The Great Pontack (also known as Great Pontac, Pontack Inn, Pontiac Inn, Pontack Hotel, Pontack House, Pontac Tavern) was a large three-story building, erected by the Hon. John Butler (and run by John Willis ), previous to 1754, at the corner of Duke and Water Streets in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

. (Present-day sites of the Waterside Centre and the Pontac House at the Historic Properties (Halifax).) It was named after the famous Pontack Club in London. The first resident professional company in Canada was The American Company of Comedians, believed to have performed at The Great Pontack, Halifax, in the summer and fall of 1768. (A lively garrison and amateur theatrical tradition emerged in the Maritimes, among these was a romantic comedy called Acadius: or, Love in a Calm, the first recorded English Canadian play, performed in Halifax in 1774.) The most famous event to take place at the establishment was on May 24, 1758, when

James Wolfe Major-general James Wolfe (2 January 1727 – 13 September 1759) was a British Army officer known for his training reforms and, as a major general, remembered chiefly for his victory in 1759 over the French at the Battle of the Plains of ...

, who was headquartered on Hollis Street, Halifax, threw a party at the Great Pontack prior to departing for the

Siege of Louisbourg (1758) The siege of Louisbourg was a pivotal operation of the French and Indian War in 1758 that ended French colonial dominance in Atlantic Canada and led to the subsequent British campaign to capture Quebec in 1759 and the remainder of New France ...

. Wolfe and his men purchased 70 bottles of Madeira wine, 50 bottles of

claret Bordeaux wine (; ) is produced in the Bordeaux region of southwest France, around the city of Bordeaux, on the Garonne River. To the north of the city, the Dordogne River joins the Garonne forming the broad estuary called the Gironde; the Gir ...

and 25 bottles of

brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured ...

. Four days later, on May 29 the invasion fleet departed. Wolfe returned to his headquarters in Halifax and the Great Pontack before his

Battle of the Plains of Abraham The Battle of the Plains of Abraham, also known as the Battle of Quebec (), was a pivotal battle in the Seven Years' War (referred to as the French and Indian War to describe the North American theatre). The battle, which took place on 13 Sept ...

. The building housed auctions, dramatic productions, balls and civic ceremonies. The building contained a slaughter-house, ballroom, public conveniences, bakers, butchers’ stalls and stabling. It was the principal hotel in Halifax. On the first floor was the kitchen. There were several assembly rooms on the second floor. There was also a large veranda which encompassed the four sides of the building off the second floor.

Events

The Great Pontack was well known in the early years of the city and often hosted prominent members of Halifax society. In October 1754, on the day of the swearing in of the first Chief Justice of Nova Scotia,

Jonathan Belcher Jonathan Belcher (8 January 1681/8231 August 1757) was a merchant, politician, and slave trader from colonial Massachusetts who served as both governor of Massachusetts Bay and governor of New Hampshire from 1730 to 1741 and governor of New ...

in his scarlet robes walked out of the Governor’s House with Lieutenant Governor Charles Lawrence and others. The dignified procession walked to the Pontack and entered the long room where they were served a formal breakfast. Afterward Belcher was escorted to the courthouse, where his first official act was to exhort a grand jury to wield the "sword of Justice" to protect the innocent and to strike terror into "the noxious and guilty." This moment in legal history marked Canada’s first superior court open for business.

Auctions

On 4 June 1756, there was an auction sale of a vessel which was selling arms to the Acadians and Mi’kmaq that was captured off present-day Prince Edward Island by HMS Success under Captain John Rous.

Theatre

There was a courtyard in the centre of building for wagons. The courtyard was also used to mount theatrical productions. Actors were mainly gentlemen of the Navy, the Army, and the town. There were several famous productions that were mounted for various benefits: playwright

David Garrick David Garrick (19 February 1716 – 20 January 1779) was an English actor, playwright, Actor-manager, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of European theatrical practice throughout the 18th century, and was a pupil a ...

's The Guardian and The Lying Valet and

Benjamin Hoadly Benjamin Hoadly (14 November 167617 April 1761) was an English clergyman, who was successively Bishop of Bangor, of Hereford, of Salisbury, and finally of Winchester. He is best known as the initiator of the Bangorian Controversy. Life ...

's ''The Suspicious Husband'' and ''The Rake''.

Meetings

The

North British Society The North British Society (also known as "The Scots" and "Scots Club") was founded in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1768, the oldest Scottish heritage society outside Great Britain. North British is an adjective used as an alternative to "Scottish". ...

was among the more important groups to hold regular meetings and to celebrate special occasions at the Great Pontack. The Great Pontack served the function of the

Lloyd's of London Lloyd's of London, generally known simply as Lloyd's, is a insurance and reinsurance market located in London, England. Unlike most of its competitors in the industry, it is not an insurance company; rather, Lloyd's is a corporate body gover ...

office for ship owners, other business men and financiers of the town, who met in the Guild of Merchants’ chamber in the establishment. In the 1780s, Richard Bulkeley (governor), and about twenty others founded a chess club, which met once a fortnight at the Pontac Tavern.

Decline

It was built prior to 1754 by and first operated by a Jerseyman named Decartaret. John Willis took ownership of the building in 1769. The Pontack was partially destroyed by a fire in 1837, rebuilt and briefly occupied and eventually purchased by Imperial Oil Limited in 1925.

Guests and Patrons

File:JonathanBelcherByCopley.jpg, Governor

File:RichardBulkeleyHalifaxNovaScotia.JPG, Richard Bulkleley File:James Wolfe.jpeg, Major

File:Duncan Clark (1759-1808).png, Duncan Clark (surgeon) File:John Halliburton (1725-1808).png, John Halliburton (surgeon) File:John Gillespie.png, John Gillespie, 1st President of

File:Alexander Brymer.png, Alexander Brymer File:Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn by Sir William Beechey.jpg, Prince Edward

References

Texts * Marjorie Major's "The Great Pontack Inn" ''Nova Scotia Historical Quarterly'', 1973,
Memoir of Lt Gov. Michael Francklin. Nova Scotia Historical Society, p. 15
* "Old Inns and Coffee Houses of Halifax"; by George Mullane; The Great Pontack, The Spilt Crow, Jerusalem Coffee House, British Coffee House, Sutherlands Coffee House, Governor Lawrence's Head Tavern, Wolfe Inn, Prince Edward Hotel, Wentworth Coffee House, British Tavern, Nine Mile House (Bedford), Rockingham, The Exchange Coffee House, Woodworth's Inn, McAlpine's Inn, etc.; Collections of the Nova Scotia Historical Society. Vol #22 (1933); pp. 24.
Annals: North British Society, p. 23
Endnotes {{coord, 44.650, -63.573, type:landmark_region:CA-NS, display=title Buildings and structures in Halifax, Nova Scotia Historic buildings and structures in Nova Scotia Theatres in Nova Scotia