The Lunenburg Marine Museum Society (LMMS) and its partners are very pleased to announce the completion of the Big Boat Shed project. The space and additional exhibits will be part of the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic’s (FMA) programming beginning in the summer of 2021.

Thanks to the work of the LMMS, and support from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and the Province of Nova Scotia, the space will again host traditional boat builders while allowing the public to experience a piece of Nova Scotia’s boat building history through new viewing areas, exhibits and interactive workshops.

The project was announced in 2019 and included the restoration and expansion of the Big Boat Shed, the main boat building facility for the famous Smith & Rhuland Shipyards. More than 270 ships — including Bluenose II, the Bounty and the Rose — were constructed at the site over its history.

Funding for the Big Boat Shed project was made possible with support from the Government of Canada through ACOA and the Province of Nova Scotia, including funding through the Tourism Revitalization of Icons Program administered by Tourism Nova Scotia. The $1.5 million in funding supported work to stabilize the building structure, re-construct the floor and install a full-length slipway.

Develop Nova Scotia oversaw the project as part of its work with the community to revitalize the waterfront. The Big Boat Shed is identified as a key project in the working waterfront master plan and dovetails with the town’s strategic planning.