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Dartmouth's Heritage Walk Duration: 1 to 2 hours
Begin on Alderney Drive, at the corner of Ochterloney Street. This street was named for Superintendent Alexander Ochterloney who, in 1796, helped settle a group of 600 Jamaican immigrants on approximately 5,000 acres of Dartmouth land, purchased with funds from the Jamaican government. More information about this group of settlers known as the Maroons can be found at the Black Cultural Centre.  Turn left onto Ochterloney Street. Located at No. 44 is a wood frame house. The dormers in the gable roof are a style introduced by the Scottish stonemasons who came to work on the Shubenacadie Canal. (The canal was an important part of Dartmouth's early history and there will be several references to it during the Heritage Walk.) Grace United Church is on the next block. This impressive structure with its Italian-style towers was built in 1919 on the site of the original church, destroyed in 1917 by the Halifax Explosion. Across the street at 57-59 Ochterloney St. is Quaker House built in 1786 by William Ray, a Quaker whaler. Following the American War of Independence, the Nantucket Whaling Company moved from Massachusetts to Dartmouth in order to evade a heavy tax on American goods entering England. Mostly Quakers, the employees produced spermaceti candles, soap and whale oil for lamps in what was Dartmouth's first industry. In the summer months, guides help illuminate the daily life of these settlers. The Masonic Hall at Ochterloney Street is an interesting example of neo-classical architecture. Across the street is Christ Church. Constructed in 1817, it was the first building in Dartmouth used exclusively for Sunday worship. Behind the church lies Christ Church Cemetery, Dartmouth's first graveyard. Commonly referred to as the 'Old Quaker Burying Ground', it was used by the families of the Nantucket Whaling Company.
Farther up, on the opposite side of the street, is First Baptist Church, built in 1922 and designed by noted architect Andrew Cobb. It replaced the original church, built in 1843 and destroyed in the 1917 Explosion. Its rubble stone walls are 30 inches thick, which enabled the building to withstand the concussions of another explosion in July 1945 without damage.
Continue along Ochterloney Street past Victoria Road. On your right is Greenvale School, a registered heritage  property designed by Andrew Cobb in 1917. Not currently in use, this is the oldest school building in Dartmouth. When you come to a set of traffic lights cross over to Sullivan's Pond. This is the first point on the Heritage Walk where you can see a remaining part of the Shubenacadie Canal system. Originally the site of a river, the Sullivan's Pond waters were dredged out in 1833 to form a holding basin during construction of the canal. Linking Halifax Harbour and the Bay of Fundy by a series of stone locks through lakes and rivers, the canal system was an improvement on the natural waterway long used by the Mi'kmaqs. The engineers began work in 1826, but stopped in 1831 when the first owners went bankrupt. Completed in 1861, the canal was used for only nine years before rail transportation took over. The project brought stonemasons from Scotland and labourers from Ireland, whose descendants are still significant in the population of Dartmouth. The Kwakiutl of the West Coast carved the Totem Pole at Sullivan's Pond. The government of British Columbia presented it to Dartmouth during the Canada Summer Games held here in August 1969. The church just north of Sullivan's Pond on Crichton Avenue is St. Peter's Catholic Church. Continue up this street to the corner of Crichton and Hawthorne. The enormous residence on your left is Edgemere House, constructed in 1906. Edgemere is an excellent example of the Queen Anne architecture, including blind dormers, a tower and decorative work on the veranda. Today it has been expanded to serve as a home for senior citizens.
Turn down Hawthorne Street and proceed along the left-hand side until you encounter a pathway leading to Lake  Banook and the site of Lock #1 of the Shubenacadie Canal. This path is part of the Trans Canada Trail, which winds from the harbour to Lake Charles - great for walking, jogging and wheelchairs. Follow the trail up to Lake Banook, the site of world-class canoe and paddling championships.
Take Nowlan Street over to Prince Albert Road and turn right. Continue down Prince Albert, keeping left at the 'V'-shaped intersection across from Sullivan's Pond. Turn left at Pleasant Street and continue until you reach the lights. Cross the street at Five Corners and walk up Albert Street. At the top of the hill on the right is No. 3 Albert St., built in 1894 and now occupied by Forrestall Fine Art. It is one of the few older mansions in Dartmouth with most of its original design intact, including its rooftop widow's walk.
 Just across the street at No. 26 Newcastle Street, is Evergreen House, built in 1867 and now open to the public in the summer. Dr. Helen Creighton, known as Canada's "First Lady of Folklore," lived in the house from 1921 until 1978. She spent many years travelling throughout Nova Scotia collecting and recording some 16,000 songs and ballads, now housed in the Nova Scotia Archives. Evergreen House also houses the Dartmouth Heritage Museum. The museum includes a diverse collection of artifacts from Dartmouth's history.
Turning right, continue to the end of Newcastle Street, go down the hill on Maitland Street and back onto Portland. Turn left. At the corner of Portland Street and Prince Albert Road is St. James United Church, built in 1870. St. James served Dartmouth's first Presbyterian congregation; many of the early members were Scottish stonemasons working on the Shubenacadie Canal.
Directly across from St. James United Church, before you come to the intersection of Portland Street and Alderney Drive, turn left and proceed along Canal Street toward the harbour. Cross Mill Lane to a path alongside the Dartmouth Curling Club. Follow this path to the Dartmouth Cove area, the earliest settled portion of Dartmouth.
 This area also marks the beginning of the Shubenacadie Canal. Although the waterway reached the Bay of Fundy, most of the traffic was between Enfield, Grand Lake and Dartmouth. The Shubenacadie Canal Commission now works to preserve and promote this National Historic Engineering Site. At Shubie Park, a short drive or bus ride away at Port Wallace off the Waverley Road, (Rte. 318) are restored locks No. 2 and No. 3 and archaeological digs of the homes of early Irish labourers. The centre is also a favourite with walkers, joggers and cyclists who come to enjoy the broad, inviting trails that follow the old canal for 2.5 km. The Trans Canada Trail also connects with these paths.
On the harbour side of Dartmouth Cove are the Dartmouth Marine Slips, former site of the Nantucket Whaling Company.
Continue along the water's edge and enjoy the view of Halifax's skyline and the harbour. Past the Dartmouth Marine Slips you enter Ferry Terminal Park. The ship Alderney landed here, carrying the first 353 settlers to Dartmouth in 1750 from Gravesend and Plymouth, England. Just ahead is the World Peace Pavilion, opened here during the 1995 Halifax G-7 Economic Summit. Conceived by Metro Youth for Global Unity, this structure contains stones and bricks donated by more than 75 countries (including a piece of the Berlin Wall), lying on a bed of Nova Scotian sand.
Along the boardwalk you will also find the huge bronze propeller from the icebreaker Sir John A. MacDonald, damaged during its 1969 journey through the Northwest Passage. The inlaid granite compass rose in the park is a replica of the compass detail on a 1749 map of the harbour. Ahead is the Ferry Terminal Building. Adjacent to the Ferry Terminal is Alderney Gate, a large office, library and commercial complex. The adjoining Alderney Landing includes Dartmouth's Farmers' Market, a visual arts gallery, specialty shops, live theatre and a Visitor Information Centre. Extending from Alderney Landing is the Events Plaza, a specially designed and equipped outdoor space for festivals and events. The Nova Scotia Multicultural Festival takes place here every June. This three-day celebration of the many peoples who make up the province includes exhibits, entertainment, dining options galore and much more.
From Alderney Gate, turn left and walk up the hill toward Geary Street Cemetery, founded in 1830 on the site of an ancient Mi'kmaq burial ground.
 From this vantage point there is a spectacular view of the harbour. You can see North America's oldest continually operating saltwater ferry service, started in 1752 by one man rowing customers across the harbour for three cents per trip. Cross the intersection at the lights. Walk around behind the building on the corner and go through the iron gates.
Take the path to the right. On your right is Leighton Dillman Scenic Garden, named after a diligent voluntary keeper of the gardens. This is a small developed corner of what is left of the Dartmouth Common - approximately 300 acres set aside by the government in the late 1700s for the settlers' common use. Only a small portion now remains. Walk down the hill and turn left on Alderney Drive. Walking south along here you will return to the starting point at Alderney Gate.
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