Mount Allison, History of Sports, Facilities, Skating Rinks

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Skating rinks

Tantramar Skating Rink: 1876-1893

Sackville's first indoor skating rink was constructed in 1876 by Nelson Beckwith, Jr., of Baie Verte, New Brunswick. It was a circular wooden structure located 200 feet from Main Street to the northeast of St. Paul's Anglican Church, in what is now a part of the Sackville Waterfowl Park. It had a 100 foot wide circular skating surface, 'Ladies' and 'Gentlemen' changing rooms, and was enclosed on top of the walls by a single row of windows and a conical shaped roof. A crimson flag was raised from the top of the roof when conditions were favorable for skating. The entrance to the rink was in the centre of a 30 foot extension that faced the church. 12 wells located in the back were used to flood the rink.

The rink's primary objective was to promote non-competitive recreational physical exercise and to enhance the morals of its patrons. Students at Mount Allison were encouraged to purchase season tickets, which for the first two seasons were: $3.50 ("Lady"), $4.50 ("Gentleman”), $7.50 ("Lady and Gentleman"), and $10 ("Family"). A single evening promenade ticket, without admittance onto the ice, cost .15 cents. The rink had lamps installed in 1882, but in 1886 was open still only during daylight hours.

In 1889, management of the rink was taken over by the Mount Allison Rink Association. The Association operated the facility until autumn 1893 when the rink was destroyed by fire.

Next: Copp's Rink (1): 1896-1905

Tantramar Skating Rink, ca. 1892

Tantramar Skating Rink, ca. 1893

Poster, "Rules and Regulations," Tantramar Skating Rink, 1877

Season Ticket, Tantramar Skating Rink, 1878-79.

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This project was funded by the Marjorie Young Bell Endowment Fund