CANTON — The Canton Historical Society will host a talk on the Halifax explosion at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 31, in its building at 25 Turner St. The speaker will be Sam Howes of the Maine State Archives, who will talk about the 1917 maritime disaster in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Two ships, one of which was a cargo ship laden with high explosives, collided in the Halifax harbor. This collision resulted in the largest non-nuclear man-made explosion in history. The destruction was massive, as was the support Halifax received from its neighbors, including many from the State of Maine.
Howes is an archivist serving as board secretary and archivist for the Canton Historical Society; alsok he is the curator for the Jay Historical Society and vice president of Maine’s Paper and Heritage Museum. Howes earned a master’s degree in archives administration from Aberystwyth University in Wales, U.K.
As an undergraduate, he attended at Acadia University in Nova Scotia, where he became well versed in the history of the Halifax Explosion and its aftermath. In 2017, on the 100th anniversary of the explosion, Howes shared the stage in Augusta with dignitaries from both the State of Maine and the Province of Nova Scotia, where he made a presentation similar to the one he will give at the Canton Historical Society.
This event is free and open to the public; the venue is handicap accessible. Refreshments will be served, and the doors open at 6 p.m. The Canton Historical Society is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization devoted to the preservation and celebration of Canton’s heritage and history. For more information about this event, email cantonmehistorical@gmail.com.
