Sleepy Hollow Access

Features and Amenities

Sleepy Hollow Road was once the main highway from Mahone Bay to Halifax.  East of the small bridge on either side of the trail, you will see a wall-like structure.  This was formerly a dam created by a local grist mill, to grind the grains produced by local farmers.  The stream was created by digging a trench from Oakland Lake to Hirtle Cove, at the bottom of the road.

When the railway was built, the mill ceased operation; but the stream provided water for the Mahone Electrical Company generating plant, from 1901 to the early 1920s.

If you continue East, you will pass the dynamite siding, where dynamite was brought by rail and then transferred by trail to small freighters at the Dynamite Wharf in Oakland.  After the Halifax Explosion of 1917, all explosives had to bypass Halifax when shipped.  Much of this cargo was destined to the Caribbean, where it was used in the development of towns and communities far south.

If you decide to go West, you can enjoy the Oakland Lake viewing station, a comfortable bench, set among the trees, over-looking the shimmering lake.
It’s easy to lose time and space is this wondrous piece of Mother Nature.