Maritime Museum Celebrates 26th Anniversary

The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic will celebrate its 26th anniversary on the Halifax waterfront on Sunday, Jan. 20.

People will be welcome to visit the museum for free from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., with staff serving birthday cake at 2 p.m.

As Canada's oldest and largest maritime museum, the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic endeavours to create an awareness, appreciation and understanding of Nova Scotia's marine heritage through collection preservation, research, interpretation and exhibition.

"It gives me great pleasure to celebrate the anniversary of this valuable historical, cultural and educational institution," said Bill Dooks, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Heritage. "This award-winning museum not only shares this province's heritage with guests from the world over, but also preserves that heritage so that future generations of Nova Scotians can discover their roots."

Founded in 1948, the original concept for the museum was conceived by a group of Royal Canadian Navy officers who had a space at HMC Dockyard designated to display and preserve relics of Canada's naval past. By 1952, this early incarnation of the museum was transferred to quarters in the Halifax Citadel, and, in 1957, was named the Maritime Museum of Canada.

Throughout the 1960s and '70s, the museum was located at a variety of sites, until the long search for a permanent home ended. The Museum was established on the Halifax waterfront on the site of the historic William Robertson & Son Ship Chandlery and A.M. Smith and Co. Properties.

The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic officially opened to the public on Jan. 22, 1982, and, since then, has welcomed more than 3.5 million visitors.

Over the years, the museum has received a variety of significant awards including: Attractions Canada 1999 National Award Winner for Best Indoor Site; an honourable mention from the Canadian Museums Association for the exhibit Titanic: The Unsinkable Ship and Halifax; and Canada's best Maritime Museum in the 2006 Readers' Digest's Best Of poll.

The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic is located at 1675 Lower Water St., Halifax.