MINUDIE – Laurie Glenn Norris is disappointed someone would break into a home that’s an important connection to Minudie’s history.
Sometime between June 1 and June 10, thieves broke into the 175-year-old home of Amos Thomas Seaman and made off with a pot-bellied stove, some hurricane lamps and a large bookcase were taken with its contents left scattered on the floor.
“It’s very upsetting and it’s discouraging,” said Norris, who is a volunteer with the Minudie Heritage Association that owns the home that was bequeathed to them in 2015 by Ruth Symes, a descendant of both Amos Thomas Seaman and his father, Amos ‘King’ Seaman. “I’m hoping someone out there may know something about it and contact the police. This is just so disappointing for our community.”
The house is vacant and contains a number of artifacts dating back to the mid-1800s, although she said the more valuable items have been removed to another location that’s more secure.
The heritage association has been working to improve the property since taking it over three years ago with renovations to the interior and exterior. Eventually, the association would like to turn the building into an interpretive centre or museum to go along with Amos ‘King’ Seaman Museum, the two churches and the Lake cemetery in Minudie.
She said the artifacts there tell a lot about the community and what living in Minudie was like in the 19th century. She said it’s not a victimless crime in that the association doesn’t have the resource to replace things that are stolen.
“It’s a slap in the face to a group of people who have been working so hard to make Ruth’s dream come true,” she said. “The home was a home to a member of the Seaman family and it has always been lived in by a member of the Seaman family. It’s a record of Minudie since the 1840s”
Sharon Gould is president of the heritage association.
“This really hurts,” Gould said. “Ruth Symes was the last surviving member of the Seaman family and through her preservation of history she wanted to leave it behind for future generations to enjoy. We have been working to fulfill her dream and this is a huge disappointment that sets us back. We can’t begin to fathom the impact.”
Besides the items taken, Gould said the home was “trashed” with items scattered on the floor and the contents of all the drawers emptied out and books just thrown. She also believes a number toys dating back to when Symes was a little girl were also taken.
She said it’s the second time the home has been broken into since last fall. That first time, last November, someone stole a valuable artifact belonging to Edward Barron, who served with the British Army at Quebec under Gen. James Wolfe and was given a tract of land between Minudie and River Hebert that would later become Barronsfield.
The Georgian style house, that also features a Greek Revival style, is valued for its close association with the era of Amos ‘King’ Seaman and his son, Amos Thomas Seaman. King Seaman was one of Nova Scotia’s wealthiest men in the 19th century, rising from a humble boyhood to become the owner of a vast commercial business empire that focused on the exportation of grindstones to the United States.
If anyone is approached to buy any of these items, both Glenn Norris and Gould are urging people to contact the RCMP, which is investigating.
Twitter: @ADNdarrell
