Official homepage for the Town of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia

Yarmouth's cultural legacy runs deep – from our thriving arts and entertainment community, to the architectural heritage that we find all around us. Here are just a few places where Yarmouth's history comes to life.

Yarmouth County Museum and Archives

Nestled within a neighbourhood of historically significant Victorian houses, the Yarmouth County Museum and Archives draws thousands of visitors every year. See a lighthouse lens that weighs 3,300 pounds, a stone that may have been engraved by Vikings, and extensive displays on Yarmouth's shipping history.

In the museum are thousands of artifacts spanning centuries of Yarmouth history, the third-largest ship portrait collection in Canada, and one of the largest costume collections in Nova Scotia. The Archives are the largest non-institutional archives in Nova Scotia, with roughly 25,000 photographs, newspapers dating back to 1833, extensive genealogical records and a research library.

Firefighters' Museum

You don't have to be a firefighter to appreciate the Firefighters' Museum of Nova Scotia in Yarmouth. Antique auto enthusiasts especially enjoy the important collection of vintage equipment: the pumpers, hose wagons, and ladder trucks–not to mention the 1863 Amoskeag Steamer, one of the oldest surviving steamers in Canada.

The Yarmouth Firefighters' Museum also chronicles the fascinating history of firefighting in the province through photographs, recollections, and thousands of artifacts. You'll also find antique toy fire engines, uniforms, and a huge collection of shoulder crests, patches, and badges from fire departments around the world.

Sweeney Fisheries Museum

Step over the threshold and back in time at the W. Laurence Sweeney Fisheries Museum. Here you can explore our marine heritage through unique exhibits – a simulation of a traditional fishing wharf, complete with fishing, processing and ship repair sheds, wharf decks and even a coastal freighter.

About 90 percent of the material used in the museum is authentic, carefully preserved during the deconstruction of the original Sweeney Fisheries buildings and painstakingly reassembled to create a scaled-down reproduction of the working waterfront of Yarmouth's past. Walk across the authentic wharf planks, visit the buildings, and flip through the pages of history. Nothing is roped off in this interactive museum!

Sports Hall of Fame

The Yarmouth Town and County Sports Hall of Fame was founded in 1997 by six Yarmouth locals interested in preserving the history and heritage of sports within the area. Since that time, the museum has thrived and expanded, with a permanent home at 435 Main Street. Exhibits and displays are always changing at the Hall of Fame, so stop by and explore Yarmouth’s sports heritage! You can find out more on the museum's Facebook page, on Twitter @yarsportsmuseum, or email yarmouthsportsheritage@live.com.

Public Fountains

Yarmouth has had a longstanding love of public fountains, which dates back to the 1800s. There are fountains located at each end of Main Street, established to provide drinking water for the local horses.

The fountain at the north end of Main Street was placed by Clara Killam in 1893. The fountain at the south end of Main Street was presented by Nathan B. Lewis and his wife in 1895, designed and built in New York. The fountain in Frost Park was as popular in the late 1800s as it is today. Mountain Cemetery on Parade Street has two beautiful fountains, the oldest being placed by William Law in 1897. The other is much newer but still just as beautiful.

Yarmouth Cenotaph

In November 1920, a banner headline in the Yarmouth Telegram read "Local Council of Women Urge War Memorial." The Town moved quickly, and in January the tasks of collecting the money for the construction and of collecting the list of names to be inscribed on the monument began.

At the time of the unveiling on June 9th, 1923, there were 173 names to be put on the monument and a sum of $10,272 had been collected. A record was made of every man in Yarmouth County who fell, which included the date and place he was born, where he enlisted and where he died, and the brigade in which he was serving at the time of his death. A copy of this record was kept in a vault at the Court House. The names of World War II and Korean War veterans were added later.

On the morning of Friday, September 22, 2023 the Yarmouth black soldiers of the No. 2 Black Construction Battalion finally received the fanfare they rightfully deserved more than 100 years ago, with the unveiling and dedication of a monument bearing their names and an interpretive panel bearing their story.

Lost to the Sea Memorial

In the late 1800s, the shipping fleet from Yarmouth was the second largest in Canada, and its sea captains were renowned in seaports around the world. But like any large fleet, it had its share of misfortunes worldwide. A memorial for those Lost to the Sea commemorates all the sons and daughters of Yarmouth County who have died at sea. Visit Lost to the Sea Memorial to learn more.

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Fire Inspections

The Town of Yarmouth employs a municipal fire inspector as required by the Fire Safety Act of Nova Scotia. The inspector carries out a system of inspections on the following occupancies:

1. Assembly occupancies (churches, community halls, licensed establishments, restaurants, theatres, bowling alleys, arenas, rinks, gymnasiums, museums, indoor pools)
2. Residential occupancies containing 4 or more dwelling units (apartments, motels, hotels)
3. Business and personal service occupancies (offices, banks and service shops)
4. Mercantile occupancies (stores, markets and retail outlets)
5. Industrial occupancies (workshops, factories, warehouses, repair garages, gas stations)
6. All registered fire safety complaints. Download a complaint for here.

The inspector is responsible to ensure compliance with the National Fire Code of Canada and is available to provide information on fire safety and fire emergency planning.

Fire Safety Planning

The National Fire Code of Canada requires that certain buildings develop and maintain a Fire Safety Plan. To assist owners/occupants in the development and/or maintenance of these plans, templates are provided below.

The following occupancies are required to have a formal fire safety plan:

1. Assembly occupancies(any building in which persons gather including restaurants, halls, gymnasiums, libraries, churches, clubs, bowling alleys);
2. Every building is required to have a fire alarm system including sprinklered buildings;
3. Demolition and construction sites where hazardous processes and operations are present;
4. Areas used for bulk storage;
5. Areas where flammable or combustible liquids are stored or handled;
6. Areas where hazardous processes or operations occur.
   
   

If your building falls within one of the categories listed above, you are required to have a fire safety plan. For more information, please call or visit the Fire Inspector at Fire Services Department, 221 Pleasant Street, Yarmouth Tel: 902-740-5706.

Template Downloads

pdf Fire Safety Plan Template 2021 PDF

(530 KB) document Fire Safety Plan Template 2021 MS Word(176 KB)

Other Downloads

pdf Food Truck Fact Sheet(278 KB)

Disclaimer

In no event will the Town of Yarmouth be liable for any damages, whether direct, indirect general, consequential, incidental, exemplary or special, arising from the use of this template.