HALIFAX EXPLOSION GHOSTS

Sudden deaths brought on by catastrophic circumstances sometimes result in hauntings and the appearances of wayward spirits. For years, experts have agreed that unexpected and grisly deaths can cause the spirit to linger at or near the place of death, shocked by the circumstances, and are sometimes not aware or are unaccepting of what’s really happened.

Practically everyone has heard or read about the large volume of haunted locations in and around the Halifax area of Nova Scotia. The city was settled in 1749 and has experienced quite a few grim events over the years that involved sudden and violent deaths; piracy, retrieval of bodies from the sinking of the Titanic, and of course, the Halifax Explosion. 

For those not familiar with the explosion, in 1917, two munition ships collided in Halifax harbour, resulting in a massive blast that destroyed much of the city. Two thousand people were killed and over nine thousand were injured. It was the biggest man-made explosion before the atomic bomb. One of the ships’ 1,200 pound cannons flew two miles over the harbour, where it remains embedded in the ground in Dartmouth, NS. An anchor landed two and half miles away in the opposite direction.

Poignantly, the town clock on the City Hall building in Halifax, N.S. froze in time at 9:04 a.m. on December 6, 1917. This was the exact time of the blast that levelled much of the city and was felt in neighboring provinces. 

However, there is more to the story. It seems the victims’ souls did not just quietly go on their way. In a city with no shortage of haunted locations, we bring you a few more:

Veith House:

The Halifax Protestant Orphanage was just one of the buildings destroyed in the explosion. Established in 1857, it was also called the Halifax Protestant Orphan's Home. Thinking that the city was under attack (WW1 was under way), the school matron took all the children and other staff to the basement. Only six children in the orphanage survived the blast. Twenty four children and 3 staff members perished.

On a side note, not all were “true” orphans; some had only one parent, and if they weren’t capable of looking after or providing for their kids, they placed them in the orphanage. There are reports of cruel treatment of the children, who often tried to run away. 

At least one child, a matron lady and a dockworker haunt the re-built location, now known as Veith House in Halifax’s north end. It presently operates as a community center. These particular spirits are known to interact with humans should you come into contact with them.

I visited Veith House about ten years ago and was able to roam throughout some of it. I took quite a few pictures but did not experience or capture anything paranormal. The building does have a slightly eerie feel to it. 

If you don’t scare easy, we have located a great video that describes what has been going on in the building. 

Five Fisherman Restaurant:

In downtown Halifax, the Five Fisherman restaurant staff attribute its’ ongoing haunting to the fact that during the time of the Halifax Explosion, the building was a funeral home. The windows were blown out during the blast but the funeral business continued and due to the large number of newly deceased, they were having 30-40 funerals per day and stacking caskets outside the front door like firewood (pictured below). Prior to this, in 1912, Titanic victims were brought in for immediate funeral services at this location. 

Given the large number of back to back funerals for this mortuary, it doesn’t surprise me in the least that the restaurant staff can’t keep the cutlery on the table and continuously see, hear and feel apparitions. Patrons of the restaurant have also been surprised by the appearance of ghosts over the years. It is still actively haunted today.

For precise details on what happens on a typical day at this fine dining restaurant, check out the Five Fisherman’s documented experiences: 

The Five Fisherman History/Haunting (<---link)

Victoria General hospital:

In a previous newsletter, I mentioned this ghost. She has been seen wandering the halls of Halifax’s VG Hospital, dressed in a long grey dress, similar to a nun’s habit or old-fashioned nurse’s uniform. She has been seen several times over the years throughout the hospital and was determined to be a Halifax Explosion survivor who began working at the hospital afterwards. Although she didn’t die in the explosion, she did tend to those hospitalized with injuries and continued on with her nursing rounds throughout World War one. Following her death, she remained in the hospital, still tending to patients and carrying out nursing duties. 

It is also possible that I encountered her a few years ago while at that hospital. I previously mentioned her in another newsletter here: 

VG Hospital Nurse Ghost (<---link)

There are likely many more tales of those who lost their lives during the Halifax Explosion. Do they continue to wander the streets of Halifax trying to come to terms with what happened? Did time stand still for those spirits, like the clock on the City Hall building?

The explosion caused many instantaneous deaths, which could have left their spiritual imprints all over the city. 

We are including a 360° video (it’s interactive: use arrows in upper left corner to change viewpoints) of how the explosion occurred, courtesy of CBC video archives.

 Nova Scotia Paranormal Events