The Apple Capital Museum & Interpretive Centre
Berwick Apple Capital Museum & Interpretive Centre The Apple Capital Museum & Interpretive Centre is located at 173 Commercial Street in Berwick. The mission statement of the Apple Capital Museum Society "Berwick and District grew as the apple industry grew, so too did its people and their accomplishments". It seems this statement has a lot of truth as it was not long after the apple industry started in the valley that Berwick became the hub of this industry. Berwick built several spin-off industries such as evaporators, warehouses, basket and barrel manufacturing and transportation. Berwick thrived for several years off the apple industry, but it was not to last forever. New methods of packing the apples and transporting them changed the industry and lessened the importance of Berwick to it. But Berwick was not going to be left to die. The little town has survived. Taken from the last census figures Berwick has been named the fastest growing town in Nova Scotia. There are several reasons for this recent growth, but one of them that is really obvious is the sense of community there and their pride in their past. They may not have been in the restoration business as long as some towns in the valley, but they are working hard to protect what they still have now. Berwick is located between my home town of Annapolis Royal and Kentville. I have driven by the town of Berwick often but I have seldom stopped there. I only remember being there a few times when my uncle and aunt had lived there years ago. So it was time I visited this lovely town again.
The Guide is Explaining the Exhibits at the you could you could tell he had a pride in the work they were doing. He first gave us some background about the town, the building, the Apple Capital Museum & Interpretive Centre and the society that runs it. The Apple Capital Museum Society was founded in 1998 after being donated the Margeson building. They spent the winter repairing the building and collecting and organizing the displays to fill it. The society opened the doors to the public in the summer of 1999. Besides operating the museum the Apple Capital Museum Society is also very involved in the community. They get together to build the town float that carries their princess for the Annapolis Blossom Festival Parade each year. They hold an annual pork dinner every summer and host several historical evenings with local speakers throughout the year. The Margeson building had been a general store previously and they left the old counter and cash register in there plus many of the old shelves were left up. Just walking through the doors you feel like you are stepping back in time to a simpler life. A time when the old General Store was the centre of the town and everybody gathered there to shop and visit with their neighbors.
The Model Railroad Display that goes into them. The model railroad at the Apple Capital Museum & Interpretive Centre is a work in progress. The guide started the train up while he explained the future plans for the layout. They hope to miniaturized the Berwick railroad system into it. They are working on replicas of some of the old buildings now. There were a few finished buildings already and they had the pictures of the originals beside them. I was impressed with the job they were doing. On the other side of the layout they are planning to have some orchards, farms and other landmarks found in the Annapolis Valley. I made a note that I will have to return again to see how the work on it is progressing.
Some of the Displays At The Museum They have a section on the Apple Blossom Festival, a section on the making of apple barrels and baskets, and they have on display many of the different tools used in all aspects of the industry. The museum holds plenty of information on the town of Berwick and about its people. There is even a section on Alberta Slim. He is the country & western singer who composed the song "When It's Apple Blossom Time In Annapolis Valley" and sang it at the Kentville Apple Blossom Festival. They also carry Alberta Slim's music and songbooks available for sale here.
The Exhibit of Bees at the The Berwick Tourist Bureau; where you can find out all the information you need about our area, is also located in the Apple Capital Museum. Added to all of this, the local businesses of the area have rented shelves in the museum to set up a display about their businesses. These displays include both their past history along with information about them today. Out back of the museum they have a lovely garden for your pleasure. When we were there they were still working on restoring the old garden, so it was closed. However our guide did let us have a peek and explained what they were doing and what plans they have for it. So when you are in the Berwick area make sure you plan a stop at the Apple Capital Museum & Interpretive Centre. The exhibits are very interesting and the staff very informative and helpful. The museum is open daily from June until early September from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. Facilities at the museum include a small gift shop, public washroom and parking. The Apple Capital Museum is wheel chair accessible and they welcome bus tours. Admission is free, but donations are welcome. Their phone number at the museum is 902 538 9229 and their email address is berwickvic@hotmail.com.
Link from Apple Capital Museum Page to Museum Page
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The Apple Capital Museum & Interpretive Centre is fairly new, it was opened in 1999. I had never been to it before so it was one of my first ones I wanted to visit. It was still early in the season; they had only opened the week before so they were still setting up some of the displays. But the gentleman working there welcomed us in and gladly took time out to give us a tour of the exhibits. He was very informative and 
Of course the first thing to catch my eye is the model railroad layout in the centre of the room. I was once a model railroader myself, having built five layouts and I always enjoy seeing new ones. I can really appreciate the work
Most of the displays in the Apple Capital Museum & Interpretive Centre represent the apple industry in the Annapolis Valley. Anything you want to know about the apple industry can be found there. They have several great photos of everything from the orchards to the warehouses where the apples were shipped. There are newspaper articles, stories and even cartoons relating to the apple industry. 
Another one of their exhibits is a real live bee’s hive. The hive is incased in plexy glass with a tube joined to it that goes outside. You can watch the bees as they come and go and work in the hive. It is quite interesting. What do the bees have to do with the apple industry you ask? Well they are needed to pollinate the apple blossoms in the spring.
