Amicitia Crescimus
From The Story of Dartmouth, by John P. Martin:
The summer of 1851 another meeting of the Dartmouth Water Company was held, and plans discussed for laying pipes from the lake. A Committee was appointed to solicit subscriptions to the fund already on hand, so that the work might soon be undertaken.
Two new vessels were completed. From Chappell’s the 300-ton barque “Coringa” was launched and the brig “Express” of 143 tons went off from Lyle’s yard.
From The Story of Dartmouth, by John P. Martin:
At the beginning of the year 1850 Charles W. Fairbanks made a long report to the Legislature on the state of the Shubenacadie Canal. He proposed abandoning the two double-locks near Foster’s bridge in Dartmouth and the damaged locks at Porto Bello. At both these places, inclined planes were to be installed.
On a rainy night in May, the Steam Mill of H. Y. Mott and Son near Woodside was completely destroyed by fire. Large stocks of chocolate, cocoa, spices and other goods were consumed by flames.
Harbor regattas were revived that summer after suffering a lapse of three or four seasons. Again the naval men played a prominent part, and as usual many contestants were from Dartmouth. The ferry carried the customary crowd of excursionists.
On June 20th, St Andrew’s new church at Eastern Passage was blessed and dedicated by Bishop Walsh. The heat that day was oppressive. A steamer made two trips carrying crowds from Halifax.
The fields of Hon. J. E. Fairbanks were now being used for picnics of special groups and organizations. In August, the North British Society enjoyed an outing by ferry steamers to the wharf at “Woodside” where about 150 couples, “delighted in promenading through the romantic grounds of the kind proprietor”. Instead of a regular dinner being served, they adopted the old fashioned plan of “cut and come again”, says the newspaper report.
About that time the work of cutting out curves and hills to level and improve the eastern shore road, was finished as far as Musquodoboit Harbor. In order to commemorate such an advance in transportation facilities, it was arranged that leading public men should open the new road officially, and be among the first to drive from Dartmouth over this modern superhighway.
Accordingly, prominent Liberal party workers like James Lester Griffin, James Ormon and other residents of Porter’s Lake arranged for a summer picnic and road-opening ceremony in 1850 at George Ormon’s Inn where they entertained- a large group of ladies and gentlemen from Halifax, Dartmouth and the eastern settlements.
As will be learned from Hon. Joseph Howe’s letter to Lieutenant-Governor Sir John Harvey, the inhabitants on that day presented a petition asking that the whole length of the highway be called “The Harvey Road”. The name was referred to as such in Government reports for some years afterwards, but has since gone into disuse. (It is suggested that this very appropriate title be restored to commemorate one of the last acts of the hero of Stoney Creek.)
The Morning Chronicle’s lengthy account of the reception at Porter’s Lake stated that the visitors, “were met at George Ormon’s snug little inn by a deputation from the Eastern Harbours. The grounds around the Inn were embellished with flags and bouquets, water-lilies wreathed through the trees producing a very fine effect”.
After “an elegant and substantial repast” had been served, Hon. Joseph Howe was presented with a complimentary address by the inhabitants of the districts thereabouts. In an impromptu reply, Howe reviewed the great improvements made in the County roads during his 13 years in the Legislature. He recalled that his first journey on foot round the eastern shore, “cost me a fortnight”. Now he hoped, “to see a Stage Coach, before long, perform the journey in a single day”.
The whole party then, “proceeded over the new line to Musquodoboit Harbour, the cavalcade consisting of seven waggons and some horsemen. The new road forms a beautiful ride, is nearly level and has command of several interesting scenes”, concluded the report in the Chronicle.
Towards the close of 1850 the first gaslights appeared in Dartmouth when Dr. Abraham Gesner equipped the ferry-house, docks and boats with gasometers. The product was manufactured from Trinidad asphaltum, and could be generated more cheaply than that of the Halifax Gas Company which used other materials.
Although newspapers do not mention it, the year 1850 must have been the date of Tom Thumb’s visit to Dartmouth, as described by Mrs. Gould. In October the famous 15-pound midget performed in Halifax for nearly a week under the direction of P. T. Barnum.
The Nova Scotia Loan and Building Society, which was being organized at Halifax in 1850, numbered among its directors well-known Dartmouth men like John P. Mott, Charles Robson, John Tempest and James W. Johnston, junior.
(In the centenary booklet of the Building Society issued in 1950, there is a picture of the first house in Dartmouth upon which a loan was made by this new organization. The mortgage was taken out by John Whidden in August of 1850. This house stands at no. 60 Ochterloney Street, and is at present in the possession of Miss Emily Patterson, granddaughter of Jock Patterson, Crimean War veteran.)
From The Story of Dartmouth, by John P. Martin:
The year 1849 was long remembered by residents hereabouts. For one thing, the winter was very severe, and the summer unusually dry. Halifax celebrated its 100th anniversary in June, and by the end of the year was enjoying its first street lighting and water system, and also the first telegraph connection with the United States, via Amherst and Saint John, N.B.
Cold weather seems to have prevailed through most of January and February, without any sign of a thaw. Sub-zero temperatures gradually froze the harbor until the ice extended to Mauger’s Beach on McNab’s Island. Only by keeping a channel open at night, was the ferry able to maintain communication.
The ill-wind of that winter blew somebody good in Dartmouth, because pedestrians and market people no doubt took advantage of the ice-bridge to make uninterrupted journeys to the City. Usually the upper part of the harbor-ice was safer, and according to old residents, the popular landing place at Halifax was on the soft beach near the foot of Cornwallis Street.
On February 11th, the heaviest snowfall in 51 years so completely buried houses in hollow places that inmates had to shovel themselves out through tunnels. All street traffic was at a complete standstill for a full day afterward. Old residents recalled that there was a similar fall of snow and drifts in 1798, and that no mild spell came until April of that year.
Animals inhabiting Dartmouth forests must have been starved out by the storm, for in the deep snow one morning were seen tracks of a large wildcat that had evidently crossed the harbor. A day or two afterward, the ferocious feline was discovered and killed in the cellar of William Grant, Water Street, Halifax.
James Wilson, the Dartmouth distiller, petitioned the Assembly asking that the excise tax on home manufactured spirits be either abolished or collected more systematically. The petition stated, that the heavy tax levied by Nova Scotia was oppressive and caused a great deal of illicit traffic in liquor, much of which was .smuggled here from the United States, He pointed out that the Provinces of Canada, New Brunswick and Newfoundland did not impose an excise tax on such articles.
Here in Dartmouth, the enterprising townspeople were taking advantage of every opportunity to obtain the proposed railway terminus for our side of the harbor. A public meeting, with Andrew Shiels as Chairman and Dr. DesBrisay as Secretary, was held at the Mechanics’ Institute early in February when resolutions were passed pledging the breadth of way required for a railroad to extend through the township of Dartmouth, and making provision for compensating the several landowners.
The Halifax Sun reported that the meeting was “very spirited and numerously attended. Those present pledged themselves as being ready to raise by voluntary tax, their proportion of the amount the Province is required to guarantee”.
The weather that season was the hottest and most oppressive within the memory of the oldest inhabitant. For nearly four months there was scarcely any rain, so that grain and hay scorched on the stalk. On September 2nd, the thermometer rose to 96 at noon, and according to the Nova Scotian, “a dense smoky haze produced by the surrounding fires filled the atmosphere and seemed to belt the horizon. The sun peered with a bloodshot eye through the misty stifling vapor, and beneath its scorching beams everything drooped and withered”.
From The Story of Dartmouth, by John P. Martin:
In 1848 we note that this year marks an epoch in Nova Scotia history, because it was then that the Province attained complete Responsible Government. (See plaque in the corridor of Province House commemorating this accomplishment of Howe, Uniacke and others of the Reform Party.)
Foreign news that year conveyed the intelligence that King Louis Philippe, who was once in Dartmouth, had been driven from the throne of France by another Revolution.
In our own country, preparations went on for the proposed Halifax to Quebec railroad; and also for the construction of a telegraph line to the New Brunswick border. One section of the Railway Commissioners’ report dealing with their surveys in and around Halifax, must have made Dartmouthians leap with delight. The report noted:
The best site for a railway terminus is on the opposite shore at Dartmouth. The distance from Quebec to the latter is four miles shorter than to the Halifax side. One great advantage is that its shore line is as yet comparatively free from wharves and commercial establishments, and an extensive terminus can be formed there at less expense and inconvenience than on the Halifax side ….
Another interesting 1848 document dealing with a local matter, is a ferry record showing the rates of ferriage in effect at that time. Commutation tickets were quoted by the year, the fares being payable on January 1st and July 1st. Ten days’ grace was allowed at each half year.
£15 per annum passed man and wife, unmarried children, servants, constant inmates (not boarders), with all horses, carts, carriages, sleighs, sleds, owned by the proprietor, laden with his own goods, and driven by persons entitled to free passage.
The price was scaled down for one horse, cart or carriage; and scaled further if no cart used, but only a driving-carriage.
The list is lengthy and diversified. The rate for a foot-passenger was £2 10s per year. One rate was quoted for a family with children. The same rate applied if no children, but a horse might be substituted. Dogs not in harness, or in sportsmen’s carts, cost one penny. Clergymen passed free on Sundays. Disorderly persons excluded from ticket privileges.
One of the crying needs of the steamboats was an adequate supply of fresh water. No doubt that necessity had something to do with the recent formation of the Dartmouth Water Company, some of whose incorporators were likewise ferry directors.
About that time the latter must have hit upon the plan of tapping the flooded pit of John Cleverdon’s old mine at the foot of Fairy Hill, for there was an Act of the Legislature passed in the session of 1848, “empowering the Commissioners of Dartmouth Common to dispose of the abandoned pit and the use of the water, to any Company, for 21 years”.
Or perhaps the idea was suggested by Charles W. Fairbanks who at that time, was the civil engineer in charge of the laying of pipes from Long Lake to bring in the first fresh water supply to the City of Halifax. Mr. Fairbanks was then only 26 years of age, and a resident of Dartmouth.
From The Story of Dartmouth, by John P. Martin:
This was the first house on the Prince Arthur’s Park hillside, constructed and occupied about 1870 by John P. Esdaile, Esq., a Montreal merchant. The Russells later called the place “Mount Pleasant.” The Redmonds re-named it “Blink Bonnie.”
From The Story of Dartmouth, by John P. Martin:
This is John Mott’s residence “Hazelhurst” at 62-64 Pleasant Street undergoing demolition. Shown is the rear of the house with a back door for tradesmen. The driveway curved around to the main entrance with its partly-open sun porch facing the harbor where I used to see elderly Mrs. Mott and some rocking-chaired ladies enjoying the scenery on fine afternoons when I delivered the “Evening Mail” newspaper there just prior to her death in 1896. The place was then purchased by J. Walter Allison. At that time there were no houses on that side of Pleasant Street from Old Ferry Road to Albert St. When Mr. Allison’s widow died in 1934 the 10-acre estate was acquired by A. A. MacDonald. He remained until the P.E.I. Highlanders leased the residence for officers, and erected barracks on the lower grounds for occupation during World War II. The late W. G. Martin and others transformed the land.
Directly opposite 127 Pleasant Street the hollow foundation marks the site of “Beechwood” where Hon. Dr. McN. Parker resided from 1863. He practiced in Halifax and is said to have been the first surgeon in Nova Scotia to perform an operation on a patient with the use of an anesthetic. Dr. Van Buskirk of “Maplehurst” administered the ether. One of the rooms at “Beechwood” was used as a private school. Rev. Robert Falconer who became President of Toronto University in 1907 once attended there. He was then Principal of Pine Hill College. He became Sir Robert in 1917.
See also:
From The Story of Dartmouth, by John P. Martin:
MOTT’S FACTORIES AND WAREHOUSES about 1913. The manager then was J. Walter Allison, associated with John P. Mott from 1876. Over a long period, this thriving concern had agents in Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver where large stocks of goods were kept on hand. Mr. Allison resided at “Hazelhurst” about 30 years. He died in 1927, but shortly before that date the firm had gone out of business. On Nov. 25, 1930, some of the vacant buildings were burnt down, and the others were afterwards demolished.
From The Story of Dartmouth, by John P. Martin:
SOUTH END LAWN TENNIS CLUB ABOUT 1898. The Old Ferry Road bordered by willow trees was at right. Mott’s “Candle Factory Hill” in the background. The site is about 50 yards west of 71 Newcastle St.
Reading from left to right the players are: Miss Fanny Parker; John Menger; Lewis K. Payzant; Prescott Johnston; Miss Annie Strong; Miss Isabel MacGregor (sister of Prof. Gordon MacGregor of Dalhousie); Miss Louise Black; George G. Dustan; Miss Mary Ann Parker (Mrs. Rev. Dr. Keirstead of Acadia University); Miss Jessie Mackenzie; Miss Nora MacKay; Mrs. Walter Creighton; Mrs. M. A. B. Smith: Miss Daisy Dustan (Mrs. C. H. Harvey); Miss Josie Howe (granddaughter Hon. Joseph Howe); Dr. Thomas M. Milsom; (girl seated at middle unidentified).
From The Story of Dartmouth, by John P. Martin:
THIS IS JOHN PRESCOTT MOTT, a 19th century industrial king of Eastern Canada., who by his business acumen and shrewd investments, became one of the wealthiest men in the Province. Mr. Mott was a President of the Nova Scotia Building Society, a director of the Steamboat Company and other enterprises. In 1861 he was among the incorporators of a Company intending to supply Dartmouth with a system of water and gaslight. Always prominent at town meetings, he served twice as Councillor for Ward 1.
John P. Mott’s tall figure, clad in swallow-tailed coat and beaver hat, used to be a familiar one as he was driven daily to the ferry by sleek horses caparisoned in silver-mounted harness. His benefactions to institutions and to people were made regardless of creed or color. But of his vast fortune, not a penny was provided to care for his costly monument and exotic copper-beech trees shading the old family plot in Christ Church cemetery.
From The Story of Dartmouth, by John P. Martin:
ST. GEORGE’S TENNIS CLUB in the 1890’s. The clubhouse faced the three courts which extended towards Maitland Street. The railway track is seen just outside the wire-netted fence and the southern gate. Left to right bottom row: Miss Gertrude MacKenzie, A. C. Johnston, John Creighton. Middle row: Miss Josie Howe, Miss Hattie James, Mrs. H. D. Creighton, Miss Annie Strong, C. E. Creighton. Upper row: Walter Creighton, Mrs. Walter Creighton, Miss Saidie James, man bending thought to be A. Stanley MacKenzie, Harry Strong. The last player on the right is unidentified.