Old Halifax

[HalifaxRetales]

[OldDartmouthMark]

Check out the home-made ladder in the second pic. How things have changed!

[OldDartmouthMark]

Found this photo on the wikipedia site about the Halifax explosion.



Source

I was trying to figure out its exact location, which is difficult because so much has changed in the past 114 years. My first clue was the location of the Intercolonial Railway Station, visible in the upper left of the photo (at red arrow):



The Intercolonial station:



Source

To bring it home, I chanced across the 1894 map posted on the first page of this thread by skyscraper_1



The map clearly shows where the tracks fan out south of the dockyard, and the relative location of the Intercolonial Station.

So, from that, it appears to me that the photo is taken from the vantage point of somewhere around the red circle below:



So, based on this information, using Bing Maps birdseye view, the general area today looks like this (red circle is a guess at the approximate photo location):



Source

[toones]

Hey look at that theres a roundabout at the willow tree intersection!

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by toones

Hey look at that theres a roundabout at the willow tree intersection!

Yep! Traffic lights hadn't made it to Halifax yet, so what better way to make sure all the horses and buggies didn't get backed up?

Don't know if the 'hanging tree' was in the center of that or not...

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by toones

Hey look at that theres a roundabout at the willow tree intersection!

Obviously it was replaced when the more advanced and effective technology of signalized intersections came along. Now we are going backwards as only Halifax can do.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Obviously it was replaced when the more advanced and effective technology of signalized intersections came along. Now we are going backwards as only Halifax can do.

[ILoveHalifax]

The willow tree was more in the center of the intersection, but it was not a circle.

[JET]

Mark, were there two Acadia Sugar Refineries? The source for your photo says: "Looking north from a grain elevator towards Acadia Sugar Refinery, circa 1900" this photo:
http://novascotia.ca/archives/virtua...ves.asp?ID=215
says: "Acadia Sugar Refinery under construction, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia" circa 1883

[ns_kid]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

I was trying to figure out its exact location, which is difficult because so much has changed in the past 114 years. My first clue was the location of the Intercolonial Railway Station, visible in the upper left of the photo.

It's a great photo, Mark, as much for the potential it shows as for its historical interest.

I wasn't around in 1900 -- though God knows, some days I feel like it -- but I am old enough to remember when the tracks extended to the foot of Cornwallis Street. Much of the area now occupied by parking lots, from North Street to Cornwallis, was the site of rail yards until -- and I'm guessing here -- the mid-70s, maybe even as late as 1980.

In fact much of the rail right of way remains intact from the current end-of-track north of Irving Shipbuilding to Cornwallis and potentially into the Cogswell redevelopment. The potential for commuter rail, with a direct line from Sackville/Bedford/Rockingham into downtown is real.

[Keith P.]

Some tree-hugging types want to turn that into a biking/hiking trail. This must be stopped.

[mcmcclassic]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Some tree-hugging types want to turn that into a biking/hiking trail. This must be stopped.

I love rail trails but this would be the dumbest spot possible for one. We need commuter rail if we want to continue to grow into a solid mid-sized city.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by ILoveHalifax

The willow tree was more in the center of the intersection, but it was not a circle.

Thanks! I just found this photo online, of the original Willow Tree as it was in the sixties:



Source

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by JET

Mark, were there two Acadia Sugar Refineries? The source for your photo says: "Looking north from a grain elevator towards Acadia Sugar Refinery, circa 1900" this photo:
http://novascotia.ca/archives/virtua...ves.asp?ID=215
says: "Acadia Sugar Refinery under construction, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia" circa 1883

That's a little confusing to me too, as I was only aware of the Woodside location, which is the one you've linked to. To give an idea of its location relative to a Halifax landmark, here it is in the postcard behind George's Island to the left:



Source

I'm not aware of a written history of it, although I wouldn't be surprised if one exists somewhere, so let's piece together what we can find online:

This archives search shows construction photos from 1883, photos from a 1912 fire, and a photo of after the fire with year indicated as after 1912, before 1927.

http://novascotia.ca/archives/result...hButton=Search

In these accounts from the Halifax Explosion, the sugar refinery in the north end is referenced a couple of times:

http://www.cbc.ca/halifaxexplosion/h...vastation.html

Also mentioned in this history of Lantic Sugar:

http://www.sugar.ca/Canadian-Sugar-I...-industry.aspx

Lantic Sugar has its roots with the Acadia Sugar Refining Co., a Scottish incorporation, originally formed from a consolidation of three refinery operations in Nova Scotia.

From this info we gather:
(1) There were sugar refineries in both north end Halifax and Woodside.
(2) The Woodside operation suffered a major fire in 1912, possibly putting it out of commission until 1927 (unconfirmed).
(3) Acadia Sugar was formed from a consolidation of three operations in NS.

Possible conclusions:
(1) That the north end operation was one of the original 3, continuing to operate after the new plant was built to handle overcapacity.
(2) That the north end plant was ramped up to compensate for lost production after the 1912 fire.
(3) None of the above.

This is all derived from assumptions due to sketchy evidence, and any actual historical accounts would be appreciated. Conclusion (3) is in reference to the possibility that I may be way off base with my assumptions.

Not a clear answer by any means, but it does appear that there were 2 Acadia Sugar Refinery locations on the Halifax Harbour in that general time period.

Now, the obligatory ...

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by ns_kid

It's a great photo, Mark, as much for the potential it shows as for its historical interest.

I wasn't around in 1900 -- though God knows, some days I feel like it -- but I am old enough to remember when the tracks extended to the foot of Cornwallis Street. Much of the area now occupied by parking lots, from North Street to Cornwallis, was the site of rail yards until -- and I'm guessing here -- the mid-70s, maybe even as late as 1980.

In fact much of the rail right of way remains intact from the current end-of-track north of Irving Shipbuilding to Cornwallis and potentially into the Cogswell redevelopment. The potential for commuter rail, with a direct line from Sackville/Bedford/Rockingham into downtown is real.

That, my friend, is a tantalizing possibility. Hopefully somebody in The City sees this potential before it is too late.

[pblaauw]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

So, based on this information, using Bing Maps birdseye view, the general area today looks like this (red circle is a guess at the approximate photo location):



Source

A parking lot. Typical Halifax.

[someone123]

Here are a few from Library and Archives Canada (http://collectionscanada.gc.ca/). They have a huge collection of old digitized photos.

Waterfront circa 1900

Source

I thought this was interesting. It's a drawing of the naval yard in the North End from 1828:

Source

Post Office, Customs House, Dennis Building


Barrington

Source

[Jonovision]

This was in the Chronicle today in their Vintage Halifax section.

[someone123]

You can see the old MT&T building and logo on the right side of the picture. I'd like to find a clear photo of it; it's too bad it was torn down.

[curnhalio]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

That, my friend, is a tantalizing possibility. Hopefully somebody in The City sees this potential before it is too late.

It's too late. I'm pretty sure the right-of-way has been overtaken by various Shipyard developments.