Old Hall Wilderness Heritage Centre.4694 Highway #7 Porters Lake, NS ,B3E 1H7


The Old Hall Wilderness Heritage Centre is dedicated to the preservation
and presentation of the cultural and natural history of the Porters Lake
area, and protection of the surrounding undeveloped wilderness. Our goal
is to present a chronical of the longstanding ties between the life of
the community and the surrounding wilderness. Displays focus on our wilderness heritage, natural history, community life, trade and outdoor recreational opportunities. They include displays depicting exceptional natural features as well as the flora and fauna of the surrounding undeveloped area. Look back to the days of one room schools through photographs and relics from schools which once existed in the area. Examine tools and paraphernalia, as well as a video presentation, of a typical logging operation, depicting a way of life that was once a mainstay of the community. Learn about the "lay of the land and sea" when you view the sixty square foot relief model of the Porters Lake watershed. Open mid-May to mid-September.

Natural History.

Learn About the lay of the land, and sea, when you view the sixty square foot relief model of the Porters Lake watershed. porters Lake is, in effect, an inlet of the Alantic Ocean. Unlike most other Eastern Shore inlets, however, Porters Lake occupies a fault zone. The lake lies in a wrench fault that streches from the Atlantic Ocean, at Terminal Beach, to a point some 30 kilometers inland to the Halifax International Airport.

The landscape along Porters Lake crosses several natural Theme Units from the Eastern Shore Beach landscape to the more rugged and dramatic Granite Ridge Landscape that dominates the the northern end of the Lakenorthern end of the Lake.

Days Of The Stagecoach

With improvements to the overland roads to the east came the days of the Stagecoach. Inns and coach houses operated in this area. Fourteen miles from the Dartmouth Ferry, Fourteen Mile house was the site of an early "drive through", tired horses in one door and a fresh team out the other!

Community Life

Early European settlers, like the MicMac people who were here before them, relied on the lake and coastal waters for transportation. Prior to overland roads to Dartmouth being established, self sufficiency was a necessity, and was supplemented through reliance on coastal vessels to deliver goods to market at Halifax and beyond. Connected to the Atlantic Ocean at Rocky Run and by way of a canal to Three Fathom Harbour, coastal vessels plied the Lake. Boat building in the area was prevalent.

In the wilderness surrounding the lake, generations spent their winters harvesting the woods. Vast inland forests were exploited and timbers for construction, masts, spars and shipbuilding were floated down the lake, bound into rafts and rowed to Halifax Harbour on the tide. Sawmills of every type and description operated on or near the lake.

School Days

The Old Hall served, for a short period of time as a temporary Schoolhouse, prior to completion of the "new" school. Have a look back to the days of the one room schools that once dotted the countryside. Photo's and relics from the Myra Road and Middle Porters Lake Schools are on display.

Great Outdoors

Porters Lake has, in close proximity, a wide range of natural attraction and areas for outdoor recreation. Canoeing and boating on the lake, hiking and cycling, along with Lawrencetown Beach and a Provincial Campground, highlight a variety of activities possible in this area. As well evolving plans to designate a large track of wilderness north and west of Porters Lake will ensure that hight quality wilderness activities remain an enduring legacy for future generations.