I know the explorers in Halifax love the local stuff and it doesn't get anymore local than these site. Many of you have probably seen a few, one at the very least, but I thought I'd try to draw a little attention to them since so close-by and they're really starting to deteriorate.. They won't always be there.

We're really lucky in Halifax when it comes to older ruins to explore. Older military ruins are all over the place. I've been checking them, one by one, and was overwhelmed by how much was actually out there, really close, to look at.

Parks Canada will now help me give you a little background on the Halifax Defence Complex.

For almost 250 years Halifax has been an internationally important military bastion. In the 18th and 19th centuries its impressive harbour and strategic location enabled it to play a pivotal role in Britain's acquisition and defence of much of Canada. In the First and Second World Wars Halifax was still of great importance as a centre for Allied trans-Atlantic convoys and as a base for the Allies' North Atlantic Operation.

A number of the military works protecting Halifax's harbour and naval station have survived to the present day. Five of these sites - the Halifax Citadel, York Redoubt, Georges Island, the Prince of Wales Tower, and Fort McNab - are national historic sites under the jurisdiction of Parks Canada.

I've been adding all of the sites to the location database. All of the national historic sites have been added and listed as publicly viewable with the exception of Georges' Island where unauthorized access is prohibited.

Fort George (Citadel Hill)
http://www.uer.ca/...ow.asp?locid=25711

click to view

York Redoubt
http://www.uer.ca/...ow.asp?locid=25889

click to view

Fort McNab (listed as McNabs Island, which could eventually be split into several locations)
http://www.uer.ca/...ow.asp?locid=25244

click to view

Prince of Wales Tower
http://www.uer.ca/...ow.asp?locid=25919

click to view

Point Pleasant Battery
http://www.uer.ca/...ow.asp?locid=25921

click to view

Cambridge Battery
http://www.uer.ca/...ow.asp?locid=25920

click to view

Fort Ogilvie
http://www.uer.ca/...ow.asp?locid=25933

click to view

...And there are more!

So, go, check these out before their gone! What the land isn't reclaiming, the ocean seems to be stealing.

yeah fort McNab is at least three different forts. and there is even a more modern abandoned fort as well which makes it just that much better.

I'm going out there next month come hell or high water.!

The various military bunkers, forts and ruins were the highlight of my visit to Halifax. I'm sad I never got into the bunker at York Redoubt (closed for restoration), but I did poke my head into every tunnel or hole in the ground I could find. Post more of the sweet underground stuff!

The underground stuff is still a mystery to a lot of us out here. The tunnels under the city, while they do exist, aren't exactly accessible. There is some underground stuff at York Redoubt that I've yet to crack open and walk through. And at Point Pleasant, there is a staircase, to where, we don't know.

Posted by tribeachpunk The underground stuff is still a mystery to a lot of us out here. The tunnels under the city, while they do exist, aren't exactly accessible. There is some underground stuff at York Redoubt that I've yet to crack open and walk through. And at Point Pleasant, there is a staircase, to where, we don't know.

Whereabouts in point pleasant is this staircase?

Posted by Recoil Whereabouts in point pleasant is this staircase?

Yes do tell....

Look at the photos in the Point Pleasant Battery, that'll lead you in the right direction!

PS. Don't forget to rate my sites

redux went into that hole/staircase, it was just a little room

Aww, dammit I really thought it went inside the oceanside wall..

SO disappointed.

did you mean the hole here with the two large stones resting against it?


if so yeah - guessing it was another storage area, think it had hooks, like the ones in the other buidlings. he might have a picture of it still kicking around? redux?

Posted by sonikgirl did you mean the hole here with the two large stones resting against it? http://www.uer.ca/...ics/norm/25921.jpg if so yeah - guessing it was another storage area, think it had hooks, like the ones in the other buidlings. he might have a picture of it still kicking around? redux?

Yeah, that's the one. I imagined the hole being more than just a little room. I figured it would lead around the corner, going behind the wall pictured in on the right/bottom-right.

No pics, I don't think there was anything in there. Haha, I remember that day!

For some reason, I miss Halifax.

Posted by reduxzero No pics, I don't think there was anything in there. Haha, I remember that day! For some reason, I miss Halifax.

Is it worth crawling in? By the sounds of it, no...?

I wish I could edit this into my original post.

• Fort Needham (now Fort Needham Park, part of Halifax Explosion Memorial)
  
• HMC Dockyard
  
• Fort George (Citadel Hill)
  
• Fort Massey (Once located in the vicinity of South & Queen)
  
• Fort Ogilvie (Located in Point Pleasant Park)
  
• Prince of Wales Tower (Located in Point Pleasant Park)
  
• Cambridge Battery (Located in Point Pleasant Park)
  
• Point Pleasant Battery (Located in Point Pleasant Park)
  
• Connaught Battery (Located at Fergusons Cove, north of York Redoubt)
  
• York Redoubt (Located at Ferguson's Cove)
  
• Practice Battery (Was once located just north of Sandwich Point)
  
• Sandwich Point (Located near Herring Cove, south of York Redoubt)
  
• Camperdown (Located near Duncan Cove)
  
• Fort Chebucto (Located near Duncan Cove, at Chebucto Head)
  
• Fort Charlotte (Located on Georges Island)
  
• Fort Clarence (Located directly across the harbour from Georges Island)
  
• Fort Ives (Located on McNabs Island)
  
• Fort Hugonin (Located on McNabs Island)
  
• Sherbrooke Tower (Located on McNabs Island)
  
• Strawberry Hill (McNabs Island)
  
• Fort McNab (Located on McNabs Island)
  
• Devil's Point Battery (Located on the CFB Shearwater military base golf course)

And this isn't even all of them.

I can't wait to get out to McNabs..!

Fort Massey (Once located in the vicinity of South & Queen)

where is it now?

Posted by sonikgirl Fort Massey (Once located in the vicinity of South & Queen) where is it now?

It's definitely not still there. I'm not totally sure what happened to it.

click to view

http://www.vac-acc...9&CFTOKEN=59173689

Fort Massey (1776 - unknown), Halifax A square earthen redoubt, with a blockhouse, barracks, and a magazine, was built between 1776 and 1778 on what was then known as Windmill Hill, presently at Queen and South Streets. It was to command the deep hollow formed by Freshwater Brook, which was a blind spot to the Citadel's guns, and also to cover Greenbank and Grand Batteries. The 17-gun earthwork fort was enlarged in 1782 to be 320 feet long and 170 feet wide, with two semi-circular works connected by a redan on each side. (info provided by Bolling Smith, of the Coast Defense Study Group)

http://www.geociti.../ns2.html#colonial

When are you going to McNabs? I'd love to tag along. Been over there before but I only had a film camera then.

Posted by tribeachpunk It's definitely not still there.

heh, yeah i live right by that corner and was confused.

Posted by Urbandweller When are you going to McNabs? I'd love to tag along. Been over there before but I only had a film camera then.

No idea. Hopefully by summer's end.