Paradise Historical Society

"Stories Are All We Have: The Shape of Our Footprints"- History Conference
2026-05-22 - 2026-05-23 | Paradise Heritage Centre, 10307 Highway #1, Paradise, Nova Scotia, Canada
“Stories Are All We Have: The Shape of Our Footprints”
Spring 2026 History Conference
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FRIDAY EVENING (May 22, 2026)
Keynote Speaker Amanda Peters – Author of “The Berry Pickers“.
SATURDAY SESSIONS (May 23, 2026)
Session Leaders:
Jane Baskwill – “Together in Time: Remembering the Children of Roxbury“
Annapolis Heritage Society – “Israel Delap (1841-1891)- Annapolis County Sea Captain in His Own Voice“
More from Amanda – Her next novel, The Birthing Tree, will be published in September of 2026.
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DATE: Friday, May 22rd in the evening and Saturday, May 23rd all day.
COST: $65.00
Early Bird Price – $60.00 before April 1, 2026
Cost includes lunch, snacks, coffee and tea.
To register for the conference, please complete the form below our presenters’ bios.
Schedule
Complete schedule will be announced closer to conference date.
Our Session Leaders

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Amanda Peters author of"The Berry Pickers"

Amanda Peters is a writer of Mi'kmaq and settler ancestry. Her bestselling debut novel, The Berry Pickers , won the Barnes and Nobel Discover Prize, the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, the Crime Writers of Canada Best First Novel Award, and the Dartmouth Book Award. Her short story collection, Waiting for the Long Night Moon was released in August 2024 and was shortlisted for the Alistair McLeod short fiction prize. Her next novel, The Birthing Tree, will be published in September of 2026.

She has a certificate in creative writing from the University of Toronto, and she is a graduate of the Master of Fine Arts program at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She is a member of Glooscap First Nation and lives in the Annapolis Valley with her fur babies.

“Amanda Peters has a gift for tracing the boundaries of time, place, and generations. Her marvel of a first novel, The Berry Pickers, was inspired by her father’s stories of summers spent traveling with his family from Nova Scotia to harvest blueberries in Maine.”- Jane Ciabattari in Literary Hub

SESSION LEADER: Jane Baskwell with "Together in Time: Remembering the Children of Roxbury"

Jane is a Nova Scotia writer whose work blends history, reflection, and storytelling. She is the author of Together in Time, inspired by the abandoned settlement of Roxbury and the children whose lives were rarely recorded. Through her writing and public talks, Jane explores how memory survives in place and story, and how imaginative work can help illuminate gaps in the historical record. She lives in Lawrencetown, where landscape and local history strongly inform her work.

Jane says, “Roxbury has long been described as a ghost town, but what first drew me there—and what has kept drawing me back—was not simply the idea of ghosts, but a sense of presence. A feeling that the past is not finished speaking. Over time, what I felt most present were not the adults whose names appear in official records, but the children—many of whom died young, were buried without markers, and were remembered only through fragile oral stories now at risk of disappearing.”

Through the children of Roxbury, we can explore how such stories “can function as acts of remembrance” when all the official stories and records can not.

SESSION LEADER: Annapolis Heritage Society with "Israel Delap (1841-1891)- Annapolis County Sea Captain in His Own Voice "

The Annapolis Heritage Society was established in 1965 as the Historic Restoration Enterprises. After accomplishing the remarkable task of reclaiming, preserving, and displaying the town’s built history, they have become more than they first envisioned.

In the words of their website, “Recognizing the wealth of heritage resources resulting from 400 years of European settlement and the pre-dating Mi’kmaq occupation, the Society has continued to broaden its activities and now includes artifacts, genealogical and archival holdings, photo and costume collections and active heritage programming.”

They are uniquely suited to help us hear the voice of Captain Israel Delap through his poignant diary entries as he sailed with and without his wife, Lucretia Croscup Delap and daughter, Mary Amelia, until his untimely death far from home. He feared the dangers of the sea, but it was not that danger that killed him.

Registration
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Please indicate the number of tickets you wish to purchase. Ticket price is $65.00. || If tickets are purchased BEFORE April 1, 2026 then Early Bird price is $60.00.Preferred Method of Payment *Interac e-TransferChequeWhen you “Submit” the form, you will be directed to instructions to make an Interac e-Transfer or to by cheque to complete your purchase. Name *FirstLastEmail *EmailConfirm EmailPhone Number *Please list all the people your are purchasing tickets for so we can ensure everyone is registered. *Questions or CommentsSubmit

2026 Rug Hooking Workshop #2
2026-06-07 10:00 - 15:00 (America/Halifax)
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!
The coveted Rug Hooking for Beginners workshop at the Paradise Heritage Centre is back … with a twist!
A comprehensive, hands-on, beginner rug hooking course will be held at the Paradise Heritage Centre at 10307 Highway #1 in Paradise.
Monica and Linda will welcome you and get you on your way to enjoying on of Nova Scotia’s most cherished heritage crafts.
This year we are adding a second day to this rug hooking workshop. The first day covers rug hooking instruction, designing, transferring your pattern to linen, colour selection, and the hands-on hooking portion of the course.
You will then have a week to complete your hooked piece at home, and return seven days later with your piece fully hooked and ready to learn blocking and finishing techniques.
Fee: $100.00 (for the two sessions)
Day 1: Sunday, June 7, 2026 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
Day 2: Sunday, June 14, 2026 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
You will be hooking a “Mug Rug” (coaster) and the workshop will include use of a frame, hook, and scissors. You will be given the yarn and fabric needed to complete your project.
Fun and camaraderie are part of the package!
Spaces are limited.
To register and/or get more information, please click here to send an email to Barbara.
In your email please indicate which workshop date you wish to attend.
*PLEASE NOTE: This event listing is for workshop #2. To get the dates for workshop #1, please click here.*

BBQ & Open House
2026-06-13 11:00 - 14:00
Paradise Historical Society would like to invite all friends and neighbours to celebrate with us.
The Paradise Heritage Centre, first known as Paradise Academy and later Paradise School, has been honoured with registration as a Provincial Heritage Property.
We are holding a free BBQ and Open House to celebrate!
Come to tour our beautiful building and grounds, learn about our programs, and enjoy the day with us.
The event will take place on Saturday, June 13, 2026, from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm at the Paradise Heritage Centre – rain or shine!
There are picnic tables but you are welcome to bring your lawn chairs or picnic blankets for seating.
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Contact Name *Email *EmailConfirm EmailNumber of People Attending In Your Group *Would You Like to Sign Up For the Paradise Historical Society Email List? *Yes, please sign me up!No, please use my email address for notifications about this event only.Please check the 'YES' box if you'd like to sign up to our general email list to receive notifications about news, updates, and notifications for future events.Questions? Please feel free to let us know if you have any questions about the event and we'll respond to the email address you provided ASAP. Submit
