Argyle Municipality Historical & Genealogical Society

The Argyle Township Court House is owned and supported by the Municipality of Argyle. Their assistance has been and continues to be invaluable. Many people in the community, however, felt there was a need for additional support, and as a result, the Argyle Municipality Historical & Genealogical Society (AMHGS) was incorporated in 1989.

The Society’s purpose is to preserve Argyle’s heritage and enrich our community by providing meaningful and educational experiences.

Working in partnership with the community and the Municipality of the District of Argyle, the Argyle Municipality Historical and Genealogical Society’s mandate is to:

• Preserve the Argyle Township Court House in order to provide public access to the site and to make it accessible to future generations.
• Appraise, acquire and preserve both municipal and private sector records of historical value and make these records available to the public.
• Build a connection to our past through our programming.

In support of its mandate, one of the first and most significant actions taken by the Society was the establishment of a quarterly newsletter, The Argus. There was a strong feeling among the members that there was a great deal of work to be done in the area of recording the different stories that make up the history of this corner of Nova Scotia and that a quarterly newsletter would be the most appropriate manner in which to begin. Each issue of The Argus consists of approximately 45 pages, about one half of which is devoted to historical and genealogical articles on our communities and people. The Society maintains a membership base of 400+ members from across Canada and the United States, all maintaining a link to the Municipality of Argyle through this publication.

It is also the intention of our Society to involve itself in the publication of other materials as well. We started with the oldest and most important of the original records in our archives, The Argyle Township Books, compiling them as a two volume set and publishing them in 1994. Other publications have followed.

The Argus is now into its 36th year of publication, and continues to flourish and serve as the vehicle that attracts many members to our organization.

The AMHGS owns the Archives building, on the lot next to the Court House. Although they own and operate this building, it is the Municipality of Argyle that continues to provide core funding for the facility and in essence, own the archives, but not the building.