Heritage is a non-renewable resource

"To discover your future you must understand where you have been." This quote, from my great grandfather, was probably borrowed from some source, but it may have been his own. Along the same vain is "those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it."

History, often toted as dry and superfluous, is about remembering. Our collective memories of the past affect how we respond to the present, how we understand the events of our time. History’s lessons learned are also evident in how we teach our children, how we do our work, how we interact with other countries and how we construct our buildings.

It is indeed unfortunate but many modern, post Second World War buildings are streamlined and factional. Fortunately we are blessed in this area with many structures from the past that demonstrate the elegance and craftsmanship of many bygone eras.

Over the years many of these buildings have been converted for other uses. For example some are now museums and community centres, but many others have been lost forever. Due to the prohibitive costs of maintaining some of these structures they fell into disrepair and the only logical reaction was to demolish them. Others no longer serve their intended purpose and were removed to be replaced with a newer, more efficient building.

But this has not always been the case.

Central to every rural community was its school and its church. These buildings hold great historical and sentimental value.

Recently in Rossway the community got together to work on the restoration and repair of the delightful church. Other communities have rallied around to save and revitalize these grand locations. There are times when former churches or schools have become libraries, artists’ co-ops, craft markets, office locations, as well as museums and community halls.

Our population, demographic and priorities have changed significantly in rural Nova Scotia over the few decades and many of these heritage sites are at risk. The recent issue of the Digby Municipal newsletter makes reference to St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Marshalltown, a Municipal Heritage Property and the public meeting that will be held on March 4 at 2 p.m. to discuss the options for the site.

A sign of the times? I hope not. Our heritage is a non-renewable resource.