The Prescott House Museum

The house was renovated by his great grand daughter Mary Allison Prescott with the grounds landscaped and beautiful gardens added.

Charles Prescott was born in Halifax in 1772 where he lived until he retired in 1810 from the merchant business. He did alright and had a moderate fortune by the time he retired.

He bought property at Starrs Point, Nova Scotia and built a fine Georgian architecture house. His wife passed away before the house was finished but Charles had married again by the time the house was ready for moving into in 1816.

Charles became involved in politics and served as a member of the Legislature for Cornwallis Township from 1818 to 1820 and the on the Legislative Council from 1825 to 1838.

He named his property Acacia Grove, a name he choose because of all of the acacia trees on the grounds.

He planted large orchards and gardens on the grounds and had a fine stables and barns. In his hothouse he grew exotic fruits like grapes, apricots, nectarines and melons, many of which had never been grown in Canada before.

His orchards included apples, pears, peaches and cherries. His flower gardens were splendid with dahlias over 50 varieties of roses.

What Charles became really well known for though was his work with apples. Between 1811 and 1859 he bought in varieties from Upper Canada, the United States and England and grafted them with local varieties. He kept good records of what varieties did well in the valley and what didn't and managed to introduce over a hundred apple varieties to the valley.

He was a very generous man and when he found an apple that did well here he always shared them with his fellow growers. He would offer "scions and buds of any kind to every person who may apply in the proper season ..."

His generosity did much in developing the apple industry in the Annapolis Valley. Just some of the apples he introduced to Nova Scotia were the Ribston, Northern Spy, Baldwin, and Gravenstein

Charles Prescott was an honorary member of the horticultural societies of New York, Boston and London. Along with men like Robert Grant Haliburton, Robert Starr, Charles Starr and Dr. C.C. Hamilton they formed the first Fruit Growers Association.

Old Postcard Showing Apple Orchards in Bloom in the Annapolis Valley

Charles Prescott built his Acacia Grove house as one of the finest examples of Georgian architecture, characterized by symmetry found in Nova Scotia.

It was made from locally made bricks sitting on a foundation of rubble masonry. The roof has a slight bell cast which is very attractive but not usually wise for this climate due to the build-up of snow. There are four dormers and two large chimneys on the roof.

Inside there are seven fireplaces and a basement kitchen. On the first floor there are four large rooms with a wide double hall through the center. The second floor contains four bedrooms plus there are several small rooms in the attic for the servants.

Charles Prescott died at the age of 87 in 1859. For several years the fine property was kept up, but after passing through several different owners it started to show signs of deterioration.

For a time it was used to house itinerant laborers who came to help with the crops in the area. All the acacia trees were cut down and the orchards and gardens became wild and over-grown.

In 1930 Miss Mary Allison Prescott was visiting the area with her aunt. When shown the former home of her great-grandfather she fell in love with it and came up with a plan to purchase it and fix it up.

She made inquiries and finally purchased to property and began the long road of restoring it. After approximately three years the house was ready for her and her two sisters to move into in 1942.

She started to make inquiries as to the whereabouts of the original furnishings and was successful in finding some with other family members. She was able to buy back some of these but had to buy other items that she felt went with the decor.

She had the grounds landscaped and hired Mary Stewart, a Scottish landscape gardener to design attractive gardens on the property.

Miss Prescott managed to establish a large collection of Oriental carpets and hand-stitched samplers which are still on display in the Prescott House Museum.

Miss Prescott passed away in 1969 and it was her wish to preserve the house as an historic site. As a joint effort of the Province, Federal Government and Parks Canada the property was designated as a National Historic site. In 1971 they purchased the property and it became a part of the Nova Scotia Museum Complex.

Today the museum's mission is to introduce Charles Prescott and his home as one of the finest examples of Georgian architecture in the province. To highlight his role in the early development of the apple industry in the Annapolis Valley and to explain the apple industry and its role in the local and provincial economy. And lastly to tell the stories of the house, the people who live in it and their visitors.

The Prescott House Museum is located at 1633 Starr's Point Road, Starr's Point, Nova Scotia. To get there take exit 11 off of Highway 101 to Port Williams, Kings County. Take a right onto Starr's Point Road (Route #358) and follow the signs.

They are open daily from June 1st until October 15th. There is a small admission to get in.

You may contact them by phoning (902) 542 3984 or visiting the Prescott House Museum Website.

Leave The Prescott House Museum and return to see other Annapolis Valley Museums