1992

January

Iceboating, Williams' Lake, ca. 1920

Iceboating on the Northwest Arm and the many lakes in the area was a favourite pastime earlier in the century. Alexander and Strachan Jollimore are shown with their iceboat on Williams' Lake near Jollimore Village.

February

Military Prison, Melville Island, 1928

In 1928 it was still possible to see many of the original buildings on Melville Island. The island was first used as a prison in 1803 and the large building with dormer windows was erected in 1805 to house the many French sailors captured during the Napoleonic wars. The stone cells and the Chief Warder's house on the hill are still standing. Today the cells are used for storage and the Warder's home is the club house of the Armdale Yacht Club.

March

Herring Cove Road, Spryfield, 1943

The Spryfield Garage, operated by Foster Bezanson, stood at the corner of the Herring Cove Road and Dentith Road adjacent to the Purcell home. The white picket fence surrounded the garden of the Pinegrove Hotel and beyond the Kent Theatre were the Crawford house, the Kingsley canteen and the Dan MacNeil home. The steeple of Emmanuel Church can be seen in the background.

April

The Barns at Kidston Farm, Spryfield, 1923

William Kidston purchased this farm on Rockingstone road in the early 19th century. It was part of the estate carved out of the wilderness by Captain William Spry in 1769. Although the barns have now been replaced by new suburban housing, the little ice house still stands facing the road. Over the years the farm has been known as Thornhill Farm and Rockingstone Farm.

May

The Drysdale Farm, Spryfield, 1928

The cows are making their way along the Herring Cove Road near Long Pond. The Drysdales, who were early settlers in Spryfield, inherited this farm from the Thomas family who had been granted 100 acres of land here in 1866.

June

The Atlantic Sugar House, Northwest Arm, ca. 1900

This small sugar refinery was in operation for about 20 years prior to 1900. The brick tower was added to the old mill that stood on the site for most of the 19th century. The wooden mill wheel can be seen on the right of the photograph. When the refinery was demolished many of the beams were incorporated into the McCurdy home which later became the club house of the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron.

July

Boutilier's Boat Rental, Jollimore, 1939

The Boutilier and Jollimore families were the original settlers of Jollimore village in the early 19th century. Joe Boutilier operated this boat and canoe rental close to the Memorial Tower until the late 1950s. He also ran a ferry service across the Arm to the foot of Oakland Road.

August

A View of the Village, Herring Cove, 1895

Herring Cove, or Dunk Cove as it was first known, attracted fishermen settlers to its rocky shores soon after the founding of Halifax in 1749. Shipwreck, courageous rescue attempts and champion scullers and oarsmen have all been part of the colourful history of the cove. The Reyno homestead can be seen in the upper right hand corner of the picture with the Dempsey home next to it.

September

Cunard School, Jollimore, 1922

The two room school house which served the Northwest Arm area burned in 1937 but traces of it can still be seen on Albion Road. In the 19th century a chapel stood on the site where school classes were also held.

October

The Rockingstone, Spryfield, ca. 1905

This huge granite boulder, located on the former Kidston farm property, was deposited by the retreating glaciers of the last ice age. It is reputed to weigh about 200 tons. From the 1820s it has been a tourist attraction and Prince George, later King George V, while serving as a naval officer in Halifax, was one of many visitors. Today the great stone can still be rocked by means of a small wooden lever.

November

The Hosterman House, Armdale, 1936

The Hosterman family owned the property now known as Regatta Point for many years and were involved with the industries which used the stream flowing out of Chocolate Lake. This house stood just above the stream on the Herring Cove Road. On the right is a glimpse of the old Armdale School.

December

The Arm Bridge, Armdale, ca. 1870

The busy Armdale Rotary now covers this site at the head of the Northwest Arm. Charles Geizer's blacksmith shop is on the west side and Bethany Church, which is still standing, can be seen on the hill.

1993

January

Emmanuel Church, Church Street, Spryfield, 1913

On April 28, 1853, George Sutherland and his wife donated land on part of their farm to Bishop Binney for the construction of a combined schoolhouse and church. The Sutherland's daughter Bessie (after whom Elizabeth Sutherland School is named) taught in the little school from the age of 17 and is said to have read the services of the Church of England there on Sundays when clergy were not available. She was buried in the Church Street (now Sussex Street) cemetery which is all that remains on the site. The original Emmanuel Church was demolished in 1947 when a new building was erected on the Herring Cove Road.

February

Sleigh on Church Street, Spryfield,

Transportation has always been a concern of those who choose to live in Spryfield. Ruts, rocks and boulders were a constant trouble to the carriages and carts of the early settlers and from the 18th century many petitions begged assistance from the Council to improve the road from the head of the Arm to Spryfield. In 1828 William Kidston wrote to the Provincial Secretary complaining about the state of the Herring Cove Road and making suggestions for improvements. In winter, snow smoothed out many of the difficulties and the men in the picture are driving their cutter on Church Street (now Sussex Street) just beyond Emmanuel Church. In winter children from the outlying farms would travel down this road to school on snowshoes.

March

Moving a Boulder, Jollimore

Everyone who has built a house or tried to make a garden in Mainland South is familiar with the rocks and boulders that slow the work. Here George Jussup and James Bignell, who emigrated from England to Jollimore before the First World War, are moving a boulder on log rollers, assisted by Frederick Bignell. The house in the background where the Jussups lived, still stands on the corner of Purcell's Cove Road and Parkhill Road.

April

York Redoubt Tramway

York Redoubt was first fortified in 1793 during the wars with France, when wooden ships could be destroyed by cannon balls fired from 24 pounder guns on the shore. By the 1870s iron hulled warships were the order of the day and more powerful guns, firing pointed shells to penetrate the metal plates were required by the defenders of Halifax Harbour. York Redoubt was completely remodelled at this time. Nine and ten inch muzzle loading cannon with rifled barrels, capable of firing 256 pound shells, were laboriously raised from the harbour to the gun emplacements on the heights above. Here one of the new guns is beginning its journey up the hill to the fort.

May

Sambro Island Lighthouse, 1926

A lighthouse was first constructed on Sambro Island in 1758 to warn ships away from the dangerous waters at the entrance to Halifax Harbour. The House of Assembly voted 1000 pounds from the duties on spirituous liquors to pay for its construction. Later in the century when the lamp was obscured by fog, 24 pounder guns would be fired as signals to shipping. In 1906-07 the height of the lighthouse was increased to 140 feet above the water, three broad red bands were painted to make it more visible in snowy weather and a flashing light installed. The last lighthouse keeper, J.E. Gwynn, left the island in 1968 and today automatic equipment, with a visibility of 24 miles, continues to protect shipping entering the harbour.

June

The Umlah Farm, ca. 1930

The Umlah Farm was situated on the Old St. Margaret's Bay Road which is now part of Long Lake Provincial Park. In the 1860s John Umlah inherited the Long Lake grant and the Goodwood grant, 1000 acres in all, from John Wagner. Three generations of Umlahs lived in the old home with its large rooms and huge granite hearth. The Umlahs raised vegetables for the city market, cut and sold cordwood and ran a dairy farm in later years. In the 1950s the whole farm was expropriated by the Public Service Commission, the house and barns had to be demolished by the owners and the wells filled in.

July

Jollimore Village from Northwest Arm, before 1908

The village is named for John George and Frederick Jollimore who first purchased adjoining lots along the Northwest Arm in 1826 and 1845. Fishing, stonecutting and a ferry operation supported the first residents, while schooners from Tancook Island would sail up the Arm to trade with the little community. Sir Sandford Fleming, the owner of the Dingle estate, gave land for a chapel, St. Augustines, which was erected half way up the hill. It is said that the configuration of the land allowed the sweet tones of its bell to be heard up and down the whole length of the Arm. Around the turn of the century the area became a favourite summer retreat for city folk and many Jollimore residents had two houses "one to live in and one to rent".

August

Toll Gate at Kidston Farm, 1937

For over one hundred and fifty years residents and visitors to Halifax have travelled the six miles from the city to view one of the natural wonders of the area, the Rockingstone. In the beginning visitors would ring a bell at the Kidston farm gate and one of the children would open it to let the carriages travel down the farm lane and on to Kidston Lake and the great stone. After the expropriation of much of the Kidston land the toll gate was moved to the corner of the present Ardwell Avenue and Rockingstone Road, where in the nineteen forties it cost 25 cents for cars and 5 cents for pedestrians to enter.

September

Pilot Boats at Purcell's Cove

The pilot boats for Halifax Harbour used to shelter in Purcell's Cove, waiting for the next call from a vessel entering the harbour. In 1752 William Russell had been granted land between Fergusons' Cove and the King's Quarry which included Mackerel Cove. Samuel Purcell and his four sons later purchased this grant and Mackerel Cove came to bear his name. The oddly shaped Russell's Island became known as Spectacle Island. In 1853 Joseph Purcell started a ferry service from the cove to Point Pleasant Park, using both sail and row boats. Later generations of the family continued to operate the ferry and so valuable was the service that a house was provided for them beside the ferry slip for $1 a year.

October

Air Raid Precaution Group (ARP), Spryfield, ca. 1943

An Air Raid Precaution group was formed in Spryfield at the beginning of the war from members of the newly established volunteer fire department. The women in the group were on call during the day for any emergency and the men would respond to calls at night. Young boys were used as runners to carry messages on foot when required, and the ARP saw that wartime blackout regulations were enforced. In 1945 when the magazine exploded on Bedford Basin, causing great anxiety among those who remembered the terrible Halifax explosion in 1917, the Spryfield ARP group received frightened people from the city, providing food, comfort and a safe place to sleep. A tentative identification of the people in this photograph has been printed on the last page of the calendar. Identification: Harold Legg, Bert Nicholson, Reg Beeler, Rev. Mr. Brown, Dooley Morash, Mr. MacDougall, (unknown) Fred Gourley, Roland Theakson, Herb Miller, Jack Campbell, Charlie Baugild, Jessie Fleet, Mrs. Brewer, Minnie Oxner, Ruth Miller, Mrs. MacDougall, Mrs. Gourley, Ned Gardner, Doug Olie, Ralph Oakley, Ronnie Oakley, Elizabeth Theakston, Freda Relf, Mrs. Gyster, Mary Oakley, Mrs. Roberts, Gertrude Gardner, Lottie Borgal, Isabel Oxner, William Robinson, Mr. McGinnis, Doug Young, C. Nicholson, Walter Patterson, Roy Lownds, Ralph Gardiner, Howard Oxner, Maynard Robinson, Arthur Connors, Bill Perrin, Sandy Ross.

November

Head of Northwest Arm, Armdale, ca. 1940

The Armdale district took its name from the local estate of Sir Charles Tupper. In this photograph, taken from the lower end of Chebucto Road before the construction of the Armdale Rotary, the Woodcock Inn can be seen at the foot of the Herring Cove Road. It had a restaurant downstairs and a dance hall on the upper floor. Above it on the hill stood Fairmount, the elegant home of the Lear sisters, who were well known local artists. Bethany Church on Fairmount Road, is probably the oldest building still standing in the area.

December

The Mont Blanc Anchor, Armdale, 1918

On December 6, 1917 the Belgian relief ship Imo collided in the Narrows with the French munitions ship Mont Blanc which was loaded with benzol, picric acid and TNT. A fire was started on the deck of the Mont Blanc igniting its explosive cargo and causing the largest man-made explosion ever recorded prior to the atomic age. The shaft of the Mont Blanc's anchor was hurled two and a quarter miles to the wooded shores of the Arm at the Edmonds Grounds where it buried itself six feet deep in the earth. Shortly after Mr. Edmonds dug up the shaft and put it on display. Today it can still be seen, close to the spot where it landed, surrounded by the townhouses and apartments of Regatta Point.

1995

January

Kidston Farm, Spryfield, ca. 1930

The Kidston farmhouse is the oldest remaining house in Spryfield and has been continuously occupied by the same family for over 170 years. William Kidston, descendant of a Loyalist and a member of a prominent Scottish/Nova Scotian shipping and mercantile family, purchased the Leiblin and Bower grants from the George McIntosh estate in 1822. The plain Georgian style farmhouse, with it's Scottish dormer windows, was built between 1822 and 1828 and is a registered heritage property of the City of Halifax. (Janet Kidston collection)

February

St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church and Glebe, Herring Cove, 1930

In 1846 the first Roman Catholic Church in Herring Cove, located at the head of the cove, was found to be "in ruinous condition" and unsuitable for services. A new site was chosen and the present church built about 1849. The Glebe House, originally intended as a convent for the Sisters of Charity, was added in 189S and became the Pastor's residence. One hundred years later, in 19SO, the church was completely renovated and its tall, graceful spire removed for easier maintenance. Many people miss the spire, including one flyer from Shearwater who told the priest that in low-lying fog it was often the only thing visible from which aircraft could get their bearings. (Rose Dempsey collection)

March

Herring Cove Road, Spryfield, 1952

This photograph was taken looking east on the Herring Cove Road from the front of the Kent Theatre building. Crowell's Drug Store, the Dan MacNeil home and Emmanuel Church are on the right; the Purcell house on the left behind a picket fence, with Dr. Marjorie and Kevin Smith's office beyond. (E.G.L. Wetmore photograph, Nova Scotia Museum collection)

April

View of Ketch Harbour, 1879

Often called Catch Harbour in early documents because of the excellent fishing grounds in the area, the village became an important fishing station soon after the founding of Halifax. In the photograph a whaler is shown coming up the harbour. The woman standing on the steps of the house is thought to be Susan Connor, who was living there at the time. Her nephew, Richard Flemming, inherited the house and a new one was built on the same foundations in 1920. (Evelyn McReady collection)

May

St. Augustine's Church, Jollimore, ca. 1930

In 1895 Sir Sanford Fleming donated a piece of his land for the construction of a church to serve Jollimore Village. The first service was held in St. Augustine's on September 27, 1896 and for many years clergy from St. Luke's Cathedral crossed the Arm by boat to officiate there. The bell in the tower came from the old fire engine house on Spring Garden Road and it was reported that its sweet tones could be heard up and down the whole length of the Arm. A new and larger church was built on the Purcell's Cove Road in 1964 and in 1976 the City of Halifax officially re-opened the old St. Augustine's as a centre for outdoor recreation and environmental education. The building has since been designated a municipal heritage property. (Elsie Jollimore collection)

June

Lear Family at Fairmount, Armdale, 1898

Misses Gwendoline, Kate and Isabel Lear sit with their mother on the verandah of their home, Fairmount, overlooking the head of the Northwest Arm. The family emigrated from England in 1882 and after her father's death Kate had an art studio on Bedford row where she taught painting and drawing. Gwendoline wrote novelettes for evangelical publishing houses in England. Fairmount is no longer standing but the name is preserved in Fairmount Road above the Armdale Rotary. (Alice Harvey collection)

July

Explosion Cloud over Melville Cove, 1945

In 1945 Roy Gilkie of Melville Cove was employed by the Ministry of War Transport supervising the unloading of ammunition and explosives at the depot on Bedford Basin. All was quiet when he left work on July 18th, but one and a half hours later the first huge explosion occurred at the depot. A small boat had caught fire, which ignited first the creosoted wharf and then the ammunition, causing a chain reaction of explosions throughout the hot, sultry night. The force of the first blast blew window and door frames out of houses in Melville Cove and the concussion had thrown Mr. Gilkie across the room just before he too!, this picture. Later the Gilkie family and many of their neighbours were evacuated to Herring Cove and other communities for the night. (Roy Gilkie collection)

August

Herring Cove at Old Sambro Road, Spryfield, ca. 1920

The inscription on the back of this photograph reads: "This is Mr. Purcell's house on the right. A lovely picture of the corner at the intersection of the Sambro and Herring Cove Roads. Dutch Village has nothing on Spryfield, that is what I think. What do you think about it?" The popular Frazee's Canteen with its gas pump can be seen at the corner of Sambro Road. The Arthur Purcell house is today Habib's Store. (Dave Purcell collection)

September

Schooner Monica A. Thomas, 1903

This photo shows the Monica A. Thomas of Herring Cove on her maiden voyage. At the wheel was her owner, Captain Charles Hugh Thomas. Also on board were her designer, Heber Harrigan; the first mate, Walter Brown; the cook, William Topple Higgins and three other men. The vessel was named for the Captain's sister, who was the school teacher on Devil's Island, Halifax Harbour. The Monica A. Thomas sailed out of Herring Cove deep-sea fishing for ten years. She was sold and eventually was wrecked and burned off the Newfoundland coast about 1916. (Rose Dempsey collection)

October

Stella Maris Church, Ferguson's Cove, ca. 1940

In 1846 soldiers from an Irish regiment stationed at York Redoubt built the Roman Catholic church that sits on the hill just below the fort wall. In 1949 and 1977 the parishioners used their woodworking and building skills to renovate the interior of the church and to stain the exterior a warm brown. A ship's bell hangs in the belfry of the church and the twin towers have long been used as landmarks by mariners in Halifax Harbour. The church was designated a heritage property of the County of Halifax in 1994. (Gerty Coughlan collection)

November

Fishermen's Store Sheds, Portuguese Cove, ca. 1928

The abundance of fish earlier in this century meant lots of activity on the wharves and stages of the villages up and down the coast. Raymond Purcell, whose great-great-grandfather's shed is in the photograph, says that in 1928 there were 40 to 50 fishermen in Portuguese Cove, but only three in 1994. The many small killicks or anchors in the picture, hewn from local woods, were weighted with stones and used to hold down herring, mackerel and salmon nets. (Janetta Ewert collection)

December

The Pinegrove Hotel, Spryfield, ca. 1903

William Topple constructed this building as a house and store in 1893. He soon converted it to a hotel which operated for many years. It was a popular resort for fishermen and hunters coming out from the city, and for travellers to York Redoubt and the villages down the shore. The building was torn down in 1959 to make way for a service station. (Iris Shea collection)

1996

January

Cutting Wood at Sambro, 1932

Simon and Ellison Gray built this gas-powered engine and saw from salvaged parts. They then mounted it on runners, so it could be moved easily to the various households in the community where the winter's supply of sawlogs, brought in by oxen, awaited cutting. Shown left to right: Otto Garrison, Simon Garrison, William Gray, George Perry, Ellison Garrison. (Aeriel Gray collection)

February

Parson's Ocean Power Plant, Herring Cove, ca. 1925

In 1917, Osborne H. Parsons of Halifax devised a plan to generate electric power from the motion of tides and waves. Scouting the shoreline by boat, he settled on Tribune Head at Herring Cove as the ideal site. The Parsons Ocean Power Plant was incorporated in 1922, and construction began. A lake behind Herring Cove was dammed for reserve capacity, and the cribwork shown at left was built to enclose a large pontoon, preventing its lateral motion. The pontoon, attached to a lever arm running into the plant itself, provided 5000 hp at twelve feet of combined motion per minute. The company held worldwide patents on the design. With the prospect of nuclear power, however, the plant closed in 1959. (P Max Kuhn collection)

March

St. John the Baptist Chapel, Melville Cove, ca. 1920

This 19th-century powder magazine was purchased by John Egan of Melville Cove in 1919 and deeded to the Roman Catholic diocese in 1920. The first Roman Catholic church services in Armdale were held there the same year, and the building served as a mission chapel for St. Agnes until 1927, when the parish of St. John the Baptist was established. (St. John the Baptist parish collection)

April

Queen's Quarry, Purcell's Cove, 1916

An 1826 survey map of the northeastern portion of Purcell's Cove shows a network of roads leading to three quarries: the Queen's Quarry, Dalhousie Quarry and Dominion Quarry. These produced the ironstone, granite and slate used in many downtown Halifax buildings, including the Town Clock, the Citadel, the wall of the Grand Parade, the old Post Office building, and the early warehouses of the Halifax waterfront. (Public Archives of Nova Scotia collection)

May

Spring Concert, Spryfield School, ca. 1927

The Spryfield School, built in 1893, was the first public school in the area. It stood on the site of today's Central Spryfield School. There were about thirty students at the time of this photograph, when the girls held a concert to raise money to buy a desk for their teacher, Dot Slaunwhite. Vida Zinck remembers that Mrs. Slaunwhite made the children's crepe paper dresses for the occasion, and that the concert was held in the Emmanuel Church hall on the Dam Road, (now Dentith Road). (Vida Zinck collection)

June

Students at Harrietsfield School, 1 939

The eight students of the Harrietsfield School, finding this boulder interfered with their ball games, decided one afternoon to remove it from the schoolyard. The school year at this point ran through the summer; the long holidays were in the coldest months of winter, when the wood-stove was inadequate to heat the classroom, the spring was frozen over, and deep snow made the walk to school difficult for the children. The building shown here was torn down in 1941 and replaced with another on the same site. This has now also been demolished. Shown prying the boulder towards the woods are, clockwise from the top: Bob Whitehead, Robie Vatcher, Mildred and Stan Nickerson, Veda Vatcher, Eric, Marie and Ruth Salmonson. (Veda Smith collection)

July

Regatta Northwest Arm, ca. 1920

At the turn of the century, the citizens of Halifax discovered the pleasures of the Northwest Arm, flocking there by the thousands for regattas, band concerts, illumination nights and rowing competitions. The Northwest Arm Rowing Club was established in 1900, followed by the Halifax Amateur Boating Club (1904), the Waegwoltic Club (1908), and the Jubilee Boat Club (1909). As well, ferries crossed the Arm at several points, bringing picnickers and spectators to the Dingle park, established in 1908 on lands given to the city by Sir Sandford Fleming. (Public Archives of Nova Scotia collection)

August

Shady Side Canteen, Melville Cove, 1933

The Shady Side canteen, built and owned by Harrison James, usually stood on the Melville Cove Road, just south of the present Melville Cove Snack Bar. It was open during the summer for swimmers and picnickers on the Northwest Arm, and if the ice was good for skating, the canteen would be dismantled, put on a bobsled and towed to the Frog Pond. There it would stay for the winter, selling hot dogs cooked in specially-designed copper pots made by Aylmer Burton of Melville Cove. (George Baigent collection)

September

Dart Farm, Spryfield, ca. 1918

Built in the 1840's by William and Mary Dart, the Dart farmhouse stood on the Old St. Margaret's Bay Road, in what is now the Long Lake Provincial Park. During the 1870's, it housed the local post office, run by the Darts' daughter Annie. Annie Dart and Jennie Kidston lived in the house until 1925, when they had it torn down and replaced with another house on the same site. When the farm was expropriated in the 1950's for the Long Lake park, the new house was moved to the Old Sambro Road, where it still stands. (Elsie Morash collection)

October

Dredging Gold, Melville Cove, 1930s

The barge shown here was stationed near the mouth of the creek running down from Kline Heights into the cove. It carried a clamshell dredge and a diver, Mr. Gregoire, whose job was to inspect the contents of the bucket for signs of gold washings from the creek. The enterprise yielded no gold, but terrific excitement for the children of Melville Cove during the one summer of dredging. Mr. Gregoire was better known at the time for his successes in bringing up cases of whiskey from a sunken rum-runner at the foot of the Jubilee Road. (Roy Gilkie collection)

November

Ferne and Chesley Knowlton, Dalhousie School, Purcell's Cove, 1943

The Knowltons, with Frances Franey, were the first teachers at the Dalhousie School. The school, for students from grades one to nine, opened in 1943 to accommodate children from the school at Ferguson's Cove, where one teacher had been single-handedly teaching 120 students. The new school was built at a cost of $4000 and finished with the volunteer labour of the community, while the proceeds of weekly bingo halls, held in the classroom, went towards stocking the library. There were teachers' quarters upstairs, and Mrs. Knowlton remembers the extraordinary good fortune of having running water and a private apartment in wartime, when Halifax and the environs were bursting at the seams with soldiers and their families. The Dalhousie School closed in 1987. (Ferne and Chesley Knowlton collection)

December

Coot Cove, near Sambro, ca. 1935

Coot Cove, settled in 1794, appears now only as an overgrown field on the shores of one of the small bays of Crystal Crescent Beach. In the nineteenth century, however, it was home to as many as twenty-seven families, with sheds, slipways, fish flakes and a barn for oxen. By 1921, all but two families had moved to more sheltered settlements such as Sambro and Pennant. The last building was torn down in 1945, and the lumber used to build a house at Sambro. (Earl Horne collection)

1997

January

Drysdale's Hyland Dairy Milkwagon, 1950

February

Head of Northwest Arm, ca. 1 950s

March

Sambro, ca. 1948

April

Portuguese Cove with Wharf and Sheds, ca. 1950s

May

Cookhouse at Lumber Mill, Church Rd., Spryfield, 1926

June

Reverend A. F. Dentith of Spryfield,

July

Fire Trucks in front of Dentith Road Fire Station, 1 949

August

C. Westhaver's Store at Herring Cove, ca. 1941

September

Ketch Harbour Schoolchildren, ca. 1896

October

Fraser Farm House, Harrietsf ield, 1 960

November

Arthur Gilfoy and mother, Harrietsdield, ca. 1 939

December

St. Augustine's Ladies Guild, Joilimore, 1941

2000

January

Melville Cove Hockey Team, 1938

Champions of the North West Arm League, they went on to beat Waverley that year for the championship of the Halifax Suburban League. Front row, left to right: Fred O'Connell (manager), Bus Schmeisser, Dave Romans, Charlie Johnson, Herb Johnson, Reg Blakeney, George Vaughn, and Bill Bailley (coach). Back row: Jack Forward, Tom Martin, Bill Martin, Eddie Kemp and Vinnie Vaughn.

February

Spryfield School, Class of 1939, Primary and Grade 1

Front Row (L to R): Ivan Brommitt, James Hayden, James Pratt, Russell Pratt, Faith Hyslop, Joan Edwards, Eunice Ingram, Wallace Bobbitt, Robert Dunn, Arnold Miller, Shirley Smith, Hilda Chandler, June Robinson, George Bryden, Douglas Perrott. Second Row (L to R): Phyllis Yeadon, Margaret Yeadon, Shirley Oakley, Betty Oakley, Ruth Swinamer, Shirley Jones, Joy Johnson, Joan Bobbitt, Margaret Geyster, Peggy Borwn, Greta Hollis, Florence Hampton, Norma Amos, Marion French, Joyce Yeadon, Cyril Hubley, Lillian Legge, Barbara Garrison. Third Row (L to R): George Brown, Buddy Brown, Clifford Brown, Everett Oakley, John Yeadon, Marion Smith, Helen Bellefontaine. Back Row (L to R): Ida Mae Marriott (teacher), Myrtle Swinamer, Stanley Hayden, Johnny Walsh, Norman Walters, Raymond Schnare, Bruce McNeil, Buddy Senior, Donald Hartnett, Angus Brown, Bernard Oakley, James Monahan, Richard Moore, Gordon Kidston, Joan Olie, Margaret Relf.

March

The Frasers of Harrietsfield, ca. 1910

Back Row, on the left, is George Fraser (1820-1812) and his wife Lucy Laurillard (1841-1928). Their daughter, Martha, is also in the back row. Others are unidentified. George Fraser's parents, Hugh and Janet (Drysdale) Fraser, were born in Scotland and married in Harrietsfield in 1796.

April

The Nickerson Family of Sambro Creek, ca. 1910

Charles Nickerson, with rake, Richard Nickerson (1824-1911) and Mrs. Hogan, the minister's wife, holding her baby. In front is Lucy Jane Smith Nickerson, daughter-in-law of Richard, with Blanche Smith. The woman standing is Nellie Smith.

May

The Connaught Rangers, Purcell's Cove Ladies Softball Team, 1935

Back Row (left to right): Coudie (Lynch) Young, Ellen (Dunstan) Bennet, Dot (Connors) Northup, Hilda (Lyons )Tanner, Agnes (Purcell) Duggan, Maizie (Judge) Nash, Olive (Purcell) Gorham. Front Row: Hilda (Hilda Purcell) Joudrey, Doris Purcell MacLean, Dorothy (Lynch) Goodman, Mary (Purcell) Sullivan, Geraldine (Lynch) Bennet.

June

Old Cunard School, Jollimore, ca. 1923

Front row, left to right: Queenie Porter, Nellie Barry Lola Boutilier, Kay Martin, Bill Powell, Florence Jussup, Myrna Hunter, Lillian Melvin. Back row: Eddie Martin, Florence McDermott, Roy Powell, Maurice McIlreith, Ethel Innes, Billy Jussup, Miss Norah Morash.

July

Kline Heights Aces, Winners of North West Arm Senior Softball League, 1930s

Back Row, left to right: W. Swan (2nd B), J. Smyth (P), M. Ring (CF), J. Marriott (SS), W. Mayo (3rd B). Front Row: G. MacLeod (LF), P. Bellefontaine (C), B. Isner (mascot), E. Mayo (RF), R. Isner (1st B) Capt.

August

Rodgers Family, picnic at Bald Rock, ca. 1915

The descendants of James and Margaret (Gray) Rodgers gathered for a picnic and family reunion on the family homestead at Bald Rock, near Sambro. James and Margaret Rodgers first settled at Bald Rock about 1850.

September

John W. O'Neill, 1909, North American Amateur Singles Champion, Detroit.

John Wilfred O'Neill (1877-1971) was born in Ketch Harbour, the son of John and Margaret (Flemming) O'Neill. He was one of the top scullers in the world. His victory over the Americans on 7 August 1909, gave Canada its first ever amateur title in this event. Upwards of 30,000 Haligonians celebrated O'Neill's homecoming with a parade through the streets and illuminations on the North West Arm.

October

Margaret (Reyno) Morgan, ca. 1900

Born in Herring Cove, Margaret Reyno (1875-1905) was the daughter of John and Bridget (Gorman) Reyno. She married William Morgan.

November

Visitors at the Dart Farm, 1930

The Dart Farm was located off the Old Sambro Road, just inside the present day Long Lake Provincial Park. The Old St. Margaret's Bay Road to Goodwood is visible beyond the fence. Seated, left to right, are Miss Annie Dart, who owned the farm and lived there until her death in 1939, Mrs. Robert (Elizabeth Jane Drysdale) Bishop (1848-1932), of Spryfield and Mrs. Drysdale of Goodwood.

December

Amos Yeadon, ca. 1924

Amos Yeadon (1856--1925) was born in Spryfield, the son of William Yeadon and Mary Ann Umlah. As a young man, he worked in his father's granite quarry and by 1891 was a contractor of granite. He married Lalia Bashford of St. John, N.B. Their daughter, Ida Mae Marriott, taught school in Spryfield for many years.

2001

January

The "SS Claire Lilly" Near Ferguson' s Cove, ca. 1942

The "SS Claire Lilly" was wrecked between Ferguson's Cove and Portuguese Cove in 1942, with the loss of five lives. Munitions which spilled from the hull of this shipwreck took years to clean up. A lot of the underwater salvage was carried out by local fishermen. In the foreground lies the bow of the "SS Kenkerry", which was wrecked on January 17th, 1935. The Kenkerry's boiler can be seen beyond the rocks, between the two ships. (Mark Wayne Greenwood collection)

February

Nickerson Family at East Pennant, ca. 1920

From left to right: In doorway - Charlotte A. (Yeadon) Nickerson (wife of George), David Nickerson (son of George & Charlotte), George Nickerson, Cliff Mumford (?), Arthur Nickerson (son of George & Charlotte), and George "Willie" Nickerson (son of George & Charlotte). (Eleanor Lydick collection)

March

Robert and Sarah (Gray) Greenwood, Sambro, ca. 1895

The house in the foreground was located at the end of the (presently named) Charles Gray Road. It is thought that this home was once owned by John Greenwood, father of Robert, and the first Greenwood to live in Sambro. John Greenwood, who first lived in Coote Cove (ca. 1824), may have built this house during the 1840's. The house at the right is the home of William Greenwood, eldest son of Robert and Sarah. (Mark Wayne Greenwood collection)

April

The Building of Long Lake Dam Road (Now Dentith Road), ca. 1920's

To the right of centre is John Drysdale. Dentith Road was originally named for Long Lake Dam at the foot of Long Lake. The name of the road was changed to Dentith Road, after Reverend A.F. Dentith, whose rectory was located on the current site of the South Centre Mall. (Barney Brown collection)

May

Ferguson's Cove, 1930s

In 1793, William Glazebrook and Samuel Purcell, who occupied fish lots in Ferguson's Cove, were listed as the only residents. While the origin of the name is uncertain, the village was known as Ferguson's Cove by this time. (Longard collection)

June

Armdale Girls' Chorus, 1945

For nearly four decades, Halifax music lovers enjoyed the performances of the Armdale Chorus on radio, television or live concerts. From left to right, first row: Bernadette Jamieson, Donna Miller, Marie Himmelman, Marie Inglis, Joan MacDonnell, Margaret Woods, Rose Sullivan, Mary Gidney, Theresa Collins, Norma Marriott, Phyllis Gates, Dolores Ward, Marjorie Coady, Helen Lord, Mary Dee-Girroir (Director) and Katherine Whynott seated at piano. Second Row: Eveline Sampson, Catherine Rousell, Lalia Poop, Eileen MacDonald, Dorothy Nelson, Gertrude Whynott, Phyllis Lord, June Kerr, Theresa Monaghan. (Joan MacDonnell collection)

July

Aboard the Barge "Hellenall", 1933

Capt. T.W. Martin aboard the wooden barge, "Hellenall,: with a group of children from Deadman's Island and Melville Cove. Front Row, Capt. T.W. Martin, Mary Martin (Murphy), Reg Blakeney, Reg Wild, Dave Romans, Irene Martin (Goode), Maizie Beazley, Clarence Martin, Tom Martin, Jr. Back Row: Ethel Wild (Merriam), Billy Wild, Mary Monaghan (Kennedy), Jackie Buell (Wilburn), Florence Martin (DeBelie), Peter Buell, Alfie Baigent, George Baigent, Doodie Monaghan, Hilda Wild (Gilkie), "Bink" Backman. (Bill Martin collection)

August

The Kidston Family, 1921

The six Kidston brothers with their wives and their sister Eliza. This photo was taken next to the Kidston house, which remains standing today on Rockingstone Road. From left to right: Alice (Drysdale) and husband Archibald Glen Kidston, Lilian (Hansen) with husband Richard Kidston, Bertha (Drysdale) with husband William Kidston, Emma (McKenzie) with husband Charles Kidston, (standing) Elizabeth (Bishop) with husband Arthur Kidston, John Kidston with wife Bessie (Geizer) and baby Elsie, Eliza Kidston and Dorothy. (Elsie (Kidston) Morash collection)

September

Ketch Harbour Class of 1921

Left to right: Marie (Flemming) Sainsbury, Harold FIemming, Muriel (Flemming) Greenwood, Francis Holland, Kathleen Flemming, Evelyn (Flemming) Mackey, Grace (Flemming) Lee, Eileen (Holland) Johnson, (teacher) Josephine (Flemming) Holland, Charlie (or his brother Stanley) Flemming, Margaret (Holland) Gates and Gertrude (Flemming) Rodgers. In the background is the barn of Jim Hollands. Dating of the photograph was possible due to the motorcycle license located at the right (Mark Wayne Greenwood collection)

October

Jollimore Brownies, ca. 1936

From left: Ruth Atwood, Edna McCarthy, Erva Hunter, Phyllis Jollimore, Nellie Powell and Mildred Jollimore, the Brown Owl. In front are Shirley Jollimore and Betty Hunter. (Leah (Jollimore) Meade collection)

November

The Farm of John A. Keddy, Harrietsfield, ca. 1908

The little girl is Grace Keddy (Norris). This property was purchased by John Keddy from David Brunt, et al, in 1897. It is now the Claridge property. (Sally A. LeBlanc collection)

December

Ketch Harbour Lighthouse, ca. 1938

The lighthouse at Ketch Harbour was located on the west shore, close to the entrance of Halifax Harbour. There was no one in residence at the lighthouse. The lightkeeper lived in a house on the Ketch Harbour West Road and would walk from his house each day at dusk, and again at dawn, to activate the light. Stanley Flemming was one of the lightkeepers. While the building has collapsed and washed away, there remains on the site two cement posts which formed part of its foundation. (Jean Anne Waldron (Martin) collection)

2003

January

SS Uranium on Rocks at Chebucto Head, 1913

On 12 January 1913 the SS Uranium was bound from Rotterdam to New York with a stopover in Halifax. In "thick" weather, just before noon, the passenger liner landed on rocks at Chebucto Head. Fearing the worst, the 1000 passengers and crew were lowered over the side and transported to Halifax on the Lady Laurier . It took five days and several futile attempts before the liner was pulled off the rocks and made its way to Halifax for repairs. Lighthouse keeper Captain Richard Holland and his family were commended for their untiring assistance to those involved in the rescue.

February

Central Spryfield School Class, Grade IX, March 1950.

Front Row: Blossom Young, Flora Nicholson, Muriel King, Barbara Dyke, Marie Greenwood, Jackie Vaughan, Shirley Oakley, Lillian Tobin, Helen Coulson. Back Row: Peggy Young, Russell Legge, Bruce Yeadon, Clyde Noseworthy, Bill Donovan, Roy Boutilier, John McIntyre, Pat Flemming Bernard Neilson, Audrey Pope.

March

The Hebridean at Herring Cove, ca. 1939

A rainbow hovers over the Halifax Pilot Boat, Hebridean. On 28 March 1940, the Hebridean with 15 men on board, the majority with family ties to Herring Cove, set out to guide the British freighter SS Esmond on its approach to Halifax Harbour. As pilot Tupper Hayes was about to board the freighter, the Hebridean crossed in front and was cut in two. The pilot boat and the bodies of the nine missing men were never found. A total of thirty-five children were left fatherless.

April

Professor Leitch's Cabin, Colpitt Lake, ca. 1950

Professor Roy Leitch (1882-1957) built this cabin in the woods during the 1930s. A native of Prince Edward Island and a 1911 Rhodes scholar, Professor Leitch taught English Composition at Dalhousie University from 1929 to 1931. He formed his own political party, the Christian Socialists, of which he was the only member. From his cabin in the woods he made his views known through his self-published newspaper Storm, attacking lawyers, clergy and all forms of government. He delivered his paper to homes in the local area, often at night, riding door to door on his bicycle. He started the Catamaran Club for boys, also known as the Unholy Angels Club, and provided a place for homeless youth to stay.

May

View of Ketch Harbour, ca. 1948

Tied up at Joe Flemming's wharf is his 36 foot Cape Islander, Mount Carmel, which Flemming built shortly after World War II. The shed is still standing as are the three buildings in the background: Billard's house (now Dempsey's), St. Peter's Church Hall and St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church. The Billard house, originally owned by Henry Martin, is one of at least three 19th century "floater" houses still standing in Ketch Harbour. Built in sections on the south shore of Nova Scotia, they were floated to Ketch Harbour and assembled on the properties of Henry Martin, Daniel Gallagher, Jack Flemming and others.

June

Emma (Marriott) Brunt and Myrtle Forbes, Harrietsfield, ca. 1910

Standing in front of the Brunt house on the old Harrietsfield Road is Emma Brunt, wife of William Henry Brunt, and school teacher, Myrtle Forbes. The Brunts and Marriotts first settled in Lunenburg in 1753 and came to Harrietsfield during the early 1800s. The Brunt house was later owned by the Vatcher family and has since been torn down.

July

View of Melville Island and Northwest Arm, ca. 1948

The island was used by the British Navy as a military prison as early as 1803. A wooden building was built in 1805 and housed Spanish and French prisoners during the Napoleonic Wars, and Americans during the War of 1812. In 1947, the island became the home of the Armdale Yacht Club. The large white building at the top of the island, now their clubhouse, was built in 1808 as the prison warden's house. The land to the right of Melville Island is known as Deadman's Island where Spanish, French and American prisoners of war were buried.

August

Trolley Track, Purcell's Cove Quarry, ca. 1915

A wooden track was built, possibly as early as 1834, to transport quarried stone from the granite quarry to the water's edge. When the company of Foley Bros., Welsh, Stewart and Farquier were given the contract in 1914 to build the breakwater, wharves, passenger quay and piers in Halifax Harbour near Point Pleasant Park, they used the unlimited quantities of ironstone and granite from the Purcell's Cove quarries because of the ease in carrying the stone by water.

September

The Jollimore Shoreline, ca. 1890s

Most of the houses along the Jollimore shoreline disappeared during the 1970s to make way for a playground and parking lot when the City of Halifax added the land to Fleming Park. In 1843, brothers John and Frederick Jollimore purchased the two adjoining 50-acre lots on the shoreline that now make up Jollimore and part of Fleming Park. The houses in the foreground were owned by the Jollimores and their cousins the Boutiliers. Bradford Cottage and the Annex, the two-storey houses seen together in the centre of the photo, are still standing.

October

Spryfield Fire Department, ca. 1948

This first firehouse in Spryfield was located on Long Lake Road (now Dentith Road). Driver Ed Ingram, caretaker Mr. DeYoung and an unknown boy proudly show off their fire truck. In 1939, Spryfield men and women formed their first volunteer fire department, as an Air Raid Precaution group during World War II. Local men continued to serve as volunteer firemen until 1969 when the community amalgamated with the City of Halifax.

November

View from Long Cove, ca. 1950

In 1837, Jacob Marryatt Sr., a fisherman from Chester, N.S., purchased the land on both sides of Pennant Harbour. His son Jacob was granted the land at Long Cove in 1858. Marryatt descendants continue to live here. The house on the hill was moved from Sambro Creek and owned by Joseph Marryatt and his descendants. Before it was enlarged, the cottage at the bridge was brought from Tantallon and owned by George Marryatt. Fred Marryatt owned the middle cottage before it burned down during the 1980s.

December

St. John the Baptist Church, ca. 1954

In 1920 John Egan donated the old Powder Magazine and the adjoining land to Archbishop McCarthy to serve as a Roman Catholic Church for the area between Armdale and Jollimore. For seven years, as a mission of St. Agnes Church, Father M.F. Cole ministered to the spiritual needs of the people. On 1 October 1927 the mission was given parish status and Reverend Father P.F. Martin became the parish priest, a position he held until his death in 1964. By 1929, the original handful of parishioners had grown to 700 families and Sunday School attendance grew from 13 to 130 making it necessary to build a new and larger church. The Spanish Mission style of architecture was designed by David Saxton and the construction was supervised by Richard J. Carmichael. On 8 December 1929, the new church was blessed by Archbishop O'Donnell. Since 1999, Reverend Richard Smith has celebrated mass at this parish while serving as second in command to Archbishop Terrence Pendergast. Father Smith grew up in Spryfield. In 2002, he was appointed bishop of Pembroke, Ontario, becoming one of this country's youngest bishops.