Starting the Genealogical Journey

Genealogy or ancestor-hunting has become one of the most popular and fastest growing hobbies worldwide today.

Have you ever wanted to trace your family roots? This summer, the Chestico Museum is offering an informative genealogy workshop, “Starting the Genealogical Journey”.

The workshop will be offered twice. The first offering is Tuesday. July 22 from 7:00 to 9:00 PM.

It will be repeated on Tuesday, August 19th from 2:00 to 4:00 PM.

The workshop is for the beginner or more experienced person who wants to record and research their family tree. The focus will be on starting your genealogical journey, with plenty of helpful information and techniques to help you learn how to trace your family, or how to break through a brick wall if you are stuck. The key steps involved in genealogy research, where to find information and plenty of local and current sources including online ones to help you. During the workshop you will learn how to complete genealogy charts. A 4-generation pedigree chart is included.

Brenda (Hawley) Harrison will lead the session. She is a descendant of Captain Matthew Hawley of Connecticut, Guysborough County, Port Hood and Mabou. She is the daughter of Roy Hawley, who grew up in Port Hood, before leaving for the Greater Toronto area for work in the 1950s. Brenda is related to many local Port Hood and Mabou descendants and is a part time Port Hood resident. Brenda will be joined by John & Cathy Gillies.

The cost is $20 and pre-registration is required.

Limited spots are available. To reserve your spot, visit or contact the museum.

We look forward to sharing our love of genealogy with you!

Twilight Tales Walking Tours 2025

The Chestico Museum & Historical Society is pleased to offer Twilight Tales walking tours of Port Hood.

Chestico Museum guides in historic costume (John & Cathy Gillies) will bring the past alive as they highlight the people, events and sights of Port Hood’s past. Hear tales of the sea, phantom ships, amazing rescues and ghostly encounters.

This year the tours will be offered on Monday and Wednesday evenings.

Our Monday tours will depart from in front of St. Stephen’s – Jubilee United Church at 8 PM. This tour will include St. Peter’s Parish cemeteries. The Monday tour is offered on:

July 14
July 21
July 28
August 4
August 11
August 18

Our Wednesday tours will meet at the entrance of the Union Protestant Cemetery at 7:30 PM. The Wednesday tour is offered on:

July 16
July 23
July 30
August 6
August 13
August 20

Please wear comfortable shoes – there will be some walking on uneven ground.

The cost for the Twilight Tales walking tour is $10 for Adults and $5 for Children under 12.

We require a minimum of 5 people for the tour to go ahead so please contact the museum to let us know if you intend to participate.

Summer 2025 Ceilidh Schedule

Join us for a ceilidh at the Chestico Museum at 7 PM every Thursday in July and August. Admission is $10 and tea will be served!

Schedule:

July 3: John Donald Cameron, Cathy Hawley, Hughie John Beaton

July 10: Shelly Campbell, Allan Dewar, Frances MacEachen & Lili Watson

July 17: Taya MacDonald, Donald Gillis, Finlay MacDougall, Lisa Cameron & Vern MacDougall

July 24: Kinnon Beaton, Betty Beaton, Peter MacKenzie

July 31: Koryne MacDonald, Mary Elizabeth MacInnis, The Boys from the Hood

August 7: Bonnie Jean MacDonald, Mary Graham, Lauchie Beaton & Dave Ellig

August 14: Stephanie MacDonald, Cathy Hawley, John Moloney

August 21: Vincent MacDonald, Mary Graham, Lynn & Cyril Chisholm

August 28: Dara Smith-MacDonald, Amanda MacDougall, Glen MacNeil 

Celtic Colours 2025

The 2025 Celtic Colours line up has been announced! The Chestico Museum is pleased to be hosting three events during the Festival.

On Friday, October 10th the museum will host Lifting Spirits and Feet with Celtic Music at 1 PM. This event brings together tips and tools for getting the most out of your Celtic Colours experience. There will be exploration of the local Celtic music, dance, and tea rituals, with a few sweets to enjoy as well. After welcome and introductions, Michelle Greenwell takes the audience through square set patterns, then a break for local teas, cheese and other Cape Breton delights. A great way to begin your Cape Breton Island experience. The cost is $10.

On Wednesday, October 15th at 2 PM, a Storytelling Session entitled Waking the Dead will be held at the museum. Local storytellers will share Cape Breton traditions surrounding death, wakes, funerals, and how customs have evolved over time. Tea will be served.  Admission is $10.

Our Close to the Floor show will be that evening at 7:30 PM at Strathspey Performing Arts Centre in Mabou. In the world of Cape Breton step dancing, being “close to the floor” is about more than technique. It is a way of dancing that keeps the feet light, the movements grounded, and the rhythm tight to the music. It’s also a compliment of the highest order. This annual showcase of dance celebrates that powerful connection between music and movement. A Timeless Art delights audiences with their incredible footwork, high-energy performances, and very intentional creative works. Under the direction of Dawn Beaton and Jenny MacKenzie, this collective of professional dancers honours Gaelic Cape Breton step dance culture through storytelling, visual arts, exploration, mentorship, and performance. Formed by a dynamic group of world-class and award-winning dancers from Nova Scotia and Ontario, Change of Step came together with a shared vision to breathe new life into traditional highland dancing. They perform original choreography rooted in Scottish tradition yet shaped by modern influences. Through interpretation of the music that inspires them to dance, their exciting performances showcase the musicality, grace, and athleticism of highland dancing. Providing the soundtrack tonight are three duos with deep roots in traditional music—fiddler and piano player Howie MacDonald and his nephew Iain MacQuarrie, a piano player with a love for Scottish tunes and an old-style step dance background; Rachel Davis and Darren McMullen, respected artists in both traditional and folk circles; and Sèamus & Caoimhe, a brother-sister duo from the Connemara area of Ireland known as skilful sean-nós singing and accomplished multi-instrumentalists. Good luck sitting still through this concert where music becomes movement and movement becomes music.

Tickets cost $45 and are available through the Celtic Colours site. A limited number will be available at the Chestico Museum. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, July 8th at 10 AM ADT. More information on tickets can be accessed here.

We look forward to seeing you this year during Celtic Colours!

Dr. Karly Kehoe Talk

The Chestico Museum will host a talk by Dr. Karly Kehoe, Professor of History & Canada Research Chair in Atlantic Canada Communities at St. Mary’s University, on Tuesday, June 24 at 7 PM.

Scotland Displaced: Resilience in Cape Breton’s Backland Communities will explore the links between clearance, displacement, and resilience. It will consider how displaced people from three of Scotland’s Western Isles (Barra, Eigg and South Uist) survived in Cape Breton Island’s “wilderness lands” settlements between 1810 and 1850.

Tea will be served.

Admission is free – donations gratefully accepted. 

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