A place

Halifax

3 stories from this place.

The Footnote June 24, 2026 · Canadian Museum of History, Gatineau, Quebec

The Telegraph Key That Vince Coleman Used to Stop a Train Is in the Canadian Museum of History

At 8:43 AM on 6 December 1917, Halifax telegraph dispatcher [Vince Coleman](/articles/halifax-explosion-1917) stayed at his post to warn an inbound passenger train that the burning munitions ship in the harbour was about to explode. The explosion killed him about a minute later. The brass-and-wood telegraph key he typed his last message on now lives in a glass case in Gatineau, Quebec.

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The Footnote June 9, 2026 · Boston Common, Boston, Massachusetts

The Tree Halifax Sends Boston Every Year

Every November, Nova Scotia cuts down a 45-foot white spruce and ships it to Boston Common. The tradition is a thank-you for a relief train that arrived in 1917.

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The Coroner’s Report June 5, 2026 · Halifax Harbour, Nova Scotia, Canada

The Telegraph Operator Who Stayed at His Key

On 6 December 1917, Vince Coleman had ninety seconds to warn the incoming trains. He used them, and then he was gone.

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