The land upon which Halifax is built has been inhabited by the Mi'kmaq First People since time immemorial. Starting in the 1500s, European fishermen, fur traders, missionaries, soldiers and settlers took an interest in the region. Beginning at the same time the British and French began a more or less continuous struggle for control of what is now Canada's Atlantic seaboard, and Nova Scotia was quickly recognized to be of decisive strategic importance.
In 1605 the famous French explorer Samuel de Champlain visited the fantastic natural harbour that would one day become Halifax, and it served as a seasonal fishing station for the French, and was incorporated into the French colony of Acadia. In 1713 the British seized control of this part of Acadia, rechristening it Nova Scotia. The wars with France continued, and after a few decades the British decided they needed a strong permanent base in Nova Scotia to answer the formidable French stronghold of Louisbourg in Cape Breton. In 1749 Edward Cornwallis landed at what is now Halifax with 2,500 settlers to establish a major British settlement.
Unlike most coastal colonies, Halifax's development had far less to do with fishing and farming than with war and geopolitics. It was to be Britain's primary naval base in the region, and the primary link between Britain and its holdings in British North America (as Canada became known after the conquest of New France, and the American Revolution). The development of Halifax as a military port continued into the 19th and 20th centuries, when the port was headquarters of the Royal Navy's North America and West Indies Squadron, an important distinction when the Royal Navy was an order of magnitude more powerful than the next peer navy. During the world wars Halifax played a critical role as the gathering place for most trans-Atlantic convoys that helped keep Britain in the war despite the menace of German U-boats. One British admiral called Halifax "the most important port in the world." The harbour's military importance paid great economic dividends but it also came with costs, as was illustrated by the Halifax Explosion in 1917, when a munitions ship collided with a freighter in the harbour and exploded, killing some 2,000 people and destroying much of the northern part of the city.
A major fort was built overlooking the city in the trace italienne style popular in the 18th century, and it still survives today. During the First World War this fort became an internment camp for so-called 'enemy aliens', and will be the subject of an upcoming walking tour on this app.
Today Halifax is the economic, as well as the political and cultural heart of Nova Scotia. More than 40% of Nova Scotians live in Halifax, and it is the largest city in Atlantic Canada. The city remains an important port, but is also an important centre of industry and services. It's also home to an impressive array of historic sites, the Citadel and Pier 21 being the most famous.
This project has been made possible by a grant from the Endowment Council of the Canadian First World War Internment Recognition Fund.
We respectfully acknowledge that Halifax is on Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq People. This territory is covered by the “Treaties of Peace and Friendship” which Mi’kmaq Wəlastəkwiyik (Maliseet), and Passamaquoddy Peoples first signed with the British Crown in 1726. The treaties did not deal with surrender of lands and resources but in fact recognized Mi’kmaq and Wəlastəkwiyik (Maliseet) title and established the rules for what was to be an ongoing relationship between nations.
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A sketch of the Governor's House by Richard Short in 1759. The archival description from the Nova Scotia Archives reads: "The original Governor's House of 1749 was a small one-storey structure. The frame and material were brought from Boston and the governor took up residence in early October 1749. The new Governor's Mansion shown in the centre of this engraving was built in 1755 during the tenure of Charles Lawrence. With the arrival of Lieutenant Governor John Wentworth in 1792, complaints were heard of the unfitness of the house as a viceregal residence, and in 1796 Wentworth convinced the government to build a new structure, this time in the South Suburbs – thus allowing Government House to assume the aspect of an English country seat. The 1755 Mansion was pulled down in 1800. Mather's Meeting House (later St. Matthew's Church), the oldest Protestant Dissenting congregation in Canada, began worship in 1749 and in the following year built the church structure seen to the left in this illustration, at the corner of Prince and Hollis Streets. The church was used for worship, the basement as a bonded warehouse–until New Year's Day 1857, when a huge conflagration destroyed the church and two adjoining buildings."
A view of Granville Street showing a number of businesses such as the A.A. Bliss, Boot and Shoe Warehouse at right, and to the left is London House, the home of Thomson & Co. dry goods. Also visible is l. Houlette & Co. Dry Goods.
When this photo was taken, this home with an impressive granite facade belonged to the Assistant Commissary General of Ordnance, Anthony Sutton Beswick, who was posted to Halifax between 1877 and 1880. The home also was once home to the Honourable William A Henry, one of the Fathers of Confederation.
The building that once stood here was home to the Allen Brothers Steam Confectionary. Other businesses that can be seen in the historic photo include Baldwin & Co. China, Glass, Earthenware & Fancy Goods, and the photography studio of Joseph S. Rogers. Rogers took some of the historic photos in this collection.
A Royal Navy Pegasus-Class cruiser, likely the HMS Prosperine, on station with the North America and West Indies Squadron. It's seen here docked in Halifax harbour.
A great view of Argyle Street showing many parked carriages, taken from about the intersection with George Street.The building at right, Halifax City Hall, helps orientate the photograph in the present. As you can see the huge shopping and office complex built between Duke and Cogswell Streets has interrupted the progress of Argyle Street.
Taken from about the same perspective as the 1892 Notman Studio photo titled 'Carriages on Argyle Street', this image illustrates the dramatic changes to the street. The parked carriages have been replaced by cars, the street has been paved, and a tall office or warehouse tower stands at left.
A small boat from the Navy League of Canada in Halifax Harbour. The Navy League was a non-governmental organization founded to promote interest and investment in maritime issues in Canada in the 1890s. Today the Navy League supports the Sea Cadets program.
People cleaning up broken glass following the Halifax Riot on Victory in Europe Day, May 7-8, 1945. They're in front of the Eaton Store which is decked out with the flags of the major Allied powers, including the Soviet Union and Chiang Kai-Shek's China.