The Highland Village Museum

The Highland Village Museum at Iona, Cape Breton Island (Click on link for their website)
This is a far more extensive place than you first appreciate, the entrance is at a gift shop, and the actual tour begins with a short film.

From there on you make your way around a village on a hillside, the properties are quite scattered, it's a great location looking down and across the lake.  It's an interesting concept because it basically follows the settlers as they arrived from Scotland, the type of houses changing over time.

First stop is at a black house, the type they may have left in Scotland, the costumed folks at each location play out their role.  However, I tended to time it so I was the only one there at each place, following a couple at a discreet distance, that meant I could speak to the people 'out of character'.

Chances are that settlers may have initially used the boat they came in for shelter, whilst clearing the forest that was down to the shore.  Consequently the first type of house they built were log cabins.

Of course they not only lived in log cabins but had to make there own clothes and other materials as little was taken with them.

As time went on and they built sawmills the houses changed from log cabins to sawn timber

Then they because more sophisticated with timber framed buildings

The church was on integral part of the community, this particular one had a dwindling congregation and was eventually donated to the Highland Village. It was actually floated down the lake and carried up the hill !

By now manufacturing of things like stoves was taking place in Nova Scotia, this stove was made at Lunenburg.

The Blacksmith was one of the best paid jobs in the village, so many relied upon him to make everything from tools to spoons, as well as shoeing horses

The telephone switchboard was in use until the 1970's although I worked on something similar in the police in the 1960's 

Another room in the same house

The shop not only displays some old stock, but also sells sweets etc.

That's just a few of the buildings in the Highland Village Museum, there's also farm animals and other displays too, so you need a day not just a few hours !

I did an interview with one of the staff and the CEO which I will add later.