Black Loyalist Heritage Centre

The new Black Loyalist Heritage Centre in Birchtown Nova Scotia is the centerpiece of the Birchtown historic site.  The new centre celebrates the history of the Black Loyalists in Nova Scotia.  Birchtown was the centre of the Black Loyalist experience and its founding represented a turning point in the history of persons of African descent in Canada. The Heritage Centre will be a multi-purpose permanent facility that will include a self-contained exhibit gallery, to ensure the chronicles and contributions of the Black Loyalists share a place with other communities that shape Canada's cultural mosaic. 

In collaboration with Skyline Atlantic Canada, Lord Cultural Resources provided exhibition visitor experience planning, design and content development services.  The inspirational and contemplative quality of the space as elaborated in the concept design is carried through the deeply engaging and dynamic story of the journey of the Black Loyalists from Africa, enslavement in the United States, and finally to settlement experiences in Nova Scotia and around the world, leading up to present day. 

Through an engaging and in-depth planning process with the community and stakeholders of the Center, Lord developed a transformative and compelling visitor experience for the centre that not only teaches visitors about the history of the Black Loyalists, but motivates them to learn more and inspires them to become advocates for justice, freedom and equality in contemporary life. 

The centre and the exhibits opened in 2015.