Improbably located in a parking lot, down a side street in the former coal and steel town of Sydney Mines, this poor-marked 5,000 square foot museum houses the largest collection of ‘Coal Age’ (Carboniferous) fossil plants in Atlantic Canada, as well as 300 million-year-old fossil animals, trackways, and local rocks and gems.
Collectively, these fossils tell a story of the dawn of the first true forests, when Cape Breton was a tropical paradise, lying near the equator, thousands of miles from its current position. These fossil forests produced the thick coal deposits that laid the foundation of the economy of Cape Breton Island and turned it into an industrial superpower in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
The Fossil Centre is the culmination of a community effort to preserve and showcase the exceptional fossil forests of Cape Breton Island, which have inspired scientists since the early days of geology. Charles Lyell, the “Grandfather of Geology,” referred to specimens from Sydney Mines in his writing.
The center also houses the published scientific collections of Prof. Erwin Zodrow, a well-known Cape Breton paleobotanist.
All visitors receive a complimentary guided tour with admission, as well as admission to the neighboring Sydney Mines Community Heritage Museum, which is located in a historic train station.
