With the onset of the First World War, Imperial Oil expanded across Canada to accommodate the increased demand for refined crude oil.  New refineries were constructed: Burnaby B.C. in 1915, Regina in 1916, Montreal in 1917 and Imperoyal-Dartmouth completed in 1918.

In the summer of 1916 Imperial Oil began construction of what was to be a trans-shipment terminal. The facility was built on a portion of 400 acres of land that Imperial Oil had recently purchased in Woodside, the former Grant and Archibald farms.

At the time the communities of Imperoyal and Woodside were sparsely populated, with only one dirt road, called Eastern Passage Road, connecting them to Dartmouth, two and a half miles away. 

Pleasant Street in Imperoyal Village 1919-1920

Late in 1916, plans for a trans-shipment terminal were upgraded to a full-fledged refinery. While most of the 1,600 construction workers were brought over from Halifax on the ferry Wilfred C. and two other ferries, temporary housing was provided, in the new tank field, for 350 workers. It became obvious that permanent accommodations would have to be found to house the influx of new refinery workers.

The purpose of Imperoyal Village was to provide permanent living accommodations for the families of full time employees of the refinery, who wanted to live close to work.

It included 31 homes, a school, various recreational areas including a tennis court, outdoor skating rink, club house, a fully equipped playground and an area allocated for vegetable gardens.

 

Imperoyal School opened its doors in 1920 and served the communities of Imperoyal, Woodside and Eastern Passage until it was demolished in 1962 to make way for an expansion of the Dartmouth Imperial Oil Refinery.

Residents playing tennis at Imperoyal Village 1930

From 1918 to 1919 the community of Imperoyal Village was built next door to the newly constructed Imperial Oil refinery in Woodside Dartmouth.

 

Aerial view of  the Dartmouth Imperial Oil Refinery taken in the 1930s. Imperoyal Village is located in the lower right corner of the photo.

 

The village was close enough to the refinery so that workers could walk to work. Either, they could use a wooden boardwalk, that ran parallel to the CNR railway line, from the superintendent's house at the end of Avenue B to the east end of the refinery or a similar boardwalk that ran parallel to Eastern Passage Road (later Pleasant Street) to the refinery's main gate. 

Groceries could be bought at Tait's, a small grocery store and canteen at the corner of Pleasant Street and Carleton Street, not far from Avenue A. In short, it was a self contained community.

 

This little community was where my family lived from 1930 to 1961 and I still miss that feeling of belonging Imperoyal Village provided to everyone who lived there. 

 

(brothers) John and Don, (mom) Claire, standing on the boardwalk used by refinery employees to go to work

Aunt Nance, Janet, Paul Romkey holding Nancy (sister), Claire (mom), Robert (brother), Aline (sister), Lois Heatherington

friend Barb any my sister Nancy early 1950s

friend Wayne Heatherington and my brother Robert

 

Imperoyal Village, Family Day in the 1950s Piror Romkey (dad) is standing back to the camera, left side of the photo

 
www.imperoyal.com is my photo tribute to a village that was demolished in 1962 but still remains in the hearts and minds of everyone who called Imperoyal home. 

 
If you have photos you would like to add or want to make a correction to a caption I would really like to hear from you.

 

 

Paul Romkey

22 Elm Street, Dartmouth NS

Canada, B2W 2K3

paulromkey@bellaliant.net