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A heritage museum in Nova Scotia that faced closure just two months ago has new life.
Perkins House Museum in Liverpool expects a $50,000 annual grant from the province’s Community Museum Assistance Program, the Queens County Historical Society announced Friday.
Furthermore, the historical society and the museum board will step in to co-manage daily operations.
David Nickerson, board chair of Queens County Museum, said he’s elated about the funding.
“Everybody is just beyond,” he said.
Perkins House, a Cape Cod-style building built in 1766, is the oldest dwelling in the Nova Scotia Museum collection.
The province cut funding to 12 museums in February, including Perkins House. It cited declining attendance and changing visitor expectations at the sites.
Nickerson said he doesn’t know how the provincial program selects museums for funding, but he believes strong community support and the museum’s significance to local tourism contributed.
He said people came together “and showed the energy that was needed to take care of this business.”
The program, run by the Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage, aims to support Nova Scotia’s community museums in preserving and protecting local heritage.
In 2025-26, the program provided funding to a total of 67 community museums across the province, with grants ranging approximately from $2,100 to $94,000, according to a department document.
Nickerson said the grant will supplement the annual funding Perkins House previously received from Nova Scotia Museums, but it may only be a short-term fix. He said fundraising will have to account for any shortfalls.
It is unclear if more community museums will receive funding from the program, but in a statement sent to the CBC on Sunday, the department said it had “promising conversations with many of these seasonal museums affected by the spring budget decisions.”
Opening dates and upcoming plans for Perkins House will be announced in the near future, according to a social media post.
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