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Caption: It is nice that a few of the old Halifax & South-Western railroad stations have survived. Even better this one, as it is the home to the Hank Snow museum, and those of you who enjoy country music would really take in a visit to this place. The Nova Scotia country music Hall of Fame is also based here. The baggage area featured a couple of Hanks' old Cadillacs; the rest of the place a considerable variety of Hank Snow momentos. His childhood home was less than 2 miles from this station.
The station was open for railroad business in time for the 1906 push by the H&SW (Hellish Slow & Wobbly) from Halifax to Yarmouth. The first passenger train was thru on Dec 16th of that year. The last passenger train left town on October 25, 1969.
Thankfully, this rather ornate structure lives on. Out of sight on the left of the station, the old wooden water tower also survives, and was receiving constructive attention at the time of my visit.
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Combined with lobster, scallops and rappie pie, I’ll bet you need to do more walking now !
Don’t you know it!! Eight pounds has got to go…
You know that there seems to be an issue, where buildings such as this can be saved from the wreckers ball. It’s well shown here Arnold from your photo in Liverpool. But these stations also have been saved in the prairies, as well as some even out west. But not in Ontario, where everything is being deemed as ‘excess’…therefore no attempt at reservation is made these days. Beautiful structure, beautiful photo Arnold
Thanks, Todd. I have to say that if you (or anyone else who appreciates history) were able to walk thru this place and see the exhibits and such; imagining being able to live in a place like this would be almost overwhelming, as it was with me. It is gorgeous. Not the restoration, but rather the layout. The large baggage room for example……..would make an ideal family room; a few steps down from the agents’ office; big enough for a dining room; and so on. In Ontario, the opportunity to acquire a structure like this seems to propel the owner to rush out, get a bulldozer, put up a square shack and then top it all off with a visit to IKEA.
A decent number of stations in NS have been saved.
PS: The vehicle in the photo belongs to the museum attendant. I kinda wish I had asked her to move it.
CORRECTION: I have been informed that it is not the old water tower that is to the left out of the photo here. Water line and sewer work required a pump house, and so it is disguised inside a replica ‘water tower’ structure, I guess to go with the theme of the museum and lands.
Thanks to Duane (HSWR museum curator, Lunenburg).