This cache is at the location of the former Digby Alms House, a county-run poor farm in Marshalltown, Nova Scotia. It opened in 1891 to house people who could not survive on their own. It closed in 1963. Today, projects aim to map the unmarked graves of the people who died there.
What was it?
An "alms house" is a home paid for by the town or county to help the poor. Think of it like a shelter or a group home.
Life at the House
Counties used the Digby Alms House as a place for single mothers, children, and the mentally ill. Conditions were often very hard, and the residents had to do hard farm work to get food.
The Aftermath
The building was shut down in 1963 and burned down in 1995. Many residents are buried in unmarked graves nearby. If you are looking for an old family member who lived there, you can search records at the Admiral Digby Museum.