Trinity's Green Family Forge Revitalization

Congratulations to the Trinity Historical Society on their recent restorations to the Green Family Forge. The forge is an important building in this province's heritage as a museum, social enterprise, and one of the few remaining operational forges still in the province. 

This project included the stabilization of the front wall and the reconstruction of a new chimney. Heritage NL is proud that funding from our restoration grant program helps maintain buildings like the Green Family Forge.

Stabilization of the Front Wall

New fireplace for the Green Family Forge

The Green Family Forge was designated a Registered Heritage Structure by Heritage NL in 1991. Learn more about the history of the building here: https://heritagenl.ca/heritage-property/green-family-forge-registered-heritage-structure/

Does your home have original wooden windows?

Heritage NL is working on a project to measure and record window features on the Avalon Peninsula and needs help from the public to track them down. 

Specifically, we are looking to measure some muntins! These are the bars that hold the glass in wooden windows. 

Inside view of window with arrows pointing at muntin bars. Photo by Heritage NL. 

Windows need to:

• be original (not replicas as profiles will not be accurate to the time period)

• have muntin bars

• be datable to within a decade 

We will need access to the inside of the property, but all measurements will be non-invasive. 

If you are interested or want more information please contact Tienne at Heritage NL by emailing tienne@heritagenl.ca or calling (709) 739-1892 (ex. 5).

New Fieldnote on the History of Wooden Windows!

While windows are meant to be looked through, we think it's important to appreciate the aesthetic and functional value that traditional wooden windows offer buildings. Our newest fieldnote offers a brief history of these windows, with a focus on the development of glass technology and varieties of muntin bars.

This illustration from Asher Benjamin's 1798 The Country Builders Assistant shows three new styles for muntin's, the bars in traditional windows that hold the panes of glass.

To learn more, check out the link!

https://heritagenl.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Field-Note-041-A-Brief-History-of-Windows.pdf

Heritage NL approves $100K in revitalization grants for Registered Heritage Structures

Six heritage properties in Newfoundland and Labrador have been awarded grants to assist with heritage restoration projects. These include two community museums, residences, and a historic church property. 

A total of $100K was approved for Registered Heritage Structures across the province. The properties will all undergo work to restore original heritage features, utilizing traditional materials and craft skills.

Drake House Museum in Arnold's Cove will see exterior work repairing and repainting clapboard and trim; the Butler Property in Cupids and the Our Lady of Mercy Museum in Port au Port West will have heritage windows repaired and storm windows made; the often-photographed St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Trinity will undergo much needed roof repair; while the iconic Devon House on Duckworth Street, St. John’s, and the Sexton/Wilansky House in Trinity will have trim, detailing, and exterior materials repaired and restored. 

“Heritage NL is proud to be part of these important restoration projects,” says board chair Dr. Lisa Daly. “Our heritage properties are a vital part of tourism visitation and destination marketing for the province, and need continual investment.”

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 as Registered Heritage Structures and may provide grants for the purpose of preservation and restoration of these historic places.

Drake House, Arnold’s Cove

https://heritagenl.ca/heritage-property/drake-house-registered-heritage-structure/

Butler Property, Cupids

https://heritagenl.ca/heritage-property/butler-property-registered-heritage-structure/

Our Lady of Mercy Museum, Port au Port West

https://heritagenl.ca/heritage-property/our-lady-of-mercy-museum-registered-heritage-structure/

Devon House, St. John’s

https://heritagenl.ca/heritage-property/devon-house-registered-heritage-structure/

Sexton/Wilansky House, Trinity

https://heritagenl.ca/heritage-property/sexton-wilansky-house-registered-heritage-structure/

St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Trinity

https://heritagenl.ca/heritage-property/st-pauls-anglican-church-registered-heritage-structure-2/

Job Posting: Women's History Researcher with Heritage NL

 

Julia Salter Earle during the 1925 municipal election campaign.

Job Posting: Women's History Researcher

Heritage NL has received funding through the Job Creation Partnerships program to hire an EI-eligible worker for a 52 week period, $670/wk, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Heritage NL and the Newfoundland & Labrador Historical Society are hiring a Women's History Researcher to conduct scanning parties across the province of Newfoundland and Labrador in an effort to digitize documents and photographs relating to women’s and gender-diverse folk’s lives and history. The Researcher will coordinate with community museums, heritage and history groups, libraries, and seniors groups to organize scanning parties to digitize documents and photographs contributed by the public with a theme of women’s history. The Researcher will create the metadata for these documents and upload them to the Memorial University Digital Archives Initiative. 

The Researcher will also be tasked with providing an update of the research done to date during the Suffrage Symposium November 14-16, 2025; assisting with symposium planning, and leading a workshop to teach other researchers and academics how to conduct scanning parties. The Researcher will also give an overview of the works achieved at public presentation before the end of the project.

Strong research, communication, and writing skills required.  A background in women’s history or gender studies is a definite asset. 

Eligibility Criteria: 

• Be a resident of the province;

• Canadian citizens or permanent residents legally entitled to work in Canada;

• Meet the definition of EI-eligible;

• Be approved by the department under Section 25 of the Employment Insurance Act as insured participants who are active EI claimants; and

• Have an employment plan that identifies that the JCP work experience being considered supports a reasonable occupational goal.

Send your cover letter and resume to dale@heritagenl.ca

Deadline to apply: June 6, 2025 

Sheep to Sock 2025: "Shear Bliss"

Heritage NL, along with our partners the Sheep Producers Association of NL, NONIA, and O'Brien Farm Foundation, had a great time at our annual Sheep to Sock event.

We had sheep, a silent auction, and demonstrations of several traditional crafts including Heritage NL's braided rug workshop. If you are interested in attending a braided rug workshop, add your name to our email list here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf9D3a7itUUherKDvik7ZnEfbLn0KjvVd_3NF4FFEC3xSQaHw/viewform?usp=header

Braided rugs

Emily Denief using a spinning wheel

Read the full CBC article on the event here: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/sheep-to-sock-1.7538062

Introduction to the 2025 Heritage Conference Intern

Hello! My name is Victoria Mathews, and I will be joining the Heritage NL team as the conference intern. I am thrilled to be working with WHAM to run a great event. I recently graduated from Algonquin College's Applied Museum Studies in Ottawa and moved to Newfoundland in December. I am enjoying my time here and learning all I can about Newfoundland and Labrador's rich history.

In my free time I greatly enjoy art, such as scrapbooking and sketching, and have recently started book binding. In the fall I plan to do an online book binding certificate to further my knowledge of the craft. 

The upcoming heritage conference will be October 17th-18th at The Rooms. More details to come but it is safe to stay MANL, ANLA and Heritage NL are very excited to be collaborating again! 

Heritage NL Update May 2025 - New Designations, Posters, Research, and Sheep to Socks!

 

In the May 2025 Heritage Update for Newfoundland and Labrador:

Heritage NL Designates Two Properties as Registered Heritage Structures 

20th annual Heritage Places Poster Contest Winners

Sheep to Sock event - May 17th

Report on the Youth Heritage Forum 2025

An Overview of Heritage NL's Rigolet, Labrador, Trip; and

Updates at the White Elephant Museum Registered Heritage Structure

Download the pdf at

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uiywc6pehQ9Mnd-Okh-DQWgEww1WmHrE/view?usp=sharing

Photo: traditional Inuit grasswork in Rigolet, 2025. 

An Early Bungalow and a Piano Showroom: Heritage NL Designates Two Properties as Registered Heritage Structures

Two historic properties, one in Deer Lake and one in Harbour Grace, have been designated Registered Heritage Structures by Heritage NL. 

The Aitken Property in Deer Lake includes a 1930s/1940s bungalow and two outbuildings on a mature lot. It has historic value due to its association with the town's evolution and growth both during and after the construction of Deer Lake's hydroelectric station in the 1920s. It is a good representative example of a type of home built in Deer Lake by families involved in the pulp and paper industry. The home was built by Ernest Aitken, who moved from Botwood to Deer Lake in the 1920s. Ernest, his wife Annie, and their two daughters originally lived in a log cabin close to a construction site associated with one of the dams feeding the hydroelectric station. The Aitkens and other families stayed at this site for many years before building modern, permanent residences in the more populated part of the town. 

The Parsons/Collis Building is one of the few commercial buildings remaining on Water Street that predate the 1944 “Great Fire” in Harbour Grace. It was constructed circa 1858 as the easternmost building of a block of three once known as “Pike’s Block.” The other two buildings were demolished around 2000. 

Simeon Henry Parsons purchased one of the Pike’s Block buildings around 1870, and operated a photography studio and cabinetmaking, upholstery, and undertaking business from there. Leslie Collis purchased the Parsons building in 1940 and proceeded to establish a piano showroom and a repair and finishing shop there. The Collis family eventually relocated to St. John’s and went on to establish seven stores across the island. Their Harbour Grace store and factory closed permanently in 2001. 

“These designations reflect industry and innovation in our province,” says Heritage NL board chair, Dr. Lisa Daly. “From the beginnings of a community around the hydroelectric station to the development of new technologies, the built heritage of Newfoundland and Labrador adapts as we have continued to grow.”

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.