Category Archives: Upcoming Lectures

“The Story of Markland and Lockeport Icelanders”

By | | Public Lecture Series, RNSHS Public Lectures, Upcoming Lectures
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Wednesday, January 21st, 2026, 7:00 pm (Atlantic), in-person at the Lindsay Children’s Room on the 2nd floor at the Halifax Central Library, 5440 Spring Garden Road, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Click here for the Zoom link.

Abstract:
This presentation will outline how 200 Icelanders came to Markland and Lockeport in 1874, only for many to leave eight years later in 1882. The Icelandic Memorial Society of Nova Scotia’s Vice Chair J. Marshall Burgess is a descendant of the Huskilson family who stayed and settled in Lockeport. He will discuss the continuing research the Society performs to find descendants of the original 30 families who came to Nova Scotia, as well as how these Icelandic settlers have been honoured in the Lockport area.

Biography: 
The Icelandic Memorial Society of Nova Scotia was incorporated in 1998 and consists of 50 plus members.

Individuals in photo above: J.Marshall Burgess Kc, Vice-Chair; Bonnie Price, Treasurer; Ken Burrows,  Chair.




“Poutrincourt’s 1607 Gristmill: Clues we have found in our search for ‘The Oldest Mill in North America.’”

By | | Annual General Meeting, Public Lecture Series, RNSHS Public Lectures, Upcoming Lectures
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Wednesday, June 17th, 2026, 7:00 pm (Atlantic), in-person at the Lindsay Children’s Room on the 2nd floor at the Halifax Central Library, 5440 Spring Garden Road, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Click here for the Zoom link.

Abstract: 
In 1605-7, French explorer-settlers built the first water-powered gristmill at Port Royal initiating the First Industrial Revolution in North America. Poutrincourt’s Mill was shown on Samuel Champlain’s 1607 map—but for 400 years, historians haven’t been able to find it. New technologies and fresh perspectives have revealed its likely location—along with three other ancient mills, Acadian tidal dykes, and Mi’kmaq cultural sites.

Biography: 
Mark C. Borton is the founder of the Allain’s River Historic Discovery Project, an organization that seeks to systematically investigate and preserve the historically significant sites along the Allain’s River in Annapolis County, Nova Scotia. Borton is also the creator of the Embassy Boating Guide series (Maine to Florida) and the Maptech Waterproof Chart series (USA), and the author of “Moondoggle: Franklin Roosevelt and the Fight for Tidal-Electric Power at Passamaquoddy Bay”.

 

 

“Anna and the Art School: Anna Leonowens and the Founding of Halifax’s Victoria School of Art and Design, 1887-1897, Part 2”

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Wednesday, April 15th, 2026, 7:00 pm (Atlantic), in-person at the Lindsay Children’s Room on the 2nd floor at the Halifax Central Library, 5440 Spring Garden Road, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Click here for the Zoom link.

Abstract:
In October 1887, just as the new Victoria School of Art and Design prepared to open, and despite its early acceptance, even popularity, the seeds of decline were already present. The initial leadership remained, including Leonowens, but the world was changing around them, and their ability to react quickly and decisively was being eroded. Across a long decade, and again based on primary sources and Halifax newspapers, the second part of this story explores how two departures, one return, a death, and the waning of the old century all combined to threaten the school’s survival.

Biography: 
A graduate of Dalhousie University, Lois Yorke is the former Provincial Archivist and Director of the Nova Scotia Archives. She has spent over forty years as an archivist, editor, researcher and consultant in cultural heritage. Her long-standing involvement in women’s history has produced various articles on ‘interesting’ women from Nova Scotia’s past. These back-to-back lectures on the founding of Halifax’s Victoria School of Art and Design are drawn from a much larger project – the first biography to explore fully the life and times of Anna Harriette Leonowens, ‘The English Governess at the Siamese Court’ – possibly the most interesting woman of them all.





 

 

 

“Anna and the Art School: Anna Leonowens and the Founding of Halifax’s Victoria School of Art and Design, 1887-1897, Part 1”

By | | Public Lecture Series, RNSHS Public Lectures, Upcoming Lectures
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Wednesday, March 18th, 2026, 7:00 pm (Atlantic), in-person at the Lindsay Children’s Room on the 2nd floor at the Halifax Central Library, 5440 Spring Garden Road, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Click here for the Zoom link.

Abstract:
Across eight tumultuous months in 1887, Halifax’s Victoria School of Art and Design (today’s NSCAD University) moved from idea to vision to the cusp of reality. Over the years, there have been various theories regarding Anna Leonowens’ involvement, some claiming the school was entirely her idea and others suspicious that in an age when women were supposedly seen but not much heard it was really the men who did it all. Based on primary sources and newspapers of the period, this presentation looks at the school’s founding, offering new details and fresh perspectives into ‘how things got done’ in Halifax 140 years ago.

Biography: 
A graduate of Dalhousie University, Lois Yorke is the former Provincial Archivist and Director of the Nova Scotia Archives. She has spent over forty years as an archivist, editor, researcher and consultant in cultural heritage. Her long-standing involvement in women’s history has produced various articles on ‘interesting’ women from Nova Scotia’s past. These back-to-back lectures on the founding of Halifax’s Victoria School of Art and Design are drawn from a much larger project – the first biography to explore fully the life and times of Anna Harriette Leonowens, ‘The English Governess at the Siamese Court’ – possibly the most interesting woman of them all.





 

 

 

“Frances Wentworth: a New Look at the Governor’s Lady”

By | | Public Lecture Series, RNSHS Public Lectures, Upcoming Lectures
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Wednesday, February 18th, 2026, 7:00 pm (Atlantic), in-person at the Lindsay Children’s Room on the 2nd floor at the Halifax Central Library, 5440 Spring Garden Road, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Click here for the Zoom link.

Abstract:
The presentation on Frances Wentworth will focus on her life as seen through the lens of her personal letters. As the wife of the Ltd. Governor of Nova Scotia, Frances was an integral part of colonial society in Halifax. The talk will also position her within the wider context of elite female society and its governing behaviours and influence. 

Biography: 
Denise Hansen has an academic background in history and education.  She worked for over 30 years with Parks Canada in Halifax, in the Archaeology and Heritage Presentation sections. During her career, she has conducted research,  contributed to exhibits and developed educational programming.