Evergreen House - Dartmouth Heritage Museum

Written and Photo by Emily Chian

@Aumi_and_emily

The Evergreen House is hard to miss; it is a gorgeous big blue Victorian-style house situated on top of a hill overlooking Halifax harbour. It was built in 1867 and was home to Schoolmaster and Provincial Court Judge Alexander James and his family. Helen Creighton (1899-1989), a nationally acclaimed Nova Scotian folklorist, was also a resident of this house. By 1979, the house was gifted to the city and is now run by the Dartmouth Heritage Museum; visitors can enter the Evergreen House and learn about Nova Scotian history.  

The James family were the first residents of the Evergreen House, they moved in after the diphtheria epidemic killed 8 of their children. Alexander James and his wife Herriet Hawthorn, specifically built the house to escape contagious diseases from the city’s downtown area. They moved in with their remaining 3 children. James was host to Joseph Howe, a prominent Nova Scotian politician and lawyer, and both even became friends.

Helen Creighton moved into the Evergreen House in 1921. She had a prominent career collecting over 16,000 folk songs and stories from Nova Scotia and all over the Maritime provinces, including “Goodbye Nova Scotia.” She was a researcher, collector, and author to thirteen books, including the Bluenose Ghost. She has an international reputation for her work and was named as the best folklorist in the 20th century.

The architecture and interior decoration of the house show how middle-class Victorian families lived. There are three levels in the house open for the public to explore. The parlor has a collection of antique furniture and highly ornate decorations; it was previously used as a room for conversation and events, including funerals and births. A curator is available to explain the significance of the items on display and they were used; for example, there is a decorated fire screen that kept women’s makeup from melting away while they sat in front of the fire. 

I recommend you visit the second parlor and sun room —also Helen Creighton’s office during her residence — which offers a panoramic view of Dartmouth and Halifax; there is also a spectacular floor-to-ceiling window from where you can see the backyard. In the summertime, the museum uses the room to hold tea parties and even organizes events by request. 

The original interior and structure of the house from when Helen Creighton and the James family lived there are cared for and preserved well. It is interesting to see what kind of lifestyle these houses once held. The furniture, patterned wallpaper, and portraits all fit what I imagined when I was taking Victorian Literature class at SMU.

The museum also displays Victorian technology, such as Creighton’s typewriter and several models of cameras developed in the past. There are information booklets and posters on the walls to help you learn about the house’s history, as well as videos and photographs.

I recommend visiting this place; it is beautiful and homey, and it was a great way to learn about local history. While we often walk past old homes here in the South End near SMU, we never get a chance to learn about the history or significance of these century-old homes. There is a lot of culture and history inside, it helps us remember what Halifax and the surrounding area were and how they have changed— it preserves the spirit and essence that makes Halifax unique from other cities in Canada. Every year, we can see these cultural relics be torn down for redevelopment while the city plans for major changes in Downtown and the South End, but I believe it is vital that people don’t forget about their cultural heritage.

Entry to the museum is by donation, and there is a small gift shop you can visit at the end. The museum is easily accessible by taking the Alderney Ferry across the harbour. It is open all year long from 10am - 5pm.

Edit: From now until end of March it is open only through appointment.

26 Newcastle St, Dartmouth NS, B2Y 3M5