History of Your House
You're a detective.
Before researching the history of your Halifax house, you'll need to know whether its street name or street number was changed. Check HRM's lists of street changes and address changes.
Who lived in my house before me?
Annual city directories in the Public Archives of Nova Scotia will tell you the names of your house's previous residents up to 2000. Look for your street in the alphabetical list in the last half of each directory.
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McAlpine's Halifax City Directories (1889–1927). You can download PDFs.
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Halifax-Dartmouth City Directories; Might Directories (1927–2000). These directories are available only on microfilm, so you'll need to visit the third floor of the Nova Scotia Archives, where a staff member can assist you.
Who owned my house before me?
Nova Scotia Land Registry's Property Online provides web-based access to ownership records. You can purchase a one-month subscription. You can also visit a Land Registration Office and pay for half-day access to Property Online.
Additional information on your house is available from the Halifax Municipal Archives, which provides tips for doing building research. Older records are paper-based, so you can visit the archives and ask the archivist for assistance.
Does my house appear in old maps and photos?
The Nova Scotia Archives has many historical maps of Halifax and provides tips for research. Most maps are available on microfilm. Assistants can help. Copy services are available.
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To view the 1878 Hopkins Atlas, find your ward first and the plate number, then check the plate.
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The best map sources for Halifax house information are fire insurance plans from 1878, 1877 (revised 1889), 1895 (revised 1899, 1911), 1911, 1914 (revised 1939, 1951), 1967, and 1971. The copyrights were acquired and renewed by a company in Toronto, so the maps have not been digitized for public use. Still, they are available on microfilm and can be viewed at the Nova Scotia Archives.
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Aerial photos of Halifax are available from the Nova Scotia Archives and the Halifax Municipal Archives.
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Google Street View probably has photos of your house from 2009 to the present. To see earlier ones, find your house, then click on "See more dates."
Who designed and built my house?
Using archival records, you should be able to estimate the date when your house was built. Tracing its designer and builder is liable to be more difficult, as most houses in Halifax belong to a vernacular tradition that didn't require much documentation. Still, a deeper dive into the archives may uncover construction drawings or a building permit. Some houses in Halifax that were designed by notable architects and/or built for notable citizens have received heritage status, as shown on this map.
Here are some additional tips for researching your house:
