In 1892, Mary Kaulbach came to Truro to attend the Provincial Normal School. Her diary provides a glimpse into the life of a young woman in Victorian Truro and at Normal. She was an interested observer and an active participant in both communities. Mary was not unaware of the potential value of her diary, writing: “it would be interested to the coming generation.” She was right. Mary wrote well and her gentle bemusement by life is reflected in her diary.