Halifax Public Libraries

Melville Island functioned as a British military prison from 1856 to 1905. At the time of Confederation, punishment for military offences was shifting from flogging to imprisonment, so there was an increased need for cell space beyond the existing prison at Citadel Hill. When Melville Island became available, the military immediately saw the opportunity.

Prisoners at Melville Island found life very different from that on the Citadel. Hard labour was a daily chore, breaking granite or enduring the monotonous task of carrying 24 pound cannon balls back and forth across the prison yard. Prisoners were often too tired to flee the small Northwest Arm island.

Date: 1909

Reference: Halifax Public Libraries Postcard Collection Halifax Central Library HPL-PC-0321

For more information, please contact the Local History Room at the Halifax Central Library.