Perkins House in Liverpool closed indefinitely after 249 years

Nova Scotia has closed the province's oldest museum indefinitely because of structural problems and museum officials are worried about its fate because a cash-strapped government has yet to commit to fix it.

"This is our history. It needs to be protected," says George Mitchell, chairman of the Queens County Museum.

Perkins House was built in 1766 for Simeon Perkins, a merchant, diarist and funder of privateers. It's now a provincial museum.

But these days the building is in rough shape. Its plaster is cracking and the floor boards rise as the house heaves with the seasons. The entire perimeter of the house is supported by jacks.

"It needs some stabilizing foundation so she won't shift with the climates," says Queen County Museum director Linda Rafuse.

Citing structural problems, the province decided Perkins House will not open in 2015.

However local officials are concerned the "several hundred thousand dollars" needed for a rebuilt foundation, heating system, and other repairs have not been allocated.

"Being informed that wasn't worked into the budget this year was a bit disappointing and so there hasn't been a commitment that it will happen next year's budget," says Rafuse.

"If we don't do something about this now, chances are down the road, you know what will happen. They're going to forget about us. We can't allow that to happen," says Mitchell.

The Nova Scotia Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage says it must balance the needs of Perkins House with demands for core services like health care and education. That's a talking point frequently used by the McNeil government to defend tough budget decisions.

"We are continuing our evaluation of the level of work needed at Perkins House Museum and to determine when repairs could proceed," department spokesman Glenn Friel told CBC News.