Archival material isn't just for "serious" researchers - who write books or research professionally.  It also provides opportunities to remember the past with some friends.  That's what Bernie Beaver and his friends Bob Gordon and Cyril Kayzer discovered at the HRM Archives a few weeks ago.

	Childhood friends Bob Gordon, Cyril Kayzer, and Bernie Beaver, with Archives intern Melissa McCarthy, Nov. 2006

Bernie, Bob, and Cyril found a novel use for the Archives' collection of photographs taken by the former City of Halifax Engineering & Works Department (series 102-39-1). The photographs were taken to document unsightly and dangerous premises during the city's urban renewal. What Bernie discovered were images of the downtown he grew up in, now changed beyond recognition. He was so delighted with what he found that he invited his childhood friends to come back to the Archives with him.

The three friends had first met as grade-schoolers in the 1940s, at the Acadia School on Market Street. The Engineering & Works photographs brought back many memories for them, mostly involving youthful hijinks such as sledding down Citadel Hill and sneaking into the Citadel itself.

181-185 Grafton Street. This image reminded Bernie of the time he rolled a tire across the street and accidentally sent it crashing through his neighbour's door, shown in the photograph. His father was furious, as he fixed the door.

Bob and Cyril both experienced house fires as children. Bob, who used to live on Lower Water Street, found a photograph that included his old house before the fire, as well as images taken after the fire. He joked that a particularly decrepit house in another photograph had also been his and that "it looked so bad, we had to paint it to get it condemned."

229 Lower Water Street, near Bob's old house. This photograph was dated October 18, 1957. Many of the photographs were undated, and Bernie's extensive knowledge of cars helped provide approximate dates for some of them.

Not only did the old friends recognise buildings and cars, but astonishingly Bob discovered a photograph that included Bernie's now sister-in-law, Marion Beaver.  The Archives scanned several images for Bernie to share with friends and relatives, including a delighted Marion.

Here, at far right by the fire hydrant, is Marion Beaver, waiting for the bus at the corner of Jacob and Brunswick, on Jan. 15, 1953. Bernie, with the aid of a magnifying glass, also pointed out the street names written on the post of the stop sign.

There are over 6,000 photographs in the Engineering and Works series, showing Halifax streetscapes and aerial views ca. 1950-1980.  The Municipal Archives plans to seek funding to digitize the series to make the images available on this web-site. 

Perhaps you too will find that the Municipal Archives contains hidden treasures that could bring back memories of your childhood. Come in and see. 

The Contact Us page gives the Archives' location and open-hours.   

The Municipal Archives thanks

Bob Gordon, Cyril Kayzer, Bernie and Marion Beaver

for sharing their memories and permitting it to use their images and stories

to illustrate the allure of archives.