackville in 1809. He had already received some land from his father's will in 1801. In 1812, Anthony successfully bought 150 acres (61 ha) of land. Soon after, Fultz's Twelve Mile House opened. It was located at the busy corner of the "Great Roads."
This inn was a rest stop for horse-drawn carriages. Travelers used it when going to and from Halifax. Anthony's son, William, ran the inn. The inn even had a large ballroom, about 40 by 25 feet (12 by 7.6 m). It was a popular place to stop. George Ramsay, 9th Earl of Dalhousie, who was the Governor of Nova Scotia from 1816 to 1820, often visited. Sadly, the inn burned down in 1890. But the Fultz family kept going strong.
The Fultz House Story
In 1858, William's nephew, Bennett Daniel Fultz, bought land across from the Twelve Mile Inn. He bought it from his cousin, William Beresford Fultz. In 1863, Bennett started building the house we now call the Fultz House. Bennett and his wife Mary moved into the house in 1865. They lived there with their eight children.
The house was changed quite a bit before the 1900s. A summer kitchen was added, along with a second floor. Bennett and Mary even ran a post office from their kitchen! Bennett passed away in 1910, and Mary in 1928.
Jane Emily Fultz was the sixth child of Bennett and Mary. She moved back to the family home after her father died. When she passed away in 1947, the Fultz family no longer owned the house. It was then bought by another family.
Becoming a Museum
In 1979, the government of Nova Scotia bought the Fultz House and the land around it. They planned to make the "Great Roads" intersection bigger for traffic. But in November of that year, six community groups in Sackville came together. They formed the Fultz Corner Restoration Society. This group included the Sackville Heritage Society, a garden club, and a sorority.
In 1980, the plans to tear down the house were stopped. The house and property were then leased to the society in August. The museum officially opened in July and August of 1981. It was named the Fultz House Museum at a big opening on Canada Day, 1982.
Since then, the museum has been a special place for the community. It hosts teas, Canada Day parties, and other events. Even today, people who are related to the Fultz family are still involved with the museum.
Museum Additions and Visits
In 1988, a building where a barrel maker (a cooper) named W.J. Grace worked was moved to the museum site. In 1995, a blacksmith's forge and tools that belonged to A. J. Smeltzer were also moved there. The Fultz House site became fully owned by the society in 1990. In 2008, the society was given even more land by Premier Rodney MacDonald.
This wonderful community museum is open from 10 AM to 5 PM. You can visit it every day of the week during July and August. The museum gets money from the government. This helps them hire college students for the summer. These students help keep history alive! The best part is, admission to the museum is free for everyone.
