Lloyd and Pat: Heart's Content Heritage

Lloyd and Pat Smith live within the Heart's Content Heritage District. They also happen to be on the local heritage committee and have knowledge on the history of this region. I was lucky enough to spend the day with them and learn about their life experiences here. Lloyd was born and raised in Heart's Content while Pat is initially from Carbonear, yet both of them consider Heart's Content home. Lloyd showed me a photo of the house he grew up in. His family home, which is no longer standing, was built in the 1920s. It was a duplex that functioned not just as their home, but as a boarding house as well. Lloyd told stories of his mother feeding the 10-child family as well as multiple boarders at the same time. She would make sure that the people living under her roof always had something to eat--including a packed lunch for the boarders who would go off to work during the daytime. Lloyd and Pat recalled just how busy she was, and how she never seemed to need to take any naps. She worked very hard in her life and lived to be over 90 years old. "Hard work doesn't kill anyone," is a phase that came to mind for all of us.

A framed photo of Lloyd's family home, brought down in the late-1980s.

Two more images of Lloyd's family home--same house, two different eras, particularly noticeable from the vehicles parked alongside the building.

After living and working away, Pat and Lloyd came back to Heart's Content to settle down. They built a house across from the cable company staff houses in a spot that has a view of the harbuor. Right where their house is now, there used to be a car garage that people would have their cars serviced in. This is not the only building that is now gone: also gone is the Anglican church that was once in behind where they live, the hospital in the corner lot, and the Parish Hall across the way. Lloyd and Pat were able to tell me many stories about the people and places in their community. They added some of this information to a map--a collection of important memories that I will using while doing a few different Heart's Content community mapping projects this winter/spring.

Memory aids for/from my interview with Pat and Lloyd.

Pat and Lloyd allow me to photograph them (in front of Lloyd's giant record collection).

Thank you for inviting me into your home to share so many lovely photos and stories. And to everyone else in Heart's Content that I've visited, thanks for welcoming me into your community. I hope to speak with many more people over the next few months, so please stay tuned.

-Lisa