Halifax’s Mayflower Curling Club has produced champion-quality curlers since its foundation in 1905. Notable among them were teams headed by Colleen Jones and Mark Dacey, both of whom cleaned-up competitions during their primes. But the Mayflower’s…

The beginning of horse-drawn sleigh drives can be traced back to the time of Prince Edward during the last years of the eighteenth century. They died out after he returned to England in 1800. However, sleigh drives were revived in 1821 with the…

There is evidence that coasting, or tobogganing, was taking place on Halifax’s steep streets in the mid 1820s. The English name, “toboggan,” likely derives from the word for “sled” in one of the Eastern Algonquian languages – possibly the Mi’kmaq…

Bravo, Straw Hat:In 1825, a Halifax Turf Club was established, and races were held on the Common the last week of every August for twenty years. In 1827, a cocked-hat sweepstakes for untrained horses was added to the programme, for which no handicap…

Starr Manufacturing was established in 1861 by Dartmouth businessman, John Starr. The steel manufacturing company was located on the west side of Prince Albert Road just north of Pleasant Street. Initially, the company produced nuts, bolts, and…

In 1862, the Halifax Skating Club was formed by a winter-hardy group of 'fancy skating' enthusiasts. They first took to the ice to perform the Lancers on Griffin's Pond in the Horticultural Society's Grounds, now commonly known as the Public…

Dalhousie's Studley Gym is one of the oldest buildings on campus. Before it, Dalhousie had a temporary gymnasium, built in 1921. When that was destroyed by fire in May 1931, plans for a replacement were immediately begun. Funding for the new gym…