A chair believed to have been made from a piece of a vessel that was destroyed during the Halifax Explosion is in need of rescue.

The chair is located in the Burnside area of Dartmouth, N.S., near the Dartmouth Yacht Club.

It's on land that was recently sold to a developer. The family that once owned the property is hoping the chair can be preserved for more people to enjoy.

"The story behind the chair is it kind of created itself," said Katy Jean, a Dartmouth resident whose family once owned the land.

Resembles a throne

"During the Halifax Explosion, a piece of a boat flew into the air and landed in the yard of the property that my family came to own. ... A few years later, I believe 1936, the property owner at the time, before my family got it in the 40s, poured concrete and made it into a chair."

The chair resembles a throne. The part of the ship forms the back of the chair and the concrete arms that were later added to it are dated Nov. 11, 1936. It appears to be fused to the ground and Jean said it will likely take heavy machinery to move it.

It will take machinery to get it out. It's an anchor with concrete. It is part of the architecture of Dartmouth.<br>This is what the ground looks like around the base. <a href="https://t.co/9mpY8DoSHC">pic.twitter.com/9mpY8DoSHC</a> —@katynotie

The chair, Jean said, is the source of many happy memories of growing up in Dartmouth. She recalls the chair was the centre of childhood fights over who got to sit in it.

She said her great-uncle lived in the home on the property until this year, but eventually sold it when he couldn't maintain it.

Over the years, Jean hadn't given the chair much thought until she and her father decided to take a drive up to see the old property Sunday.

Saving the chair

As they got closer to the property, because of the way the trees had been cleared for development, they thought the chair was gone. When they saw it was still there, Jean said she knew she had to do whatever she could to save it.

"I was thinking I have to get this chair out of here," she said. "Because it's not only significant to my family it's a significant piece of history, it's part of the entire city of Halifax and Dartmouth."

She has a few ideas about what she would like done with the chair, including either leaving it where it is, moving it to Shannon Park to face the harbour narrows — the location of the 1917 explosion — or finding a spot on the Dartmouth Waterfront.

Katy Jean with her son Vincent and her father sitting on the chair. (katynotie/Twitter)

Since posting on social media about the chair, Jean said she's received a positive response. She said she plans to speak with her municipal councillor, some excavation companies that might be willing to help and to the mayor's office.

She said she is not anti-development, but hopes she can work with the new property owner to make sure the chair finds a good home.

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