McNabs Island facts for kids
McNabs Island is the biggest island in Halifax Harbour in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It used to be called Cornwallis Island. This island was super important for protecting Halifax Harbour. Now, it's a fun provincial park! People from Britain first settled here in the 1750s. Later, the McNab family, starting with Peter McNab, lived on the island until 1934.
Island History
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Long ago, the Mi'kmaq people and Acadians used the island at different times of the year. The French Navy even checked it out as a spot for a strong seaport before they picked Louisbourg. After Halifax was founded in 1749, the island was first known as Cornwallis Island.
An early settler named Joseph Rous lived there in 1758. A Halifax merchant, Joshua Mauger, used the long beach (which is still called Maugher Beach) for fishing in the 1750s and 60s. Peter McNab bought the island in the 1780s. His family lived there for many generations. Peter McNab's son, Captain John McNab, lived on the island with his daughter Catherine. She married Joseph Howe in 1828.
McNabs Island has many old forts that were part of the "Halifax Defence Complex." These include Fort Ives, Fort Hugonin, Sherbrooke Tower, and Fort McNab. You can still see many historic things on the island today. These include the foundations of early settlers' homes and an old Mi'kmaq shell midden. There's also a cemetery for some of the island's first residents. You can find remains of a picnic area and a soda pop factory from the early 1900s. There are also parts of a large Victorian garden.
Maugher Beach has a lighthouse and is also known as "Hangman's Beach." During the Napoleonic Wars, the Royal Navy used this beach. They would display the bodies of sailors who had been punished for serious crimes. This was a warning to other sailors entering the harbour to behave well. In 1851, Abraham Gesner tested his new fuel, kerosene, at the Maugher Beach lighthouse. Kerosene was meant to replace whale oil. The lighthouse keeper, David George, carefully recorded how well kerosene worked. This helped make kerosene a standard fuel for lighthouses.
During World War II, new gun batteries and searchlights were added to the island. A big steel anti-submarine net was also placed between the island and York Redoubt. This net stopped German U-boats from entering the harbour. In 1944 and 1945, the Canadian Army used McNabs Island as a prison for soldiers who had committed crimes.
McNabs Island was also the home of William Lynch. He started the famous Bill Lynch Show from here.
McNabs Island Today
The remains of Fort McNab were named a National Historic Site of Canada in 1965. This was because they show important changes in defense technology from the late 1800s.
Today, McNabs Island is about 395 hectares (976 acres) big. The Province of Nova Scotia owns 62% of the island. The Canadian government owns 35%, and 3% is privately owned. Most of the government land is managed as a park by Parks Canada. They look after the Fort McNab National Historic Site. The Province of Nova Scotia manages a Provincial Park on the island.
A group called the "Friends of McNabs Island Society" helps take care of the island. They are a volunteer group dedicated to preserving McNabs, Lawlor, and Devils Island. They promote McNabs Island as a nature park and an outdoor classroom. The Society organizes fun events like picnics, nature tours, and beach clean-ups. They also make maps, brochures, and a guidebook called "Discover McNabs Island." The Society helps maintain the island's trails with the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Parks Canada. A few people still live on the island, and it is part of the Halifax Regional Municipality.
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