‘The biggest artifact is actually the building itself’
The oldest courthouse and jail in Canada is in Yarmouth County
The Argyle Township Court House and Archives (ATCHA) is not your typical museum.
The courthouse and jail’s four walls tell a rich story over the course of 200-plus years.
“What our museum is, is actually telling the story of the courthouse and the jail,” says ATCHA heritage development officer Judy Frotten. “The biggest artifact is actually the building itself.”
Built between 1802 and 1805, the Tusket building is the oldest known surviving courthouse and jail in Canada.
Today, the building is a National Historic Site owned by the Municipality of the District of Argyle.
It is open as a museum to visitors from June to October. Adjacent to the courthouse is the Township Court House Archives, which is located at a repurposed Seventh Day Adventist church, built in 1877.
The purpose of ATCHA is to preserve Argyle’s heritage and enrich the community by providing meaningful and educational experiences.
When visitors enter the courthouse/jail, they are presented with an interpretive tour, which is offered in either French or English by student workers and other part-time employees.
The guide will bring them through the building and provide information on its history.
“They really focus on the conditions that the prisoners were kept in and what court was like, and the history of the different levels of the court during the period of time,” explains Frotten.
The cell block and the jailer’s quarters are located on the main floor, while the courtroom is on the second floor along with the grand jury room and the judge’s chambers.
THE HISTORY
A fact about the courthouse/ jail is that it was built in Tusket.
Frotten suggests this may be surprising in hindsight but, she notes, that the village was a prosperous ship-building centre back then.
At that point in time, court would take place in sundry public buildings, she says, but a designated space was needed to hold prisoners.
In the process, they decided to hold the General Sessions of the Peace for the District of Yarmouth and Argyle there as well, and a courthouse was included on the premises.
Frotten says various levels of court were held there throughout the years, including the Magistrates Court and the Supreme Court.
“The Supreme Court was like a circuit court,” Frotten explains. “They came to this region like twice a year.”
During tours, guides will highlight little things throughout the building. While many original items are gone, one of those that remains is the lawyer’s table.
Back then, the prosecution and defence would sit at the same table facing each other, at arm’s length from the accused.
The prisoner’s bench was uncomfortable, with an extra piece of moulding along the back that made them slump forward.
There are three types of cells in the cell block.
The debtor’s cell was the largest cell in the building and the most comfortable for prisoners.
Frotten says such a concept as debtor’s prison is foreign to us now, but it was the most frequently used cell in the jail.
“Back in that era, everybody paid things on credit,” says Frotten. “The merchants could only extend credit so far and when too many people owed them money, they would go through their accounts, they would take the two that owed the most or for the longest and put them in jail.”
This measure would get the rest of the community scrambling to pay their debts.
Debtor’s prison lasted until the 1890s.
Frotten describes the regular-sized cells as small and dark.
“If people want to experience, we can also turn off the lights in one of the cells just so you can have a sense of how dark it would have been,” she says.
Lastly, there’s the solitary confinement cell, which was used for escape artists or those convicted of serious crimes.
The building expanded in 1833 and again in 1870, eventually tripling in size. The jail closed in 1924, followed by the courthouse in 1944.
From 1945 to 1976, the building served as offices for the Municipality of Argyle.
For a few years after, it was left vacant.
A group of residents, however, were determined to maintain this historic piece of Argyle history. They approached the municipality and succeeded in keeping it alive.
From 1983 until today, it has operated as a heritage site, museum and archive. In 2006, the archives were moved to the former church where they are located today.
IN STORE FOR 2024
It is bound to be an exciting year ahead for ATCHA.
The municipalities of Argyle and Clare are hosting the World Acadian Congress from Aug. 10-18 this year.
Held every five years, this event brings together the Acadian diaspora from across the world for nine days of celebration, discovery and reunions.
ATCHA’S archives will play an important role as one of the information hubs for this occasion.
“As people are preparing, people are doing research here and as people are registering to come to this event in this region, we are going to the different information sessions leading up to that and we’re inviting people to make appointments to come and see us during the time they’re here,” says Frotten.