Halifax County Churches

Halifax County Churches

The Old Dutch Church
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Built in 1755, this was the first church built by German settlers who settled in Halifax. The land (a square of lots called Schwizer lots) was given to the German settlers to be used as a burial ground. The settlers decided to build a small house ( a place to worship) and set aside a stone walled-in area as a burial ground. The first religious service was held in 1755. In 1760, an eleven-foot addition was added to the twenty by twenty-nine foot building together with a steeple and space for a church bell.

St. Mary's Basilica
Halifax, Nova Scotia
This historic Catholic church was built in Halifax in the area once known as Horseman's Fort, situated close to the south gate of the city's palisade. It was constructed in 1829. It was known at that time to have the tallest polished granite spire in the world. Most of the funds required for purchase of the land and the construction of this church were loans from the Charitable Irish Society and from Indian chiefs in the area.

St. Paul's Anglican Church
Halifax, Nova Scotia
The oldest Protestant church in Canada, it was built in 1750 as a chapel for the residents of Halifax and for the garrison troops stationed there. It is often termed the "Westminster Abbey of the New World" and has been called the "Mother Temple of the Church of England in Canada". A strange and intriguing feature of St. Paul's is the third window in the upper gallery. The Halifax Explosion of December 6, 1918 shattered this window. To this day, the shattered remains show a silhouette of a man's head and shoulders, which is clearly visible to passersby.

St. Peter's Catholic Church
Halifax, Nova Scotia
This little known church was the first Roman Catholic church built in Nova Scotia, in 1783. Up to 1783, there was a public statute stating that no Roman Catholic could hold a public post, nor could the Roman Catholic church own land or erect houses of worship. This law was repealed in 1783. A block of land was subsequently purchased (running up the north side of Spring Garden Road from Barrington Street to Grafton Street) and a small, wooden frame church was built and completed on July 19, 1784. This church was later replaced by St. Mary's Basilica.

Church records available on microfilm through the LDS:

Church	Records	Years	LDS Film Number
St. Paul's Catholic Church Herring Cove, Halifax, NS	Baptisms Marriages Burials	1837-1852,1855-1924 1857-1877,1892-1911 - - - - - - - -	0866365..Item 4-6
St. Peter's Catholic Church Halifax, Halifax, NS	Baptisms Marriages Burials	1800-1830 1800-1830 1800-1830	0866355 / 0866356
St. Patrick's Catholic Church Halifax, Halifax, NS	Baptisms Marriages Burials	1848-1854,1879-1909 1887-1909 - - - - - - -	0872003..Item 5-8 / 0872004 / 0872005..Item 20
St. Mary's Cathedral (Catholic) Halifax, Halifax, NS	Baptisms Baptisms Baptisms Baptisms Baptisms Marriages Marriages Marriages Burials	1830-1845 1845-1863 1863-1869 1870-1877 1878-1884 1830-1873 1874-1909 1844-1845 - - - - - - -	0866357 Item 1-6 0866358 0866359 0866360 0866363 Item 1 0866363 Item 2-6 0866364 Item 1-2 0866357 Item 1-6 - - - - - - - -
St. Joseph's Orphanage (Catholic) Halifax, Halifax, NS	Baptisms Marriages Burials	1894-1915 - - - - - - - - - - - - - -	0872001..Item 4
St. Joseph's Catholic Church Halifax, Halifax, NS	Baptisms Marriages Burials	1868-1908 1868-1871,1989-1912 - - - - - - -	0857499..Item 2-3
St. Agnes Catholic Church Halifax, Halifax, NS	Baptisms Marriages Burials	1892-1910 1892-1910 - - - - - - -	0872001..Item 5-6
Parish Register for Coloured People (Catholic) Halifax, Halifax, NS	Baptisms Marriages Burials	1827-18350 - - - - - - - - - - - - - -	0872001..Item 2
St. Genevieves Catholic Church East Chezzetcook, Halifax, NS	Baptisms Marriages Burials	1884-1889,1906 & 1910 1884-1889,1906 & 1910 1884-1889,1906 & 1910	0857499..Item 1
St. Peter's Catholic Church Dartmouth, Halifax, NS	Baptisms Marriages Burials	1830-1871,1876-1910 1830-1871,1876-1910 1830-1871,1876-1910	0857499..Item 4-5 / 0857500..Item 1-2
St. Anselme Catholic Church West Chezzetcook, Halifax, NS	Baptisms Marriages Burials	1799-1801,1814-1890, 1857-1909,1891-1910 1799-1801,1814-1890, 1857-1909,1891-1910 1799-1801,1814-1890, 1857-1909,1891-1910	0857497..Item 3-5 / 0857498..Item 1-3

Information on this page provided by Frank W. Daniels

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