Kings County Museum, Local museum in Kentville, Canada

Kings County Museum is a local museum in Kentville that displays regional objects, documents, and photographs spanning different time periods. The exhibits show how society, economy, and daily life in Kings County have changed over many generations.

The 1903 courthouse was built by Wolfville architect Leslie R. Fairn from Avonport pressed brick and Cumberland County sandstone, costing $20,000, and opened on 12 January 1904 with the first Kings County Council meeting. After courts moved out in 1980, the Kings Historical Society, founded 1978, raised $64,000 to restore it and opened the Old Kings Courthouse Museum on 27 May 1981. It was renamed the Kings County Museum in 2002.

The museum is home to the Parks Canada National Commemorative New England Planters Exhibit, installed in 1989. In the restored courtroom, local resident Brad Forsyth repainted the panelling using painted wood grain, a technique he learned from his father, hiding small figures of birds and animals in the grain patterns for visitors to find.

The museum occupies the 1903 courthouse on Kentville's main street, entered through the round brick arch beneath the "COURTHOUSE" sign. The courtroom and galleries are on the upper floor, reached by stairs, and the former registry vaults in the basement hold the genealogy research centre. Since 2006 the museum has closed during the winter months, so plan a visit for the warmer season.

The museum holds an extensive collection of family records and genealogical resources that help visitors trace their roots in the region. This section draws people who are curious about their ancestors and family connections to early settlers in the area.