Bayers Lake Mystery Walls, Halifax County

I am very pleaseed to see this early 1970s photo of the Mystery Walls. It just confirms to me that there were other roads and walls in that general area. (The name “Mystery Walls” was coined by me in the early 90s when I first discovered the walls.) My personal knowledge about the “Mystery Walls” and various other discoveries that I made in Halifax County, came to a stop when I left Nova Scotia for British Columbia. Even thought I started writing a book about my discoveries during that time and have just finished it resently. With all this new data and the new excepted views about exployers who visited North America before Columbus has realy renewed my oun personal quest. The quest of knowing this about the walls: Who, what, where, when & why? It brings me great pleasure to see so many people bringing to the world stag the Bayers Lake Mystery Walls. Thanks

Hi Andy,
A bit late in reading your posted request on this site about my discovery of the Bayers Lake Mystery Walls. I am presently living in Austia. Got married to a very nice Austrian lady named Hanni in December 2010. Since then we returned to Nova Scotia for a three week visit during May and June. When with Terry Deveau to the the Bayers Lake Mystery Walls/Chain Lake area. This proved to a very enjoyable treak and very inspiring. I am sure that something big will soon imerge about things connected with the Mystery Walls that Terry pointed to. So here is my best detailed experance that I can give about my discovery of the Mystery Walls as follows:

To start with I would like to tell how and when I came to Bedford/Waverley. In 1985 with my (then) wife and four boys we moved from Truro to Bedford. While in Bedford I operated a carpet cleaning business. For the first couple of years I was able to drive almost anywhere and everywhere in Halifax County while cleaning carpets. This gave me the opportunity to study the landscape from top to bottom.

During those years I came to realize that the fumes from solvents and other cleaning products where having an effect on my health. That is when I made a decision to try and take in more clean refreshing air. So of and on I would stop my van and take a hike into the woods.

After a time while on my ventures into the woods I started to wonder: “Is there any evidence where the Mi’kmaw lived.” (Knowing full well this land was lived in by the Mi’kmaw long before the Europeans came to the shores of Nova Scotia.)

At this point I would like to skip ahead to October of 1990 when I discovered the Bayers Lake Mystery Walls. Prior to this discovery I had started to realize that maybe others visited the shores of Nova Scotia long before Christopher Columbus discovery of America in 1492. (Leaving out the fact that the Norsemen landed and settled on the shores of Newfoundland about 1000 years ago.)

During that summer I made an all out efford to see if there were any old walls in the Halifax County area. One day I stoped into an Arial Survey company in the Burnside Industrial Park in Dartmouth. While in this office I had mentioned that I was wanting to look at some arial photographs. (Prior to this I had viewed many aerial photos of Halifax County. Looking for walls or anything that would connect the reason for other discoveries that I had made since in and about 1985.) But this time it turned out to be differant.) The man in charge of the office asked me: “Why are you interested in viewing arial photos”? Then is when I mentioned to him: “I am looking for old rock walls or stone foundations”! He then pointed to an area on a map of Halifax County that was hanging on the office wall. In this area of the Bayers Lake Industrial Park is where he stated: “You will find some old rock walls”. The aerial photos he was showing me at the time did not reveal these stone rock walls. So it was up to me too and find them with the direction he gave me.

Within in a few days I found myself parked along the Bicentennial Highway where I thought from the discription he gave me that I would find the walls. At this high point on the highway where I parked my car, you will first see McNabs Island of into the distance as if floating on Halifax Harbour. You then get to see what appears to be a ‘magnified panoramic view’ of the island.

It was one of those dark wet days and I decided to go into the woods regardless of the concequences. After an hour or so of searching I was unable to find the walls. Beleave me it was not fun nor easy to trump throw the woods when it is raining. Every bush and every slip on a stone resulted in getting an extra portion of wetness on your all ready wet cloths, sneakers etc. I think you know what I mean!

A couple of days later I returned to the same spot to take up my search for the walls. And another wet day at that. Once again I was starting to feel that I was on some kind of “wild goose chase”. I reached a certain location in the woods where I had just decided to turn around and head back to the car. I was very tiered and frustrated. Thinking to myself:” How many times will I be able to seach for these unknown walls”! It was then just as I turned around and looked at the dark wet rocky overhang and “low and behold” I noticed what appeared to be rocks stacked one on top of one another. At first I thought maybe I was hallucinating. Then I said:”No, this is realy reality.”
I cimbed my way up the grey rocky bluff. At that point I discovered, this was not just a stack of rocks but it was a uniformed rock wall that streached its way along the top of the bluff making its way into the woods. Then looking into the opposite direction this same wall also made its way into the woods. I realized then, both times when I entered into the woods I had walked right by the walls maybe a close as 3 to 10 metres.

At first I did not know what to make of these walls. I had to make a decision in which direction to follow the wall. So I started to walk along and followed the wall in the opposite directions. (That would be heading in the direction of the highway where I started from.) But to my surprised this thick wall slowly started to peterout to a very narrow few rocks. I found that very strange. So I ventured a bit further passed where the wall had ended. I came to what would call a very small pond. Maybe being fed by natural spring water. Later I would have to check that finding out to see if where its source of water came from.

Then I returned to the location where I had started from on the wall. Heading now along the wall in the opposite direction. As if the wall was running somewhat paralleled with the highway in the direction of Bedford. I climbed natural rock outcrops and down into lower areas where the walls continued to be connected in such a strange manner. Not making sence to any other structure that I had discovered or visited.

Then I came to an area where it was quite clear there once was a gateway. Very well constructed. From there I followed the wall until it came to an uprupt end. By this time my head was really spinning and I felt overwhelmed and very much astonished at what I was finding. It was beyond anything that I imagined the survayor had told me about.

With these thought in mind I started to head back to the car. Then “low and behold again” I came across something that almost blew my mind. There lay a five sided stone house foundation. With a door entrance built into the foundation plus what appeared to be a fireplace foundation. Then at that point I realized I was unto something real big and no doubt very very old.
(The first photo on this wedsite is what I saw when I turned around that day and looked upward.= Some Walls near Halifax – Votex Maps.com)

Within several days I make a call to the Chronicle Herald. After contacting Mr. Parker Robinson at the Hearld he said he would do a story about the walls and shortly after that he invited Saint Mary’s University archaeologist Stephen Davis Nova Scotia Museam and Bob Olive the Curator of the Museam to meet at the site of the “Mystery Walls”. (I should mentioned at that point I coined word for this discovery as “The Mystery Walls”). All four of us met at the Mystery Walls on a nice sunny Friday. By Monday morning the story appeared in the papers as follows in part: (November 10,1990 by Parker Robinson)

The winding, metre-tall walls and basement foundations have left
Dr. Davis scratching his head as to who built the wall – which extends
up to 500 metres – why it was made, how and when. He says the ruins could date back to the founding of Halifax.

“It’s quite a mystery,” Dr. Davis said Friday. “It just doesn’t make
sense, it’s not industrial yet it doesn’t appear to have been used for
long term domestic stuff. I have no real idea what it is.”….

Dr. Davis says the construction style of the walls is Celtic, likely built
by someone of Scotish or Irish descent. “It’s a massive structure, the wall is incredible,” said Dr. Davis. “It’s very well made. And other curious things are a couple of gates – one of them is directly in front of a steep slope.”

(Full news story on this website= Rock Piles:Bayers Lake Mystery Walls)

A few days later the CTV did an interview with me in the area of the walls. They mentioned on TV that the Mystery Walls may very well predate the founding of Halifax. From that point on there was not much more I could do about the walls. Only to wait to hear future reports from the Museum as to: Who done it?

Hi Jack, seen the ruins today. Just curious has there been any digging to see what lies beneath yet or if any is planned for the future. I have read many of your theories and others and I can see why they are the name mystery sticks. I have found other walls in the dartmouth area but most are land division walls, as well as old foundations. Looking forward to more updates. I plan on returning and spending more time, as I enjoy the feeling of being “back in time” and trying to figure out the five w’s.

In summery, since the discovery of the “Bayers Lake Mystery Walls” there have been various interesting conclusions mentioned Internet. Like other people, I have been puzzled with what appeared to be a fireplace, located within the five sided stone foundation. Never thought about it being anything else but a fireplace. At a later time it was claimed: “If it were a fireplace, what happened to the stones that made-up the chimney?” This was a real wake-up call for me.
It is true, there can not be found a “pile of stones” that one could point as being the former fireplace-chimney. If not a fireplace, then what was it used for? This statement was made at later time: “It would no doubt have served as a gunpowder storage area.”
That to me is a very reasonable conclusion to reach. And why not? It has been concluded that: “Cannons were once mounted on the walls.” To have cannons you need gunpowder. To have gunpowder you need a very safe and dry place for it to be stored! Why not within the confines of the five-sided foundation? Also in a smaller enclosed compartment such as the area that appeared to be a fireplace. This would serve as an extra safety measure, to prevent the gunpowder from being accidentally ignited.
That also would explain why the five-sided foundation was built on a slope-surface. As has been said: “It would serve as away, for rain water to be drained off to keep the gunpowder dry.”
At this point I will say no more until a later date, as to the “Who, what, where, when and why, concerning these Mystery Walls.