Harbour Explosion Exhibit Now Open at Dartmouth Heritage Museum
Explosion! Dartmouth’s Ordeal of the 1917 Disaster is now open at the Dartmouth Heritage Museum. This exhibition examines Dartmouth’s role in the Harbour Explosion. The installation is on display in the historic Evergreen House through the 100th anniversary of the Harbour Explosion on December 6, 2017, until January 2018. To accompany Explosion! Dartmouth’s Ordeal of the 1917 Disaster, the Museum is launching an online exhibit featuring additional audio and interactive content on www.dartmouthmuseum.ca in the coming weeks.
click for event poster
Explosion! Dartmouth’s Ordeal of the 1917 Disaster begins with a snapshot of the daily lives of people living in Dartmouth on the morning of December 6, 1917. The day had started like any other until, in the blink of an eye, the collision between the SS Imo and SS Mont-Blanc turned the community’s world upside down. A tableau in the corner of the exhibit will represent the destruction that many Dartmouthians stumbled past in the wake of the disaster. The exhibit concludes by reflecting on the various relief efforts that occurred in the aftermath.
Related:
- A Newly Discovered Diary Tells the Harrowing Story of the Deadly Halifax Explosion (Smithsonian.com)
It features various artifacts and images that relate to the Harbour Explosion. This includes a pair of eyeglasses blown off their owner’s face; postcards from a soldier in France messaging home after hearing about the disaster; the diary of Frank Baker, a British naval officer who was stationed on the HMCS Acadia on the day of the explosion and four fragments from the Mont-Blanc. The artifacts and photographs from the days after the explosion are to emphasize the tangible history of the event and how it left its mark on Dartmouth.
Both Evergreen and Quaker House are open summer hours, six days a week. For hours of operation, please visit www.dartmouthmuseum.ca. Admission is $5 for adults, members, and children under 12 free.
About the Dartmouth Heritage Museum Society
The Dartmouth Heritage Museum Society is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Dartmouth Heritage Museum in 2017. The Museum has two historic locations: Evergreen House (1867) open year round, on Newcastle Street is the former home of Canadian folk legend Helen Creighton and Quaker House (1785), a seasonal operation, on Ochterloney Street is the oldest building in Dartmouth. The Museum hosts community events and historic exhibitions with a mandate to protect, preserve, and promote the rich heritage of Dartmouth. To learn more, please visit www.dartmouthmuseum.ca or call 902-464-2300.