Wolfville Historical Society facts for kids
The Wolfville Historical Society is a non-profit group that owns and takes care of the Randall House Museum in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. This old building was built around 1812. It opens as a museum from June to September each year. The society gathers, protects, shows, and stores old items and papers from the local area. They also help visitors understand the history of the house, its rooms, what's inside, and the garden. Old papers and photos are available for people to look at. The Society also helps publish books about Wolfville's history.
The Wolfville Historical Society started in 1941. A group of citizens rented the DeWolf house to save it from being torn down. They turned it into a museum. In 1946, the owners, the Wolfville Fruit Company, wanted to use the land. So, the museum moved and opened at the Randall House in 1949.
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What You Can See and Learn
The museum has a library with many local history books. It also has family history records and property papers. Other materials are shared with the Esther Clark Wright Archives at Acadia University. This collection includes many letters, photos, and printed items. Most of these are from the 1900s. There are also some audio and video recordings.
You can see many old items throughout the house. For example, a set of chairs was brought to Nova Scotia by early settlers from New England in 1760. The museum also stores a collection of old clothes. Some of these clothes are from the 1700s. This collection even includes clothing from the family of Canada's former leader, Robert Borden.
About the Randall House Building
The Randall House is a two-and-a-half-story wooden house. It was built in the Georgian style in the late 1700s. The front of the house looks balanced with five sections. It has a triangular porch roof supported by round columns. The front door has a small window above it with windows on the sides. The house has a roof that slopes steeply to two sides. Its walls are covered with wooden siding called clapboard. The house is built over a stone foundation without mortar. It has a dirt floor in the basement. There are seven fireplaces inside the house.
History of the Randall House
We don't know the exact year the house was built. The first owner we know of was Aaron Cleveland. He was a tradesman living in Wolfville around 1805. On November 14, 1812, Cleveland sold the property to Charles Randall. Charles Randall was a carpenter. When he passed away in 1856, his son, Charles Dennison Randall, took over the property. Charles Dennison Randall was a successful judge who was a Baptist. He came from English families.
When Charles Dennison Randall died in 1893, his will said the property should be split between his daughters, Elizabeth and Annie. Eardley Randall spent most of his time caring for "sister" Annie. Annie was sick and never left the house. Eardley Randall's initials are still carved into the attic's staircase. When Eardley owned the house, it became known for being uncared for. Town children often thought it was a spooky place.
In 1927, Eardley and Elizabeth sold the land to William C.B. Harris, a merchant. He then sold it to Charles Patriquin, a retired farmer. During his retirement, C.A. Patriquin spent time and money to improve the area of Wolfville now called Willow Park. This park is next to the Randall House. Before that, it was a swampy area and looked bad. He passed the land to his son, Graham, in 1932. Graham Patriquin sold the Randall House in 1947. The Wolfville Historical Society now rents the property for one dollar a year. The Randall House Museum opened in 1949. It became a Nova Scotia Provincial Heritage Property in 1987.
For the past four years, the Wolfville Historical Society has been working to fix up the Randall House Museum. This work is paid for by donations from its members. The local and provincial governments also help support these efforts.
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The Randall House Museum, located at 259 Main Street in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.
