Future of museum honouring famed Maitland shipbuilder up in the air

The community of Maitland, N.S., is celebrating 150 years since the launch of the largest wooden-hulled, fully-rigged ship ever built in Canada. But a museum in the former home of the vessel's builder remains closed.

The provincially run museum in the home of William D. Lawrence did not open for the 2024 season, due in part to a shortage of staff. The site is part of the Nova Scotia Museum, one of 28 across the province. Last week, about 40 people attended a community meeting to discuss the museum's future. 

A representative from the Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage presented community members with options — maintaining the museum's current model or scenarios where a society or the municipality could play a larger role in operations, including hiring staff, programing and finances. 

Susan Mader Zinck, a spokesperson for the department, said for years the museum has faced staffing shortages and declining programming.  

"This closure has provided an opportunity for the government to engage with the community to discuss the museum as a valuable community asset and to get feedback on their vision for the site," she said. 

During the meeting, residents asked about the province's hiring processes, the museum's past management and the financial feasibility of the community taking on more responsibility for it. 

Janice Lockyer, who is president of Maitland's Culture, Heritage and Arts society as well as the community's district development association, said it was inspiring to see the turnout. She said the next step is convening people to look at the options for how the museum should operate in the future.

"[To] put a good strong group together that sort of has knowledge, not just of the museum and its history, but of the area, of tourism," she said.

'A great adventure'

Despite the museum closure and the uncertainty about its future, Lockyer said there will be several events throughout the next year to mark the maiden voyage of the ship, called the W.D. Lawrence after its builder. It's a tradition to hold an annual gathering to celebrate the launch of the ship. 

She said there will be music, reenactments of Lawrence's speeches, teas, an 1800s-style scavenger hunt and a ship replica launched into the Cobequid Bay.

Lockyer said Lawrence chronicled in his journal how the ship was outfitted in New Brunswick, travelled to England and then made its way around the Horn of Africa to India, then Australia, South America and Italy. 

"We're going to celebrate the journey of the ship as she went around the world," she said. 

"It's a great adventure. And so we really feel that W.D. is an interesting character and he's not perfect by any means, but that we think that it's fun to celebrate the real journey and all the stories of the boat."

Mader Zinck said the department is working to provide the community with access to the museum for the anniversary celebrations.

Events are planned into October 2025 and Lockyer is hopeful the museum will be open next summer.