Shubenacadie Tinsmith Museum and Craft Shop
2854 Main St. B0N 2H0 Shubenacadie, NS, Canada

SHUBENACADIE PHARMACISTS 1800-2002 The first pharmacist to establish the Shubenacadie Drug Store was a retired clergyman named BROWN, who was a druggist by trai...ning. Mr. Brown sold his drug business to DR. DUNCAN MACLEAN, who continued in the same location. After his death, his son DR. E.D. MACLEAN moved the stock to what was then the Royal Bank Building and is now the Shubenacadie laundromat site owned by Al Young. Dr. MacLean in turn sold the business to ARTHUR ROSS. Mr. Ross was a South Africa war veteran [Boer War], who returned to study pharmacy. Mr. Ross in turn sold the pharmacy to R. A. MAGUIRE, and it continued to be operated in the same location. In 1910, Mr. Maguire sold the business to FREDERICK E. PENTZ, who was already operating drug stores in Hantsport and Middleton. These were operated by his two sons Walter and Frank, both pharmacists. From 1910 to 1919, Mr. Pentz carried on the Shubenacadie Drug Store business in the same location, and then he bought the property at the corner of the Maitland and Windsor roads, now known as Pentz Place. Mr. Pentz had previously spent 13 years in the drug business in Halifax, then moved to Hantsport, and then made the move to Shubenacadie. During the First World War, his youngest son Arthur, who had started his pharmacy studies, joined the army, went overseas, and was killed. The father had always expected Arthur to go into business with him when the war was over. His daughter BERTHA PENTZ, who had trained as a teacher, was at that time teaching in Saskatoon. Mr. Pentz went to Saskatoon and persuaded Bertha to come home. She attended Dalhousie University, graduated in pharmacy in 1920, and joined her father in the drug store business in Shubenacadie. For many years, this drug store was the only one between Truro and Halifax. Frederick Pentz died in 1933 and his daughter Bertha in 1943. Bertha [and her husband Allan Stanley Etter] had a son MALCOLM ETTER who, after serving in the air force in the Second World War, returned, studied pharmacy, and took over the Shubenacadie Drug Store business and ran it until his death in 1971. Malcolm opened a drug store in Elmsdale and one in Stewiacke. He had three children, two of whom graduated in pharmacy in 1972. DAVID ETTER operated the drug stores in Shubenacadie and Stewiacke from 1972 to 1985, while BERTHA ETTER managed the Elmsdale Pharmacy for the same period. PATRICIA ETTER, who graduated from Dalhousie as a teacher, returned to study as a pharmacy technician and now works in the Pharmacy Department of the Kentville Hospital. It is rare to have four generations all follow the same profession, especially in pharmacy. Other family members became Certified Drug Clerks, but we relate our story only to the four direct generations who owned drug stores in Hants County for over 100 years. Other pharmacists who owned/operated stores in Shubenacadie were LORNE HALL in the 1940s, GARY STONE and BILL WATSON, present operators since 1985 of Pharmasave, formerly the Shubenacadie Drug Store, and PAT MUNRO, who presently owns and operates the Family Drug store on Main street. For a short period in the years 2000/2001, a Good Health Pharmacy was operated locally by ARTHUR BELANGE. It is interesting to note that, in the year 2002, BERTHA ETTER, great-granddaughter of Frederick E. Pentz is working as a pharmacist at the Pharmasave Drug Store in Shubenacadie, which can trace its history back to FREDERIK E. PANTZ, and indeed back to 1800 and MR. BROWN. [Written by Cora Etter, wife of Malcolm Etter, and presented to the East Hants Historical Society in 2002.] Visit our website at www.ehhs.ca to subscribe to our newsletter and learn more about the East Hants Historical Society.

Congratulations Jacki. We'll deserved! Your mom would be proud

Visit us today - Sept. 4 from 10:30am to 4:30pm. Today is our last day open for the 2020 season.Visit us today - Sept. 4 from 10:30am to 4:30pm. Today is our last day open for the 2020 season.

We have new masks today. Opens 10:30 to 4:30. Closing for the season in Friday, September 4th. Kids $5.00 Adult $6.00 and large $7.00. A portion of all sales is donated to the Museum. #ShopShubie

2021 calendars available $15 While quantities last Open 10:30 to 4:30

Explore our museum today, take a step back in history. Open 10:30 to 4:30 Closing for the season Sept 4, 2020

Don't miss out on our last weekend open for the season. Take a tour, there's so much to explore. Visit our gift shop. Local handmade crafts, and a portion of all sales is donated to the museum. Open 10:30 to 4:30... #shopshubie

Thank you for a great season. We will be closing September 4th. We look forward to seeing you again in 2021. #ShopShubie

NEW! we have glow in the dark ear savers, we also have new masks, monkeys, bunnies, flags, roses, and the popular NS Tartan. All new adult size masks have the bendable nose piece. A portion of all sales is donated to the Museum. Come check out the great hand crafted items at the shop and take a tour of the Museum. Open Wednesday to Sunday 10:30 to 4:30. #ShopShubie

Joke Ship in a Bottle: This old liquor bottle with a photograph inside was jokingly given as a gift, calling it a "ship in a bottle". The ship in the picture is RMS Baltic, part of a quartet of ships called "the Big Four", it first set sail in 1903 and was the world's largest ship for a few years. In 1916 during World War One, the Canadian Expeditionary force used the RMS Baltic to travel to England where they would go on to join the war fronts in France and Belgium. Come see this, as well as some real model ships, at our museum. Visit us at 2854 Main Street, Shubenacadie. Open Wednesday to Sunday 10:30am to 4:30pm

WW1 Ross Rifle: From the military collection of the museum's founder; Dr. MacInnis, we have this Ross model rifle. These weapons were notoriously flawed and prone to jamming among many other defects, when the Canadian soldiers joined the fight in World War 1 the mud and dirt of the trenches could easily get stuck in the gun's mechanical parts, and the bayonets would often detach when the gun was fired. After numerous reports on the Ross rifle's quality were sent to military higher-ups, all of the guns were taken away and replaced with much better Enfield rifles. We have many more historical weapons here at the museum. Visit us at 2854 Main Street, Shubenacadie. Open Wednesday to Sunday 10:30am to 4:30pm