Typically we shy away from large cities. At some point they all seem to look alike and blend together. Nova Scotia towns like Lunenburg, Annapolis Royal, or Digby are more to our liking. In spite of being the largest town in Atlantic Canada, Halifax is a very walkable city. Part of the experience is taking the passenger ferry to the Halifax harbor. The city’s boardwalk is one of the longest of any North American city. We put on our walking shoes as there were still more places that we wanted to explore.
Maritime Museum of the Atlantic
Located on the central section of the Halifax Waterfront Boardwalk is another amazing museum, the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. Founded in 1948, it was one of the first to open along the waterfront. The museum has over 30,000 artifacts including 70 small watercraft, models of cruise liners, and an 180 ft. steamboat called the CSS Acadia that is moored to a pier outside. In season, you can tour it but it was closed the day we were there. We spent hours in this museum since there is much to see and learn. We will highlight two exhibits of the many that were there: the Halifax Explosion and the sinking of the RMS Titanic.
The Halifax Explosion occurred on the morning of December 6, 1917 when a French cargo ship, the SS Mont-blanc, collided with the Norwegian ship, the SS Imo. As they passed through a strait called the Narrows that connects the Bedford Basin to the Halifax harbor, the Imo struck the Mont-Blanc. Unfortunately the Mont-Blanc was carrying explosives and those caught on fire. The ensuing explosion leveled a large part of Halifax.
The blast was so intense that it destroyed all the structures within a half of mile radius and was the largest artificial non-nuclear explosion at that time. Windows were shattered 62 miles away from the harbor. Chunks of the ships were strewn over an 8 km. area and everything was covered in an oily film from the fuel. The effects of the shock wave were felt across the harbor in Dartmouth and it created a tsunami that destroyed a Mi’kmaq (First Nations) community. About 1762 people perished and thousands more were injured. About 1630 houses were destroyed and many more damaged.
Many people came to help with the rescue efforts. Unfortunately, the reconstruction of the harbor and the town took several years. Interestingly, people from New England around Boston came to aid the residents of Halifax. To this day, Halifax sends a Christmas tree to Boston every year to show their appreciation for the help that the Red Cross and the Massachusetts Public Safety Commission provided after the disaster. The Nova Scotia tree is Boston’s official Christmas Tree and it is placed on Boston Commons.
Another disaster that impacted Halifax was the sinking of the RMS Titanic. We did not know that many of the rescue and recovery boats were from this city. It makes sense because they were the nearest port to the disaster.
There were two major steamship manufacturers at that time, Cunard Lines and White Star, and the competition between these two companies was fierce. Samuel Cunard, who was born in Halifax, was one of the first to pioneer ocean steam navigation. Cunard Lines were already transporting passengers across the ocean from Europe when the White Star decided to build the largest ship in the world, the Titanic, in 1912.
There were 2,200 passengers and crew on board the day that the Titanic hit an iceberg and sank. Only 705 survived and that was due, in part, to the fact that a small boat from Halifax, the Carpathia, was in the area and heard the Titanic’s distress call. They came as quickly as possible and their crew rescued those in the lifeboats and took them to New York City. A number of additional boats from Halifax were sent there to help with the rescue and the recovery. Many of the Titanic’s victims are buried in Halifax. On display are some of the artifacts that they salvaged from the Titanic like one of the wooden deck chairs. We learned a lot about the Titanic from the museum’s exhibit and its connection to the city of Halifax.
There are many other exhibits in the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic that are fascinating. We highly recommend visiting it.
Citadel Hill and the Town Clock
Halifax has a number of historic sites that are not on the waterfront but are in walking distance from the harbor. Fort George overlook the harbor and it sits on top of Citadel Hill. There have been four forts erected on this site since Halifax was founded in 1749. The British built the first fort to protect themselves from the French who had a stronghold in Louisburg to the north. A second one was built 27 years later and a third one was erected when the French Revolutionary Wars began in 1796. Construction on the current citadel was begun in 1828 and was not completed until 1856. Today Fort George is star-shaped with armored ramparts and a large courtyard and tunnels underneath its walls.
Fort George on Citadel Hill is one of the most visited in Nova Scotia and it became a National Historic Site in 1935. The grounds of Citadel Hill are open all year but the fort closes at 5 pm. If you are there at noon, you can see a gun-firing ceremony. Short on time, went up Citadel Hill for a brief visit. From the top of the ramparts there are some great views of the harbor and the city below.
Visible from Fort George is the famous Town Clock. Prince Edward, the commander of the British forces commissioned a town clock so that the soldiers would not arrive late for duty. The three-story octagonal tower was placed on the side of Citadel Hill facing the barracks below. Completed in 1803, the clock is a fixture in Halifax. Today Parks Canada maintains both the Town Clock and Citadel Hill.
Halifax Public Gardens
At the base of Citadel Hill are the Halifax Public Gardens. One sunny afternoon, we spent some time there and were impressed with how lovely they were. On the grounds are many sculptures, fountains, three small ponds, and an array of flower beds and beautifully landscaped areas. There is also a bandstand in the park and on Sundays from June-September there are free band concerts from 2-4 p.m. These Victorian-style gardens that opened in 1867 are now a National Historic Site. The public is welcome to come and enjoy them May-November from 8 a.m. to dusk. It is a very peaceful place to go and take a stroll and admire the beauty of nature.
Farmers Markets
On Saturday, we stopped by a couple of farmers markets downtown. One was near Pier 21 and the other was in the restored Keith Hall, an impressive building dating back to 1863. David was excited because the same vendor who bakes the wonderful pastries and bread in Lunenburg comes to the Pier 21 market. He felt it was important to stock up on their offerings, once they assured him that they would freeze well.
We left Halifax with tired feet but happy to have explored the central hub of Nova Scotia. Next, we head north to the magical island of Cape Breton.
Piddlin' Around 