Prescott House Museum
Encyclopedia
Prescott House is a historic house located in Starr's Point, Nova Scotia
which is part of the Nova Scotia Museum
. Built between 1812 and 1816 by Charles Ramage Prescott
as the centrepiece of his country estate called "Acacia Grove", it is one of the best preserved Georgian
houses in Atlantic Canada. Prescott, a wealthy merchant from Halifax, Nova Scotia
purchased the land in 1811 when he took early retirement from his shipping and trading career. He used Acacia Grove as a base for agricultural experiments, importing a wide variety of plants, especially apple
varieties which he shared freely with area growers. When Prescott died in 1859, the house was purchased and maintained for several decades by the Kaye family. However later owners neglected the house and by the 1890s, it fell into ruin. In 1931 the house was purchased by Mary Allison Prescott, the great granddaughter of Charles Prescott. She restored the house and lived in it with her two sisters until 1970. They donated the house to the Province of Nova Scotia
in 1971. The house is operated as part of the Nova Scotia Museum
system and explores Prescott's life, Georgian architecture
, the apple industry and the lives of the Prescott sisters. Fully restored rooms depict both the Georgian period of Charles Prescott's time and the later era of the 1930s and 40s when it was restored by the Prescott sisters. Open from May to October, the museum offers guided tours of the period rooms and hosts a variety of regular events to interpret the house and its gardens for families and children. The house is a Canadian National Historic Site as well as a provincial heritage building.
Starr's Point, Nova Scotia
Starr's Point is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in Kings County two miles west of Port Williams near the mouth of the Cornwallis River. It is an agricultural area noted for apple orchards. Wellington Dyke in Starr's Point encloses more than beside the Canard River...
which is part of the Nova Scotia Museum
Nova Scotia Museum
Nova Scotia Museum is the corporate name for the most decentralized museum in Canada - 27 museums across Nova Scotia, including over 200 historic buildings, living history sites, vessels, specialized museums and close to a million artifacts and specimens...
. Built between 1812 and 1816 by Charles Ramage Prescott
Charles Ramage Prescott
Charles Ramage Prescott was a merchant, noted horticulturalist and political figure in Nova Scotia. He represented the town of Cornwallis in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1818 to 1820....
as the centrepiece of his country estate called "Acacia Grove", it is one of the best preserved Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
houses in Atlantic Canada. Prescott, a wealthy merchant from Halifax, Nova Scotia
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
purchased the land in 1811 when he took early retirement from his shipping and trading career. He used Acacia Grove as a base for agricultural experiments, importing a wide variety of plants, especially apple
Apple
The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
varieties which he shared freely with area growers. When Prescott died in 1859, the house was purchased and maintained for several decades by the Kaye family. However later owners neglected the house and by the 1890s, it fell into ruin. In 1931 the house was purchased by Mary Allison Prescott, the great granddaughter of Charles Prescott. She restored the house and lived in it with her two sisters until 1970. They donated the house to the Province of Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
in 1971. The house is operated as part of the Nova Scotia Museum
Nova Scotia Museum
Nova Scotia Museum is the corporate name for the most decentralized museum in Canada - 27 museums across Nova Scotia, including over 200 historic buildings, living history sites, vessels, specialized museums and close to a million artifacts and specimens...
system and explores Prescott's life, Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
, the apple industry and the lives of the Prescott sisters. Fully restored rooms depict both the Georgian period of Charles Prescott's time and the later era of the 1930s and 40s when it was restored by the Prescott sisters. Open from May to October, the museum offers guided tours of the period rooms and hosts a variety of regular events to interpret the house and its gardens for families and children. The house is a Canadian National Historic Site as well as a provincial heritage building.