The British sold Deadman 's Island to Charles Longley , a Canadian businessman , in 1907 . He built an amusement park known as Melville Park for the children of cottagers on the shore of Melville Cove , and established a ferry system across the Northwest Arm to service the park . The boat fare included free admission to the park seven days per week . Activities offered included swings , slides , dancing on Tuesday and Thursday nights , and " water sports " on Saturdays . A large pavilion was built to host these activities , and included space for boat storage and an upper-level dance hall . Three skulls unearthed during the digging of a berry patch were placed on the rafters in one room to frighten " the bravest of the visitors " . Though the park was initially popular , the onset of the First World War , the 1917 Halifax Explosion , and the economic downturn in the 1920s resulted in financial problems and finally foreclosure in 1927 . In 1936 Longley presented John Dixon 's grave marker to the Nova Scotia Provincial Museum
Halifax Explosion
Halifax Explosion
Deadman's Island (Nova Scotia)