Yarmouth (pop. 7,781) was settled in 1761.

The town's proximity to the ports of New England and lucrative trade with the West Indies brought a prosperity that is still reflected in the town's splendid architecture. Today Yarmouth has the salty romance of a working seaport and, after Halifax, is the second-largest port in the province. Yarmouth has been the traditional point of arrival for visitors to Nova Scotia since its early days when the docks bustled with traffic from "the Boston States." Today this tradition continues and Yarmouth is the terminal for two ferries: MV Bluenose, to and from Bar Harbor, and the Scotia Prince, to and from Portland.

The photo's below are from the two places we visited. The Museum & Pelton-Fuller House (c 1895) : 22 Collins St. Was the summer home of Mr. and Mrs. Al Fuller. Features period furniture, costumes and memorabillia of the "Fuller Brush Man" and his company.

And the Yarmouth County Museum & Archives : 22 Collins St.              General history of Yarmouth County and its seafaring past. Museum includes one of Canada's largest collections of ship paintings, as well as exhibits on the early Acadian and English settlements of the area. Collections include china, glass, furniture, toys, tools, ship portraits, models, musical instruments, costumes, a stagecoach and a lighthouse lens. Five period rooms.

An excellent brochure describing a walking tour of the town is available from the Nova Scotia Visitor Information Centre, just uphill from the ferry terminal. This tour of 26 historic buildings and heritage sites takes about two hours. 

Firefighters Museum of Nova Scotia : 451 Main St.        Dedicated to the history of firefighting and firefighters in the province, the museum's extensive collection includes several horse-drawn pumpers and historic firefighting equipment from the 19th and early 20th centuries. The rare collection includes one of Canada's oldest steam pumpers, an 1863 Amoskeag; examples of almost every type of fire engine ever used in Nova Scotia; many smaller items like antique toy fire engines.

Killam Brothers Shipping Office : 90 Water St.          Mid-1800s shipping office, largely unchanged since the Killam Brothers ran their fleet of sailing vessels from this office in the 1800s. .