Sorry, mystery lovers, that hatch on Citadel Hill isn't a secret link to Georges Island
Rumours of a secret tunnel buried beneath the Halifax Citadel National Historic Site have long been fodder for folklore fiends and history buffs.
But if there really is an underground passageway linking the 160-year-old star-shaped fortress to Georges Island in Halifax harbour, it has yet to be found, says Parks Canada.
The agency recently issued a tender to replace a water pipe that runs within a little-known tunnel under Citadel Hill.
It winds 83 metres between a rusty hatch visible on the hill's grassy slopes and a manhole cover within its walls that's obscured by a thick layer of dirt and gravel.
Unfortunately for those who love a good mystery, Parks Canada says it's just a simple maintenance tunnel with pipes for fresh water, sewage, natural gas and electricity.
The utility pipes split into different directions at the grassy end of the tunnel — nowhere near Georges Island National Historic Site, which helped defend Halifax harbour from the mid-18th century to the Second World War.
Jonathan Nash, a project manager with Parks Canada, says the agency is also keen to discover the elusive tunnel, but this isn't it.
"We've done quite a bit of research into it," he says. "We haven't been able to locate any tunnels that connect to Georges [Island] or any other parts of the city."
