Mother M. Bernard Clune #FolklorePhoto

Photo courtesy The Sisters of Mercy. 

This week's #FolklorePhoto is of Mother M. Bernard Clune. She was the nun who purchased Sir Little's property that eventually became Littledale in 1883-1884.

Behind the Counter at Pelley's #FolklorePhoto

Photo courtesy Joyce Clouter. 

This week's #FolklorePhoto is of Viola Greening behind the counter at Pelley’s in Port Blandford c. 1960. Daniel Pelley, the owner of Pelley's, established his first store in Southwest in 1920. In 1936, he moved locations. This building is still standing in Port Blandford but is not currently in use.

Eliza Petten of Flat Islands, and the Women's Patriotic Association

Recently, our office was sent the above photograph from Jason Davis. He writes:

"I just saw your posting on the Women’s Patriotic Association. Attached is a picture of my great-grandmother, Eliza Petten, MBE, wearing the medal presented to her for the work done with the WPA. She was a resident of Flat Islands, Bonavista Bay. Any information you can share on the WPA and her contributions would be great."

Do you know anything about Eliza Petten? Send me an email at dale@heritagenl.ca or leave a comment!

Snowmobile #FolklorePhoto

Photo courtesy the Julia Ann Walsh Heritage Center's collection. Date unknown.

This week's #FolklorePhoto is of a snowmobile outside the Bonne Bay Cottage Hospital. It was common, and convenient, for people to be transported by snowmobile in the past.

Doris Randell recounts a memory from her childhood when she went home on a snowmobile:

I was [at the Cottage Hospital] as patient when I was eight years old. I remember being on the ward, and some of the girls that worked here were local girls. They’d bring me a little treat when they’d come from the kitchen. My next door neighbour had a baby here at the same time, and my cousin was working here. So the next day she showed me this coat, and I was only eight years old, and she asked me, “Do you know who owns this coat?” I said, “Yes, that’s Bessy’s coat.” She said, “Bessy is here.” I was right overjoyed. She said, “Bessy had a baby girl.” Of course later in the day Bessy was moved on the ward - the same ward that I was on - so I got to see the baby several times in the day. It was a fairly pleasant experience . . . And when I went to go home from the hospital, she was going home the same day, and a friend of theirs - actually I think it might have been a relative from up in Portland Creek - came in a snowmobile, you know one of those big ones that you could take many people? So that’s how we went home from the hospital Sunday; her with her new baby and myself.

Easter Eggs #FolklorePhoto

In honour of Easter, this week's #FolklorePhoto is of Ljudmila Nikolajeva's beautiful, hand-painted Easter eggs at Newfiki: Cultural Concert Night which took place in 2013. This photo was taken by Nicole Penny. 

The Knights of Columbus Hostel #FolklorePhoto

Photo courtesy The Rooms Provincial Archives.

While researching jukeboxes for our next Oral History Roadshow project, I came across this photo from the 1940s. It was taken at The Knights of Columbus Hostel which was located on Harvey Road. This was a popular hangout spot for service personnel during WWII. 

On December 12, 1942 a fire quickly swept through the building and resulted in the loss of ninety-nine lives. An "Uncle Tim's Barn Dance" was happening at the time.

Dr. Dove #FolklorePhoto

This week's #FolklorePhoto comes from the Julia Ann Walsh Heritage Center's collection. This is a portrait of Dr. Dove taken circa 1940.

Dr. Terry Delaney explains, "Dr. Dove was the first doctor to work [at the Bonne Bay Cottage Hospital] when [it] was built, and his daughter, [Sue Dove], came to work here in the late ‘70s."

Presenting Shamrocks to Troops in Britiain #FolklorePhoto

Photo courtesy The Rooms Provincial Archives.

On St. Patrick's Day, 1944, D.J. Davies, Newfoundland's Trade Commissioner in London, presented shamrocks to officers and men of the 59th Heavy Regiment. Behind the officer carrying the box of shamrocks is the C.O. of the Regiment, Lt.-Col. R.C. Longfield.

The ceremony demonstrated in these photographs was held on St. Patrick's Day for Newfoundland troops in Britain. Newfoundland troops, who had been in Britain for nearly four years at the time, were inspected on St. Patrick's Day in the South Eastern Command. These troops were not part of the Canadian Forces in Britain but were a section of the British Army. Most of the men are of Irish descent and after the inspection were each presented with a piece of Shamrock to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Officers of the Newfoundland Regiment were also present at the inspection.

Photo courtesy The Rooms Provincial Archives.

Labrador Wedding #FolklorePhoto

Photo courtesy The Rooms Provincial Archives.

In honour of Valentine's Day, this week's #FolklorePhoto is of a wedding that took place in Labrador in the 1920s. Note the boy on the left holding a shotgun. It was customary in parts of Newfoundland for someone to fire a gun on the day of a wedding.

Man Carrying Rabbits #FolklorePhoto

Photo courtesy The Rooms Provincial Archives.

Here is a photo of an unknown man carrying several dead rabbits as he walks along the railway tracks on the west coast of Newfoundland. The photo was taken around the early 1900s. Snaring rabbits is a popular winter activity within the province. People say it is best to snare rabbits after a fresh snowfall.

There are many different ways to prepare rabbit. I remember my mother bottling it, making it into stew and roasting it when I was a child. How do you prepare rabbit?

-Katie Harvey

Damage from Woody Point Fire 1922 #FolklorePhoto

These photos show the damage that was caused by the devastating fire that took place in Woody Point in 1922. At the height of the area's population and commercial success, a fire destroyed roughly 58 buildings. The town never fully recovered to its former commerce level after this event. Images were collected from residents of Woody Point and donated to HFNL by Charlie Payne.

-Katie Harvey

Tuesday's Folklore Photo - Horse and Cart, Marysvale (Turk's Gut)

This week's folklore photo is of a horse and cart, taken in Marysvale, Conception Bay (formerly Turk's Gut). The photo comes from Mrs. Bride Power, who has been running the Turk's Gut Heritage House for many years. The date is unknown.

Does this spark a memory for you? Send us a note! ich@heritagefoundation.ca

Students at Littledale #FolklorePhoto

Photo courtesy Sisters of Mercy.

St. Bride’s Academy, commonly known as Littledale, was purchased by the Sisters of Mercy and opened as a Catholic Girls Boarding School on August 20, 1884. This photo shows some of the students in their classroom at Littledale. The date of this photograph is unknown.

-Katie Harvey

Mummers #FolklorePhoto

Courtesy of Yva Momatuik and John Eastcott, This Marvellous Terrible Place: Images of Newfoundland and Labrador(Camden East, Ontario: Camden House Publishing, ©1988) 137.

Mummering - also known as jannying, depending on what area of the island your in - is a longstanding tradition in Newfoundland. Mummering is a calendar custom that takes place around Christmas time, usually beginning on Boxing Day (or St. Stephen's Day). People dress up to conceal their identity and journey from house to house, hoping for a drop of rum and some Christmas cake. In this photo we have mummers from François South Coast of Newfoundland.

Have you ever gone mummering?

If you would like to know more about the controversial history of mummering, click here to listen to our podcast with Joy Fraser.

-Katie Harvey

Hauling Wood in Newfoundland #FolklorePhoto

Hauling Wood, ca. 1907-1928. Photographer unknown. Photo courtesy of the Maritime History Archive.

Harvesting wood for the winter was imperative to the survival of Newfoundlanders in the past. Everyone had a woodstove, and that was how you kept warm in the winter months. In the early twentieth-century logs were hauled from the woods by horse drawn sled (as seen in this photo).

Do you have memories of cutting or hauling wood?

-Katie Harvey

Man With Seal #FolklorePhoto

Sealing has always been an essential part of Newfoundland and Labrador's culture. The aboriginal peoples were the first to hunt seal; the fat rendered into oil for heat and light, their skin and fur used for clothing, and the meat consumed. Here we have a photo of a man with a white coat seal, photo courtesy of the Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove Museum. 

-Katie Harvey

Heart's Content Cable Station #FolklorePhoto

Photo courtesy Heart's Content Mizzen Heritage Society.

The Cable Station in Heart's Content is an important landmark in Newfoundland and Labrador. It is now a Provincial Historic Site, and a museum which tells the story of the first cable landing that connected North America to Europe. Here is a photo of an unknown man standing in front of the Cable Station with his horse and cart.

-Katie Harvey

Granny and Grandad Go Fishing #FolklorePhoto

Granny Wood. Photo courtesy Anthea Tinline. Date unknown.

These photos are of Athea Tinline's granny, Olive Wood, and her granddad, Ralph Wood, who are prepared to go fishing and/or berry picking in Salmon Cove. Ralph is carrying a kettle in anticipation of having a boil up along the way. Do you usually have a boil up when you go fishing or berry picking?

Grandad Wood. Photo courtesy Anthea Tinline. Date unknown.

Braced on rocks in Caplin Cove #folklorephoto

A building braced on rocks in Caplin Cove. Photograph taken August 1993 and is part of the 35mm slide collection at the Baccalieu Trail Heritage Corporation.

Queen Victoria's Grave #FolklorePhoto

Photo by Kelly Drover.

Today's folklore photo comes from the General Protestant Cemetery which is located between Waterford Bridge Road and Old Topsail Road in St. John's. A couple of months back I interviewed Roberta Bugden about growing up in St. John's. Along with her own stories she told several stories from her mother Queen Victoria (Ross) Young. If you want to learn more about Queen Victoria's memories of the great fire click here for a previous blog post.

When Queen Victoria Ross was born in 1885 the reigning Queen offered a bounty for multiple births above twins. While she didn't qualify for the bounty as a single birth where she was the eighth girl in the family it was suggested that she was named after the Queen. Pictured above is Queen Victoria's grave in St. John's.

~Terra Barrett