Not far off the Eastern Passage shore lies Devil's Island. I parked on the shore and took this picture of it today. From the shore you can see the lighthouse (left) and the only remaining (abandoned) house which once was occupied by the lighthouse keeper.
The lighthouse at the left side of the picture is a working lighthouse. There was a lighthouse at the other end of the island but all that remains of it is the foundation.
Devil's Island, situated at the mouth of Halifax Harbour, is approximately 27 acres in size. The island was originally owned by Capt. John Rous and called Rous' Island. It eventually became known as Wood Island because of its heavy growth of forest, but a later fire destroyed the trees and hence the name change. The original Horns of Eastern Passage used to pasture sheep on the island before selling it to Andrew Phillip Henneberry about 1830. For over 110 years, Henneberrys lived on the island until the mid 1940s when most people were moved ashore during World War II.
Wikipedia gives a bit of a different history of the island:
"The name originated from an early French merchant and was first spelled Deville's Island. The first permanent settlement on this 12 hectare island was established in 1830, and by 1850 there were three houses and a school. By 1901 the settlement had grown to 18 houses. A number of Devil's Island residents, notably Ben Henneberry, provided valuable folklore to pioneering Canadian folklorist Helen Creighton. Most of the residents were moved to the mainland during World War II. The last permanent resident, a Norwegian artist, moved off in 2000. The island is currently owned by Halifax entrepreneur Bill Mont. A lighthouse built in 1877, replacing an earlier tower built in 1852, is still in operation today. The island was also the base for a rescue lifeboat until the 1950s which saved the crews of many vessels stranded on the shoals approaching Halifax Harbour."
The abandoned lighthouse keeper's house, taken after Hurricane Juan.
According to some, Devils Island is the location of one of metro's most famous legends.
... many years ago one of the residents [of Devils Island], old Casper Henneberry, invited some friends for a party on the island. During the festivities, Henneberry went outside for a few moments then came back looking white and shaken. He told his friends that his time was up; he'd seen the Devil "in the form of a halibut." The next day he was rowing back to the island from Halifax. He was found drowned, his head and shoulders hanging over the side of the boat. Another version of his strange death has it that there were signs of a fight or scuffle on the beach, and that one of the people involved had "cloven hooves," judging by the prints in the sand.
A second story about Devils Island concerns another of her residents.
... Charles MacDonald , the lightkeeper from 1956 to 1967, awoke one night in his house on the island to find the ghost of his late grandmother standing by his bed. The spectre reached out and seized him by his arms and started pulling. MacDonald, who had a wooden leg, said he put out his good leg to brace himself against this apparition, but his limb went right through her.
Wouldn't it be wonderful to spend a sunny summer day exploring this island ?
Note:
Historical information and historical pictures are from a web page about Devil's Island at http://www.devilsisland.ca/
The ghost story comes from: http://www.mcnabsisland.ca/history/hist-s13.html
Very cool Sybs.. our friend B would know about the island - I imagine he could separate the bunk from the reputable history..
ReplyDeletethe last name Horn was actually spelt Horne. as i am a relative of them jacob horne who owned a grate portion of eatern passage. Im not saying im rite but im pretty shore its Horne .
ReplyDeleteThanks Anonymous for the clarification on Horne. I was very sad to see the last remaining building on the island collapse during our last hurricane.
ReplyDeleteMakes sense as there is a Horne Road here in the Passage.
Thanks for visiting my blog.
Andrew Phillip Henneberry was my great-great-great-great Grandfather. Our family lived on the island for many, many years. Andrew, his wife Mary Henneberry (Winters) and their son, James, drowned on Dec. 9, 1840, returning from Halifax in a storm.
ReplyDeleteIt is true that there were about 20 families living on the Island at one time. Most of these people would have been quite poor,I know Andrew certainly was, but the Island was close to great fishing areas where they were able to make enough money to support their families.
The previous poster is correct in the spelling of Horne. I've never visited the Island, but it is my intention to do exactly that next summer! I can't wait! :)
Kathy
Kathy, There's a local chap who will take you there for a visit -- as long as the conditions permit.
DeleteI'd love to visit the island too.
Thanks for stopping by.
I went to that very island in the past summer. The lighthouse keepers house is now torn down by storms, and all that's left is the basement and the lighthouse. The lighthouse isn't working anymore and the entire island is abandoned.
ReplyDeleteI went to that very island this past summer and the light house keepers house is torn down by storms, all that's left is the basement of it. The lighthouse isn't there anymore either.
ReplyDeleteHailey, was it fun exploring the island ? I'm pretty sure we can still see the lighthouse from the Passage. Were there two of them ?
DeleteAndrew Philip Henneberry is my 3X Greatgrandfather and Gasper Henneberry is my 2X Great Grandfather. Was amused by the "Casper" story it must refer to Gasper. Too bad my mom has passed I would have loved to talk to her about it. Chris Easton. eastonc@verizon.net
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful feeling to be so connected to your family history. I am from "away" (Ontario) but even as a newbie I know the Henneberry name carries great significance here.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it sad that we don't ask our parent to share all their stories while they're still with us ?
It is sad to lose so much of that history, but what a joy when you re-discover stories and histories now opening up through the web!!
ReplyDeleteMy mom met my dad on his midshipman’s cruise (US Naval Academy) in '39, and married when he returned from Submarine combat in '44 in California. I remember some of her Halifax stories, but have only just started formally tracing her family though Ancestry.com.
Devil's Island was, for me, just a location in the records until I started digging deeper. What a facinating history. The pictures of Ben Henneberry b 1863 (my 1st cousin 3x removed) and his son Edmund working and visiting with Henen Crieghton a folklorist, are a real treasures. Thanks to Helen (whose pictures and stories have been archived for posterity) we have just a little more history, like the fact that Ben was also the Coxswain for the Devil's Island Lifeboat in the 1928-30 period. And who could have expected the the story about "Old Casper Henneberry" I found on your blog. Casper could only have been Gasper Henneberry my 2nd Great Grandfather?? My mom the only girl, would tell us stories about how her brothers would try to scare her with ghost stories they absolutely believed to be be true - "damn fools" she would say remembering. Anyway the story sounds to be very much in the Henneberry and Devil's Island tradition. Pretty cool.
Chris
Oh such special memories and stories. Helen Crieghton was a treasure and recorded so much history that would have been lost ...
DeleteThe house that is standing in the picture above was my mom's home. My mom and dad where the light house keepers on the island.
ReplyDeleteThanks
Did you spend much time on the island ? I still haven't managed to get there for a visit.
DeleteDoes anyone know the name of 'the mysterious Norwegian artist?' Does anyone in Nova Scotia have any works by the same? The year 2000 was not so long ago.
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