Visitors can join a historical tour of Halifax to learn more about the coastal town and its city hall, home to the municipal government. A National Historic Site of Canada, Halifax City Hall boasts a defining feature—a seven-story clock tower. While the south-facing side of the clock is set to the current time, the north-facing clock rests on 9:04 to commemorate the devastating 1917 Halifax Explosion.
On Dec. 6, 1917, the French cargo ship SS Mont-Blanc was loaded with wartime explosives when it collided with a Norwegian vessel in Halifax Harbour. When fire ignited the explosive cargo, it created the largest man-made explosion in history and destroyed the Richmond District of the city.