LOCATION:

The community of Armdale is located at the head of the North West Arm near the rotary.

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

One of the earliest settlers was John Hosterman, a German, who arrived in 1786 when the area was known simply as "North West Arm," and established a grist mill on Chocolate Lake - one of the first commercial enterprises in the area.

In the 1860s, Sir Charles Tupper, one of the Fathers of Confederation, established his estate near the North West Arm on what today is Armview Avenue, and named it "Armdale." Here, Sir Charles would watch yachts sailing up and down "the Arm." In 1916, residents decided to name their community Armdale after Sir Charles Tupper's family estate.

HISTORY:

Over the years residents built churches, opened private schools and established a number of commercial ventures.

Business development continued throughout the nineteenth century. For example, in the early 1800s, the Melville Nail Manufacturing Company and Iron Foundry was established.

However, although it is difficult to imagine, as late as the 1940s the land near the Armdale Rotary consisted mainly of pastureland. One of the last farms to disappear belonged to the Keatings; it was situated at the top of Keating Road where it joins Crown Drive. Twenty years later, Keating could still be seen driving his horse and buggy around the rotary, causing traffic jams.

In time, private residences began to replace the country cottages that surrounded the North West Arm as landowners divided properties into smaller building lots. The population increased as bus routes extended into rural areas with paved roads making travel by car much easier. As with many of the former suburbs that skirted the city of Halifax, Armdale became a part of the city on January 1, 1969.

GENEALOGY:

Many of the families who played important roles in the development of Armdale were descendants of some of the settlers that arrived with Governor Cornwallis in 1749. They included families with the names of Piers, Hathaway, Fenerty, Balcom, Billman, Lear and Manual.

Circa: 1775 When the Hessian Soldiers were ordered back home, many deserted and settled in Armdale and attended the "Little Dutch Church", before moving on to other parts of Nova Scotia.