The stately university town of Wolfville has a rich architectural elegance and a spectacular natural presence amid the Annapolis Valley’s rolling farmlands and the regal shores of the Minas Basin. Originally known as Mud Creek, Wolfville was once settled by Acadians and the dykes they built in the 1600s are still visible near the town’s historic waterfront.

Resettled by New England Planters in the 1760s, the small community grew into a regional farming and educational centre during the late 1800s. Home to Acadia University, the town flourished during the early 20th century. The historic images in this book are selected from a wide range of institutional and personal collections. They reveal Wolfville and the surrounding countryside from Grand Pré to Port Williams in stunning detail and with a fond affection.

The historic photos date from the time of the earliest photography – late 1800s – to the 1940s when Wolfville’s streetscape changed drastically, in keeping with the move to modernize the Valley. While the university now dominates the town, these historic photos reveal that agriculture was once central to Wolfville’s existence. Many of the photos were taken from the collections at Randall House Museum and the Nova Scotia Public Archives, but other photos were selected from private collections throughout Kings County.