Beaton Institute

Mandated to preserve the social, economic, political, and cultural history of #CapeBretonIsland and official archives of @cbuniversity

[Beaton Institute @beatoninstitute]

St. Patrick’s Church Museum officially opened on this day in 1969.

Image credit:
St. Patrick’s Church, Old Sydney Society, 1966. 77-683-817.

[Beaton Institute @beatoninstitute]

Today we remember the seven miners who lost their lives in an explosion at No. 20 Colliery, Glace Bay, July 9, 1952.

Image credit:
Explosion at No. 20 Mine, Glace Bay, 1952. Photograph by Abbass Studios. N-2203.9

Full post can be found here: https://t.co/XfL5zH141g

[Beaton Institute @beatoninstitute]

Happy Canada Day! Please enjoy this
throwback to the Canada Day parade held in Sydney
during the centennial year.

Image credit:
Centennial Parade, Sydney, 1967. Photograph by
Abbass Studios. B-7428.6.

[Beaton Institute @beatoninstitute]

We are excited to be a part of the 2026 Mira Gala.

On July 1st at 3:00 PM, join us at the Marion Bridge Community Hall for a community storytelling session centered around the history of the three bridges that cross the Mira River.

Shared below is the full schedule for the Gala

[Beaton Institute @beatoninstitute]

Wishing everyone a very happy start to their summer! To celebrate, we are sharing a photo of Ingonish Beach, taken by photographer Owen Fitzgerald.
Image credit:
Beach from Distance, Ingonish, August 1978. Photograph by Owen Fitzgerald. MG 21.67-B-I-003.

[Beaton Institute @beatoninstitute]

On National Indigenous Peoples Day, we're highlighting the Sarah Denny Cultural Collection. Our student assistants will be continuing the significant work done by the Denny family to make the collection even more accessible.
Please view full post here: https://t.co/Q1cio4Jlxo

[Beaton Institute @beatoninstitute]

Today, we honour and remember all of the workers who have been killed in the mines of Nova Scotia. June 11th is designated as Miners’ Memorial Day, and in 2008 was formally recognized in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly.

*View the full post here: https://t.co/7EYifLMtvM

[Beaton Institute @beatoninstitute]

Today we are sharing a retrospective from Owen Fitzgerald.

“It was fifty years ago, on Sunday, June 6, 1976, that a forest fire almost wiped the small fishing village of Main-a-Dieu off the map..."

To read the full detailed retrospective, please visit https://t.co/ywFJmtjFdu

[Beaton Institute @beatoninstitute]

Please note: the archive will remain temporarily closed to facilitate ongoing collections work. Research and reference service is not available at this time. We will reopen on Monday, June 8, 2026. We apologize for any inconvenience, and thank you for your understanding.

[Beaton Institute @beatoninstitute]

Please note our temporary closure from May 4-29, 2026 to facilitate critical collections work. Research and reference service will not be available during this time. We will reopen on Monday, June 1, 2026. We apologize for any inconvenience, and thank you for your understanding.

[Beaton Institute @beatoninstitute]

Today in honour of African Heritage Month, we recognize the late Winston Ruck (1923-1992) of Whitney Pier. Full post here: https://t.co/9Zzgv0vNdt

[Beaton Institute @beatoninstitute]

We are hosting a number of workshops and classes this week, and are closed daily until 1pm. If you are a student inquiring about a course assignment, please contact [email protected].

[Beaton Institute @beatoninstitute]

Leaving Grand Narrows for WWII, September 4, 1939. Filmed by Malcolm F. MacNeil. FT-212.
https://t.co/pqZvxgHpgg

#RememberThem #CanadaRemembers #LestWeForget

[Beaton Institute @beatoninstitute]

To mark Mi'kmaq History Month, today we share and celebrate the work of Dr. Michelle Sylliboy and Aaron Prosper, leading team members for a project titled Learning Hieroglyphs. Full post here: https://t.co/qynEDRsq9P

[Beaton Institute @beatoninstitute]

Summer festivals and gatherings in Cape Breton are in full swing and we're feeling nostalgic!

The 2025 Big Pond Concert takes place this Sunday, July 20, at 2pm! Enjoy these classic Abbass Studios shots of the 1974 concert (ref. no. D-1477).

[Beaton Institute @beatoninstitute]

Mayor Andy Fillmore has proclaimed today as Viola Desmond Day in the HRM! Join members of the Black Beauty Culture Association & the Dartmouth Business Commission at Sullivan's Pond in Dartmouth (2-4pm) as they celebrate the life and legacy of this courageous trailblazer.

[Beaton Institute @beatoninstitute]

To mark the centenary of the death of William Davis, we have digitized newspaper coverage of the events leading up to and following June 11, 1925. #DavisDay #MinersMemorialDay

https://t.co/QbJ6Xsntcj

[Beaton Institute @beatoninstitute]

On this 100th anniversary of the death of William Davis, we share with you a poem by Grade 8 New Waterford students H. Lewis and M. Dickson, published in the morning edition of the Sydney Post, June 18, 1925, page 2. #DavisDay #MinersMemorialDay

https://t.co/JGcRacX2G2

[Beaton Institute @beatoninstitute]

Emma will be attending Dalhousie University this September to pursue her Master of Health Administration. Congratulations Emma! We are so proud of you! 💕⭐️🎉👩‍🎓

[Beaton Institute @beatoninstitute]

Congratulations and best wishes to the Spring 2025 graduating class of @cbuniversity!

Today we celebrate our wonderful student assistant Emma MacGillivary, who graduated yesterday with her Bachelor of Science degree.

[Beaton Institute @beatoninstitute]

Emma has been with us for four years, and has worked diligently on a wide range of projects and requests. She is especially fond of an information deep-dive, determined to find an answer to the most evasive of research questions!