Charles MacDonald Concrete House Museum in Centreville

“In his 93 years, Charles MacDonald was a sailor, sculptor, painter, builder, manufacturer, and a socialist. The Charles MacDonald Concrete House Museum celebrates the life and work of this exceptional man.”

The story of Charles MacDonald is a fascinating one, so much so, when I wrote the scripts for Valley Ghost Walks’ Legend and Lore of the Fundy Shore, he is one of our characters and his story is told.

According to Wikipedia, MacDonald established Kentville Concrete, operating the business according to his Socialist philosophy. In 1916 Macdonald married Mabel Misner and converted the one-storey concrete factory into a two-storey residence, relocating the factory to nearby Brooklyn Street.

It is this house that is now the Charles MacDonald Concrete House Museum.

“When you step inside the house, it is essentially as it was built, with every surface lovingly decorated in painted relief sculpture, paintings and exhibits. From mantle to newel post, chimney to dovecote, the impression is of a magical cottage!” ~Nova Scotian Tourism website

In the past, I’ve been lucky to have a back-stage tour of the museum and have seen the concrete tub upstairs!

It’s a great place for kids to explore, as there are concrete animals everywhere inside

and outside the house.

Make sure you get one of the guides to give you a tour and tell you the stories about Charles MacDonald.

Did you know on his final day of work he handed the keys to the concrete factory over to his foreman, telling him it was now his?

Did you know that Charles MacDonald, during the depression, not wanting his employees to be out of work, had them build whimsical cottages out of concrete at Huntington Point?