Halifax Public Libraries

McNab’s Island witnessed a great deal of change around the time of Confederation. In the early 1860’s, the British Admiralty bought large parcels of land from the McNab family in order to build batteries that would add to Halifax’s defenses. The construction of Fort Ives, built at Ives Point, began in 1865 and finished in 1870. This battery was born out of fear of attack from the United States and rapidly changing military technology. The new construction incorporated the newest advances in British coastal defense and was positioned to protect the inner channel between McNab’s Island and York Redoubt.

Next to McNab’s Island, a quarantine station was set up in 1866 on Lawlor Island to assist with ship-born cholera epidemics.

Date: [19--]

Reference: Halifax Public Libraries Postcard Collection Halifax Central Library HPL-PC-0199

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