An elaborate black dress such as the one seen here is an example of what would have been worn during the grieving period. Black was traditionally worn for six months, then purple, for three months and then green for the final three months of the grieving year.

This rectangular wooden box was an early type of foghorn used on small coastal vessels in the late 19th century. Using two leather bellows, and a metal crank handle on side to operate bellows, this style of foghorn was portable and able to operate without power.

This poster was printed for outdoor use at the start of Bennett’s reelection campaign in 1935. However, since by that time, Bennett had become a rather unpopular figure, the Conservative party did not want to connect their campaign to Bennett by having his name emblazoned on the posters. They instead opted to use the party’s name, and the posters were pulled from buildings and windows.

Surrounding this vintage British Boer War tin are some of the major figures and heroes involved in the Boer War from 1899-1902: Major General Baden Powell, Lord Kitchener, General Redvers Henry Buller, Lord Roberts, and Sir John French.

This Bill of Sale for a Schooner called ‘Hopewell’. The ship was built at the Condon ship yard in Hopewell Cape in May 1868, and was one of four known ships built in the area called ‘Hopewell’. It was sold by Samuel James Calhoun to a Jonathan Robinson of Harvey for more than $400 (approximately $7500 today).

In the 18th and 19th century, many homeowners grew their own apple trees, and families processed these apples into a variety of products. Peeling, coring, and slicing enough apples for winter was difficult and time consuming, however, so soon many different inventions began to appear to aid in this work.

This poster was used to advertise the Steeves Family Gathering in 1867, the first ever of such a gathering for the family. Now numbering upwards of 300,000 descendants worldwide, the family name originated in Hillsborough as the Stief family from Germany.

This small slate, originally owned by Mrs. Ella Nelson, would have been used by school children in the early 20th century. The advantage of slates over paper was that slates could be wiped clean and used again, saving money on paper.

This large leather trunk with a metal frame was owned by Abner Reid McClelan. A. R. McClelan, born 1831 in Riverside-Albert, was a Canadian Senator and the tenth Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick.

The bullet mould seen here was primarily used to make lead musket balls, and while the date of this mould is unknown, this type is similar to those used in the late 1800s.