History of Halifax City

by Thomas B. Akins

During the revolutionary war the main guard house stood on the spot now occupied by the Mason Hall. It was used as a military post at a very early period, as the French prisoners from Annapolis, etc., were lodged there. The guard house was removed over ninety years ago, and the present building afterwards erected.

A building called the Military Office stood at the south corner of the market wharf, near where the main guard house now is. It was used as a military office until 1790, or perhaps later. At this time a guard was kept at the Prince's old playhouse, where the Acadian School now stands.

The house lately owned by Capt. Maynard, where the Trinity Chapel now stands, in Jacob Street, was a barrack as early as 1769. It was the site of one of the old block-house forts erected at the first settlement. It continued to bear the name of the Grenadier Fort until removed to make room for the present brick edifice known as Trinity Church.

The old wooden fortifications were removed from Citadel Hill about the time Prince Edward was Commander-in-Chief.

The hill had been cut down and ramparts of earth constructed mounting five or six guns at each angle, with a deep ditch. There were also covered ways and passages leading into the fort; willow trees were planted round the ramparts, and the whole was surrounded by a picket fence. The remains of this work were removed at the commencement of the present fortifications. Much of the old work was performed by the militia drafts from the country, embodied at Halifax at the close of the last century, particularly in 1793, during Sir John Wentworth's administration, and at subsequent periods. The Maroon negroes from Jamaica were for a short time engaged on these works.

The towers on George's Island,[91] Point Pleasant, the East Battery, Meager's Beach and York Redoubt were built at the commencement of the present century. The Prince established signal stations between Halifax and Annapolis, the first post being on the hill behind his residence on Bedford Basin. He levelled the ground called the Grand Parade, and it is said, built the walls at the north-east and south-west angles. The Chain Battery at Point Pleasant was first constructed, it is said, by Lord Colville, in or about 1761. The present ring bolts were put down the war of 1812-15. The old block house at Fort Needham and that on the hill above Philip Bayers' farm on the road leading to the Basin, called the Blue Bell Road, were built during the American Revolution, and re-constructed during the Prince's time. They were there in 1820, but soon after fell into decay, being composed of square timber only. All the other block houses had disappeared many years previous to that date. The building used as an army hospital, which stood on the north slope of Citadel Hill, in rear of the north barracks, since destroyed by fire, was erected as the town residence of Edward, Duke of Kent, when commander of the forces. The low range of buildings since used as barrack stores and as a military library, were his stables and offices. His residence was a very elegant building with a portico supported by Corinthian pillars in front, all which remained for many years after it became an hospital. About the same time he built his villa on the Basin, the ruins of which were to be seen a few years ago. The Rotunda, or band room, still remains. The lands where the buildings stood were the property of Sir John Wentworth, the Governor, to whom he left it on his removal from the garrison. The old Rockingham Inn was his guard house, since burned down.

In the year 1765 there were two hospitals in the north suburbs, near the beach at the foot of Cornwallis Street, called the Red and Green Hospitals. They were there in 1785. One stood on the site of the present North Country or Keating's Market, the other on property now owned by the heirs of late H. H. Cogswell.

Until the year 1780 the streets of the town were in a very rough condition, and some of them least frequented were impassable for carriages, from stumps of trees and rocks. As early as 1761, there was a good road to Point Pleasant;—it was a continuation of Water Street, and said to have passed through or near the present Lumber Yard grounds, following the shore of the harbor.

In 1764 the people of the north suburbs applied to the Governor and Council to call their settlement Gottingen. The name soon fell into disuse; the main street obtained the name of Brunswick Street, the rear street only retaining that of Gottingen.

The first Government House was erected soon after the town was laid out; the frame and materials were brought from Boston, and the apartments prepared for the reception of the Governor early in October. He held a council there on the 14th of that month. It was a small low building of one story, surrounded by hogsheads of gravel and sand, on which small pieces of ordnance were mounted for its defence. It stood in the centre of the square now occupied by the Province Building. About the year 1757 or '8, this little cottage was removed to give place to a more spacious and convenient residence. It was sold and drawn down to the corner of George Street and Bedford Row, opposite the south-west angle of the City Court House, and again, about 1775, removed to the beach and placed at the corner of the street leading to the steam boat landing, where it remained until 1832, when the present building, occupied lately by Thomas Laidlaw, was erected on the site. The new Government House was built during the time of Governor Lawrence. Lord William Campbell built a ball room at one end, and several other improvements were made to the building by subsequent governors. It was surrounded by a terrace neatly sodded and ornamented. The building was of wood, two stories high. The office of Capt. Bulkeley, the Secretary, stood at the north-east angle of the square inside the rails. Prince Edward resided in this house with Governor Wentworth in 1798. This old house was pulled down about the commencement of the present century and the materials sold to Mr. John Trider, Sr., who used them in the construction of the building on the road leading to the tower at the head of Inglis Street, formerly owned by Colonel Bazelgette, and afterwards the residence of the late Mr. George Whidden.