Hatt photographs on at Inverness Miners Musuem
Joyce MacDonald

Robie Cameron of Strathlorne with a photo of her sister and herself taken by photographer Earnest Hatt many years ago.

“He was the photographer when Inverness was in its heyday,” said museum curator Terry MacDonald. “He travelled throughout the county by train and also by boat and horse and wagon. He used to take his big tripod camera, doing daguerrotypes and tintypes around the county. Basically he recorded the county from Margaree right up to Judique. We have pictures of churches, families, weddings, coal miners and basically what was going on in Inverness.”

Hatt was born in Mill Village, Queens County, Nova Scotia on May 8th, 1875. His father Joseph was a lumberman, and his mother Lavinia was of Dutch origin. Ernest Hatt married Eva May MacIntosh (aged 22) on July 12th, 1904 in Cumberland County. Hatt was 29 years of age at that time, and his profession is listed on that certificate as a photographer. He died January 14th, 1950 in Scotchtown, New Waterford at the age of 74.

The official opening for the exhibit was held last Tuesday evening, with music and tea on the museum deck. Janice Ferguson was the curator for the show.

“She did the phone calling, cajoling, finding out leads from one person to another; she just followed through, and she was able to collect about 150 pictures,” said MacDonald. “Practically everything in the museum for the month of July is from the Ernest Hatt exhibit.”

Black and white photographs cover nearly every available surface at the Miners Museum. The handwritten notes accompanying the photos are hard to read, but the pictures themselves create a fascinating look into the early years of the 20th century in Inverness County. The show will be on display at the Inverness Miners Museum for the month of July. The museum is open Monday to Saturday 9:00 to 5:00 and Sunday from 12:00 to 5:00.

“Everyone is more than welcome to come down and take it in,” said MacDonald. “Historically, his information is invaluable to us at this point. This is the first major exhibit that has been launched in his memory. At the end of the month it’s moving to Port Hood, to the Chestico Museum. It will be on exhibit there for about a month.”

The exhibit is a joint project of the two museums.