About the SS Atlantic

The SS Atlantic was a passenger steamship that wrecked off Lower Prospect on April 1st, 1873. En route to New York from Liverpool via Cobh, the ship diverted to Halifax for coal, but was off course. Approximately 550 people died and over 400 were saved by villagers from Lower Prospect, Upper Prospect (Prospect Village) and Terence Bay. There are two mass graves – one near the Protestant Saint Paul’s Anglican cemetery and the other near the Roman Catholic Star of the Sea cemetery.

In 1981 local community members cleared the overgrown brush around the Protestant monument and gravesite. In 1998, another community collaborative effort, funds were raised to protect the gravesite, create the park, and build the Interpretation Centre. The SS Atlantic Heritage Park Society was incorporated as a non-profit in 2001. 2023 marks the 150th anniversary of the wreck – the worst ever maritime disaster directly on our shores.

The SS Atlantic legacy art projects are ongoing and involve many partners and collaborators in the local Prospect Road communities and beyond.

This website is part of the SS Atlantic Navigating Futures project facilitated and documented by Ariella Pahlke and designed by Nance Ackerman and Ariella Pahlke, with additional quilt photos by Denise Sooley and additional video by Ann Verrall

Partnering Organizations

Arts Nova Scotia
Atlantic Memorial Terence Bay Elementary School
Bluenose II
Charitable Irish Society of Halifax
CLARI
East Coast Outfitters
Government of Ireland via Emigrant Support Programme
Halifax Regional Municipality
Heritage Canada - Building Community through Arts and Heritage Legacy Fund
New Life Community Church
Prospect Road Community Centre
Prospect Road Recreation Association
SS Atlantic Heritage Park Society
St. Joseph’s Church (Holy Apostles Parish)
St. Paul’s Church (Anglican Church of Canada)

Margaret Sagar
Marissa Slaunwhite
Kaitlyn Smallwood
Melinda Spooner
Emily Sollows
Denise Sooley
Sonya Steinwender
Jane Stewart
Nora Strapps
Sarah Strapps
Students in K. Smallwood’s
grade 3/4 22/23 AMTB class
Karen Vernon
Ann Verrall
Captain Phil Watson
Robert White
Adam Zita

The SS Atlantic legacy art projects were initiated and are facilitated by members of the SSA 150th Anniversary Steering Committee in conjunction with project manager, Karen Vernon. Steering committee members between 2022-2024 include:

Scott Baltjes
Ellen Carusetta
Susan Corbett
Margie Donovan
Joan Duggan
Pauline Halstead
Sheila Lamplugh
Paula MacKay
Ariella Pahlke
Lynette Richards
Mike Roberts
Dee Ryan-Meister
Margaret Sagar
Donna Saulnier
Gordon Steeves
Nora Strapps
Jane Stewart
Colin Walsh
Linda Wozniak