The Church that was Built in a Day
Are children in Halifax still told about the Church that was Built in a Day? As a youngster in the 1950s I learned the little chapel in Holy Cross Cemetery in South Park Street was built in a single day. I didn’t understand how or why it happened and I never actually saw the building up close until the mid 1970s, but I remembered and marveled at the “in one day” thing.
That particular day was August 31,1843, when 1800 volunteers marched to the newly prepared cemetery on the edge of town and built, and even painted, Our Lady of Sorrows chapel on a previously prepared foundation. Two weeks later a reported 50,000 people gathered to celebrate the consecration of the chapel and the new cemetery, a dramatic demonstration of Irish Catholic solidarity and authority in Halifax. This was a BIG deal.
A large lithograph was published a few years later to commemorate this story. It shows the chapel on high ground, a power position in the centre of the cemetery. The surrounding landscape is still mostly empty.
The new cemetery was established at what was then the edge of town because the original cemetery downtown was full and very nasty. This view looks west towards what is now the parking lot for the Victoria General Hospital. J.S.Clow, lithograph, 1849. NS Archives 1987_218 N-1411
The caretaker’s house
That story provides the background and context for what I really want to talk about: the little building with the pyramid shaped roof to the right in the lithograph. Built three years after the consecration of the chapel, it was a home for the cemetery caretaker and his family, sort of like the gatehouse you’d find at the entrance to a fancy estate.
The big buildings to the right were part of a tannery (I believe). Detail :J.S.Clow, lithograph, 1849. NS Archives 1987_218 N-1411
Early in the 20th century the caretaker’s house was given a major, utilitarian renovation with an addition to the north, a new flat-roofed second story, and a traditional Halifax storm porch. At the time it must have looked very plain next to its big, new, stylish neighbours along South Park St. It still does.
The caretaker’s house on the right. Google Street View
Please let us tear it down
For years the Catholic church, that still owns and operates the cemetery, has left the caretaker’s house empty and allowed it to fall into a state of disrepair. In the last year or so they have sought permission from the city to tear it down and in mid December 2024 that was finally granted. (The story here). What caught my attention were two stipulations the city required. A high stone wall that runs along the property line to the north has to be saved, and the stone foundation under the original 1846 portion of house must be preserved. Unusual and creative requirements. I have feelings. Want to hear?
More interesting than it looks
In the 1840s the Irish Catholic community made such a public show of preparing their new cemetery and building the chapel, I imagined they would also put extra effort into producing a caretaker’s house that further enhanced the property.
At first glance the 1849 lithograph suggested the building was small and plain, but then I did a closer reading. The east wall, which is shown straight on, has two rectangular panels around the windows. Between the panels there is an upright element that I’m imagining to be something like a pilaster (think a corner board but in the centre of the wall). And the upper corners of the windows are shaped (at least they are not square). In the roof there seems to be a tiny dormer with an arch topped window. All this suggests to me that there was a conscious effort to produce a picturesque “rural” cottage that would be a suitable friend to the quaint gothic chapel.
I redrew the house accentuating the elements I saw and added a bit of colour. What do you think? A worthy companion to the chapel?
The second oldest stone wall in Halifax
I’m a huge fan of old stone walls so of course I was pleased to learn that the Heritage folks at the city were supporters too. Their report suggests this is the second oldest surviving wall in Halifax; the Little Dutch Church would have the oldest I guess.
When I first noticed the Holy Cross wall back in the 1970s it had a little roof covered with slate shingles to keep water out of the wall. It also appeared that the wall had been coated with a lime wash to conceal the not very attractive ironstone. This would have made the wall blend nicely with the finely cut granite gate post at the South Park end.
1974
Today the wall has a bland new concrete cap. Restoring the slate roof would add to the charm of the wall. When the house was enlarged it appears to have been built against the pre-existing wall. When the house is carefully removed the original surface of the wall will perhaps be revealed.
2024
Wouldn’t it be nice.
When the caretaker’s house is torn down I hope it will be done with care and dignity. Much can be learned by taking an archaeological approach and methodically recording the original building techniques, and materials and finishes. There is a good chance investigators could discover how the exterior walls were really decorated. Was I seeing things or was I insightful?
And since the foundation of the original building will be preserved this provides a perfect opportunity to show the form of that building with a volumetric reconstruction, a ghost of the missing building. On a rainy morning in Philadelphia, we saw a very successful example of this technique using steel posts and beams to represent Benjamin Franklin’s long gone home.
Franklin Court National Historic Park, Philadelphia. 2014
Imagine the original caretaker’s house, outlined in maintenance-free corten steel, once again greeting visitors to Holy Cross Cemetery. And even better, imagine if the structure was erected in one day! That would have them talking.
Post script
- Holy Cross Cemetery is clearly well loved and tended. For some years a dedicated group of volunteers has repaired headstones and the chapel and beautified the grounds. It is a delight to visit. For lots more information about the cemetery and the history of Irish Catholics in Halifax visit the Holy Cross Historical Trust.
- If you want to see more stone wall pictures here are a couple of my old blog posts:
