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Spryfield is a community within the urban area of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

History

The land now known as Spryfield was first occupied by the Miꞌkmaq people, who hunted and fished at Beaver Lake (now called Long Lake). The Miꞌkmaq would later help the first Europeans in settling upon their arrival by the mid-18th century.

The community gets its name from Captain Lieutenant-General William Spry, who purchased land in the area in 1769. Originally known as Spry's Field, the community is centred on Spry's former estate.

Founded around 1770, by Captain William Spry, who purchased land there and established the settlement with the aid of stationed soldiers from the nearby Halifax garrison. In 1783, he sold the property and returned to England. The name Spryfield is also sometimes used to refer to the general area of Halifax's South Mainland, which includes a number of communities along the Herring Cove and Purcell's Cove Roads.

The availability of land suitable for farming, and the relative close proximity to the Halifax market attracted the European settlers. These included the Brunt, Connors, Drysdale, Findlay, Henneberry, Kidston, McInnis, Moor, Norris, Oakley, Sutherland, Umlah, Warner, Yeadon, and other-families—many of whom still reside in the community today.

Spryfield's first public school opened in 1859. Its teacher, Elizabeth Sutherland, taught the town's early residents. In 1958, Elizabeth Sutherland Memorial School opened in her honour. when a forest fire erupted in the afternoon in the Green Acres area, forcing as many as 1,000 people to flee their homes. As many as 12 houses were destroyed and an area of approximately burned, between the Herring Cove and Purcell's Cove Roads. The fire travelled quickly between these major roads on April 30 due to strong winds but did not cross either of them. The investigation by the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources uncovered two additional fires that occurred in an area east of J.L. Ilsley High School that are believed to have been caused by arson. and is bounded to the north by Armdale, to the south by Long Pond and to the east by the Purcell's Cove Road.

Geologically, Spryfield's terrain is largely dominated by granite rock. Some meguma slates run along the edge of the Northwest Arm. The area's soils generally consist of coarse, thin sands from which numerous exposed granite hilltops and ridges protrude. Several glacial erratics can be found in the area in the form of large boulders that were deposited by retreating glaciers. One notable glacial erratic in Spryfield is the Rocking Stone, after which the Rockingstone neighbourhood is named.

The forest ecosystem in Spryfield has been shaped by recent forest fires and has allowed several fire-associated tree species to flourish such as the jack pine (Pinus banksiana), the red pine (Pinus resinosa), and the red oak. The jack pine is notable is notable as a serotinous species whose seeds only germinate after exposure to fire. Forest fires have also created several areas of barrens that are dominated by ericaceous shrubs contain tree species such as the black spruce (Picea mariana), the balsam fir (Abies balsamea), and the eastern white pine (Pinus strobus). and a population density of approximately 1,091 people per km<sup>2</sup>. In 2016, the population density of Spryfield was over 14 times as dense as the municipal population density.

Although there is demographic from the 2016 Census, there is no demographic information from the most current 2021 Census.

Economy

From the time of colonization until the 1950s, Spryfield was predominantly rural with many farms. The earliest farms were the Kidston Farm (near Thornhill Park), and the Umlah Farm (south of Long Lake).

In the early part of the 20th century, there was a granite quarrying operation in what is now the northern portion of Long Lake Provincial Park. Much of this granite can still be seen in historic buildings and walls in Downtown Halifax.

Until the late 1950s, aggregate pits and gravel pits, such as the operation to the south of Elizabeth Sutherland Memorial School, helped provide material for building local roads until the late 1950s. Most of Spryfield has been logged at least once, and until the mid-1960s, a sawmill operated on the east-side of Kidston Lake.

Until approximately 1960, there was relatively (compared to overall population density) more business and industrial activity in the Spryfield area than subsequently. In the 1960s and 1970s, many people began to travel to Downtown Halifax to the shopping centres and malls within the built-up area of Halifax to do their purchases. Eventually, the community took on a bedroom community aspect: many of the residents work elsewhere, with fewer thriving local businesses. The establishment of the Spryfield Mall in the mid-1970s was an attempt to reverse this trend, but it struggled to fill its floorspace. However, there is still a vigorous and growing business community in the Spryfield area, with a good amount of recent development.

Transportation

Spryfield is serviced by many roads that traverse the community. Furthermore, public transit is provided by Halifax Transit, and many routes serve the community.

Roadways

  • Highway 32 (Dunbrack Street), which connects to Highway 3 (St. Margaret's Bay Road), Highway 102 (Bicentennial Highway), and Route 306 (Old Sambro Road)
  • Route 306 (Old Sambro Road)
  • Route 349 (Herring Cove Road), off which all other roads in Spryfield branch either primarily or secondarily
  • William's Lake Road, which connects Route 253 (Purcell's Cove Road) to Route 349 (Herring Cove Road)

Education

To service the continuous development of apartment-complexes, detached-homes, and subdivisions, there are schools located in Spryfield for all ages. This includes day cares, elementary schools, a high school, and junior high schools. Children may attend English-or-French Immersion speaking classes starting in elementary school.

All public schools within Spryfield are administered by the Halifax Regional Centre for Education.

Elementary Schools

  • Central Spryfield Elementary
  • Chebucto Height Elementary School
  • Elizabeth Sutherland School
  • John W. Macleod Fleming Tower Elementary (Fleming Tower)
  • John W. Macleod Fleming Tower Elementary (John W. MacLeod)
  • Rockingstone Heights School

High Schools

  • J. L. Ilsley High School

Junior High Schools

  • Cunard Junior High School
  • Elizabeth Sutherland School
  • Herring Cove Junior High
  • Rockingstone Heights School

Politics

Federal

  • Andy Fillmore is the Member of Parliament for Halifax, which in 2004 was re-organized to include the community of Spryfield.

Municipal

  • Patty Cuttell is the Municipal Councillor for District 11 (Spryfield-Sambro Loop-Prospect Road).

Provincial

  • Brendan Maguire is the Member of the Legislative Assembly for Halifax Atlantic, the constituency that includes the community of Spryfield. He was elected in 2013.

Notable people

  • Jackie Barrett – Special Olympics Powerlifter, amassed fifteen powerlifting medals at four Special Olympics World Games appearances
  • John Buchnan - former Premier of Nova Scotia
  • Joey Comeau – writer, creator of A Softer World
  • Peter North – (born Alden Brown) pornographic performer and producer
  • Matt Robinson – poet
  • Troy Ryan - Head coach of the Canada women's national ice hockey team and PWHL Toronto

References

  • Captain William Spry Public Library
  • HRM's Recreation Site
  • Spryfield Community Association (originally the Spryfield Residents' Association)