Army and Navy Brewery

[Canada Pass 24] IDENTITY 2026-09-24: the Army and Navy Brewery is a trading name (from 1873, still in use in 1889) of the Oland family's Turtle Grove brewery, which began in 1867 and was destroyed in 1917 — one operation with maritime-brewing-and-malting-company-limited (TB-PSVK8H41, its 1893 incorporation) and the first fifty years of oland-brewery (TB-8AY8S5QG), whose present plant is the former Highland Spring brewery on Agricola Street. Three records for one lineage: a decision for a person with all three open. Not merged here.

A summary written during research. The sourced facts are in the sections below.

1. 1867
   John Oland and Company, Dartmouth

   The Oland brewery began at Dartmouth in 1867 as John Oland and Company, Susannah Oland brewing; after John Oland senior died in 1870 his son John took over the management (Dictionary of Canadian Biography).

2. 1873
   Fraser, Oland, and Company — the Army and Navy Brewery

   "Three years later a new partnership, Fraser, Oland, and Company, was established" — George Fraser, former manager of Keith's brewery, John Oland, his brother Conrad George, and grocer William Lowe. "In recognition of the large military presence in Halifax, the firm promoted itself as the Army and Navy Brewery."

3. 1877
   S. Oland, Sons, and Company

   Susannah Oland "purchased Fraser's share, and the name of the business was changed to S. Oland, Sons, and Company", with an office and vaults in Halifax and the works in Dartmouth.

4. 1878
   Fire, 6 August 1878; rebuilt in brick

   "A fire levelled the brewery, as well as John's house, on 6 Aug. 1878, but a new brick building was soon erected"; the company's own history dates the new Turtle Grove brewery to 1880.

5. 1889
   Still the Army & Navy Brewery — 243 Hollis Street; works at Turtle Grove

   An advertisement in Frederick's Prince Edward Island Directory for 1889-90 (PRIMARY): "THE ARMY & NAVY BREWERY, S. OLAND, SONS & CO. BREWERS, And also Bottlers of XX-XXX, also B extra Stout, English Table Beer in Casks and Bottled, HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA, Office 243 Hollis Street, Works, Turtle Grove, Dartmouth."

6. 1893
   Incorporated as the Maritime Brewing and Malting Company

   The business was incorporated by legislative charter in 1893 as the Maritime Brewing and Malting Company Limited and sold into Halifax Breweries Limited in 1895 — continued on maritime-brewing-and-malting-company-limited (TB-PSVK8H41).

7. 1917
   Destroyed in the Halifax Explosion

   6 December 1917: the "Halifax Explosion kills Conrad G. Oland and destroys the Turtle Grove brewery and the Agricola Street brewery" (Oland Brewery's own history). The Turtle Grove site is reported to be where a Nova Scotia Power generating station now stands — unconfirmed.