Heritage NL Designates Three New Registered Heritage Structures

Photos of new Registered Heritage Structures. From Left to Right: Indian Cove School, Labrador; Cable Superintendent’s House in Heart's Content; and the Ross Property in Burin (photo courtesy of Russell Lynch).

Three historic properties in Burin, Indian Cove, and Heart’s Content have been awarded a heritage designation by Heritage NL. The designations include a one-room school, Anglo-American Telegraph Company housing, and a family home. 

The Indian Cove One Room School, constructed around 1940, provided a space for education for Indigenous and settler children until the community was resettled to nearby Mary’s Harbour in the late 1950s. Located by the waterfront in the center of the fishing village of Indian Cove, this one-story school building has remained primarily unchanged since construction. The school includes several pieces of original furniture, including wooden pews, chairs and desks, and a slate chalkboard. In recent years, the Indian Cove One Room School has become a community space again, hosting weddings and celebrations of life, and is located along a Battle Harbour Trust walking trail. Learn more from our website: https://heritagenl.ca/heritage-property/indian-cove-school-registered-heritage-structure/

The Cable Superintendent’s House is located on Parish Hall Hill in the Heart’s Content designated Heritage District. Constructed between 1881 and 1883 as housing for the Anglo-American Telegraph Company Superintendents, the house was designed by J.T. Southcott in the Second Empire style with a mansard roof and dormer windows. The Cable Superintendent’s House is part of the transatlantic cable history of Heart’s Content, including the Heart’s Content Cable Station Provincial Historic Site, which is currently being considered for UNESCO World Heritage Status. Learn more here: https://heritagenl.ca/heritage-property/cable-superintendents-house-registered-heritage-structure/

The Ross Property in Burin, also known as the “Red House,” is located off Little Burin Harbour and includes a family home, a small stage, and two outbuildings. Built circa 1888, the Ross house was constructed for George Ross and his wife, Charlotte Foote Ross, by her father, William Foote. George Ross was a blacksmith who operated a forge on the property from the mid-1890s to 1919, after which his son Charles took over following George Ross’s death. The Ross House is a 2.5-storey saltbox structure with a steep gable roof and central chimney. More information is available on our website: https://heritagenl.ca/heritage-property/ross-property-registered-heritage-structure/

“These properties reflect the varied history of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador as seen through built heritage,” says Dr. Lisa Daly, chair of Heritage NL. “Compared to the island, there are very few designated properties in Labrador, so we are pleased to designate the Indian Cove One Room School House as a built heritage that represents some of the complicated history of Indigenous and settler education in the province, and see its use as a community space. The Cable Superintendent’s House was built for Newfoundland’s role in transatlantic communications, keeping North America better connected to Europe. And the Ross Property was a blacksmith, a trade that was needed in every region to support fishing, farming, construction, and more. We are pleased to continue to work with the owners of heritage properties to continue to preserve the built heritage of Newfoundland and Labrador.”

Heritage NL was established in 1984 to preserve one of the most visible dimensions of Newfoundland and Labrador culture - its architectural heritage. Heritage NL designates buildings and other structures as Registered Heritage Structures and may provide grants for the purpose of preservation and restoration of such structures.