About Us

Who we are

In 2017, the Kentville Historical Society was created to help keep Kentville’s rich history alive and to preserve the heritage of the once “Shire Town of Kings County”.

Our Heritage Centre is housed in the former Via Station at 66 Station Lane, which opened in May of 2019. We have been fortunate to have many dedicated volunteers who help to operate the Centre seasonally from May through to October each year. It is also the headquarters for the Society and houses many photographic displays and artifacts of Kentville dating back to its incorporation on December 7, 1886. Surrounding the Centre are five historical Interpretative Boards on display that were compiled in collaboration with Acadia University Professor, Dr. David Duke and his History students. They feature the history of the McKay Car, the Sanatorium, the Sand Hill of Kentville, Kings County Academy and the Dominion Atlantic Railway. Permanent displays for viewing consist of Streetscapes of old Kentville, a Dominion Atlantic Railway Room, a K.C.A. Room, a Sport’s Room, and a current display on the Victorian Order of Nurses.

Books by local authors, Louis Comeau, Historian, and Sport’s writer, Burton Russell, are on display and available for purchase at the Heritage Centre.

Our Society has created a Masonic Commemorative Garden adjacent to the Heritage Centre, thanks to a generous donation from the Masonic Lodge in celebration of their 150th Anniversary of being in Kentville. A historical Interpretative Board on the Mason’s will soon be unveiled in the garden.

We host bi-monthly Membership Meetings that are open to members, as well as the public and feature guest speakers who share insights into local historical events in and around Kentville. These meetings are held in the Dining Room of Main Street Station, formerly known as the Cornwallis Inn.