On June 5, 1985, a large concrete bell tower was dedicated in Fort Needham Memorial Park, in memory of the 2,000 dead and 9,000 injured in the explosion of December 6, 1917, and to those who rebuilt the cities, bigger and better than before. It was the largest man-made non-nuclear explosion ever to occur. The explosion devastated the northern ends of both Halifax and Dartmouth.
The tower originally held a carillon of ten bells, to which four more were added in 1990. From the bell tower one may see the spot where the explosion occurred and much of the area which was devastated.
Shortly before the centennial of the Great Halifax Explosion the city embarked on a plan to update and enhance the park in an effort to make it a better, more useful recreation space. When we visited the plan had not yet been put into action, but as of 2018 the majority of it had been accomplished, with the construction of a large children's playground at the southeast end of the park, as well as a few more improvements. New facilities and walking trails have been added, including more parking stalls, a new staircase up from Richmond Street to the Bell Tower, a new plaza area for annual ceremonies, accessible walkway, landscaping and lighting and upgrades to the main pathways and park lighting.
Fort Needham is a Memorial Park that was established by the Halifax Relief Commission in remembrance of the victims of the 1917 Halifax Explosion. It was deeded to the City of Halifax in 1942 and a park was built with the condition that it be used as a public park forever.
This 15.6 acre park is one of the largest public open spaces in the north end of the Halifax peninsula. In addition to its commemorative function, it is an active park providing recreation and green space for local residents from the surrounding neighborhoods.
With the upcoming 100th Anniversary of the Halifax Explosion in 2017, this is an opportunity to refresh the park to improve the grounds for the centennial commemoration, and reflect the diversity of current community needs and interests. The project entails memorial and interpretive elements to better present the Explosion story to residents and visitors, and park upgrades to prepare the site for the anniversary event.
Rededication and improvements to Fort Needham Memorial Park will be the legacy component of the municipality’s 100th Anniversary Commemoration Plan which also includes an enhanced civic commemorative event, and a community grants program. Revitalizing the park for people to actively use and enjoy today and in the future will be our recognition of the spirit of a community rescued, reimagined and rebuilt.
From the City of Halifax
THE HARBOUR EXPLOSION
On the morning of December 6, 1917, the French munitions ship Mont-Blanc, inbound for a brief stop on her way from New York to the war in Europe with a cargo of benzol, gun cotton, picric acid and TNT, collided with the outbound Belgian relief ship Imo. Reversing her engines, Mont-Blanc went astern to pull out the deep gash in Imo's side: steel rasped against ragged steel, sparks flew, Mont-Blanc caught fire and blew up at 9:04:35 a.m.
The toll of identifiable dead, ashore and in ships, was 1,963; more than 9,000 others suffered injuries, often to carry their marks and scars for life. Many of the northern parts of Halifax and Dartmouth were devastated. Phoenix-like, they rose again, stronger and finer, from the ashes.
Look east, down the hill, towards Dartmouth on the opposite shore, in line with the opening between two sections of the explosion Memorial. You are looking at the place in the harbour Narrows where the most violent man-made explosion before the atomic bomb occurred there in 1917.
From the Blue Plaque at the Bell Tower