In October 2018, Heritage NL staff rushed down Water Street to rescue an old shop sign from the business of Lewis and Grunia Ferman, Jewish merchants and WWII resistance fighters. That event unlocked a flood of stories and memories about the Ferman family, and about other merchants who had business in St. John's and beyond. In this episode, we look at the legacy of immigrant merchants in Newfoundland, with clips from interviews about both the Ferman shop, and the multicultural shopkeepers of Windsor who are featured in a new Virtual Museums of Canada exhibit.
On Friday, July 13, as part of the celebrations for Salmon Festival the Grand Falls-Windsor Heritage Society hosted their second annual Memories Mug Up at the Classic Theatre on High Street. About a hundred audience members came out to listen to the six storytellers share their memories of growing up in Grand Falls-Windsor. The session was moderated by Mary Kelly, a recently retired teacher and member of the heritage society.
There were stories about growing up in during the Second World War, the newspaper industry, memories of High Street and Main Street, and stories about the paper mill. Today's story comes from Bryan Blackmore:
On Friday, July 13, as part of the celebrations for Salmon Festival the Grand Falls-Windsor Heritage Society hosted their second annual Memories Mug Up at the Classic Theatre on High Street. About a hundred audience members came out to listen to the six storytellers share their memories of growing up in Grand Falls-Windsor. The session was moderated by Mary Kelly, a recently retired teacher and member of the heritage society.
There were stories about growing up in during the Second World War, the newspaper industry, memories of High Street and Main Street, and stories about the paper mill. Today's story comes from Kay McDermott:
On Friday, July 13, as part of the celebrations for Salmon Festival the Grand Falls-Windsor Heritage Society hosted their second annual Memories Mug Up at the Classic Theatre on High Street. About a hundred audience members came out to listen to the six storytellers share their memories of growing up in Grand Falls-Windsor. The session was moderated by Mary Kelly, a recently retired teacher and member of the heritage society.
There were stories about growing up in during the Second World War, the newspaper industry, memories of High Street and Main Street, and stories about the paper mill. Today's story comes from Ed Power:
On Friday, July 13, as part of the celebrations for Salmon Festival the Grand Falls-Windsor Heritage Society hosted their second annual Memories Mug Up at the Classic Theatre on High Street. About a hundred audience members came out to listen to the six storytellers share their memories of growing up in Grand Falls-Windsor. The session was moderated by Mary Kelly, a recently retired teacher and member of the heritage society.
There were stories about growing up in during the Second World War, the newspaper industry, memories of High Street and Main Street, and stories about the paper mill. Today's story comes from Elizabeth (Hicks) Walters:
On Friday, July 13, as part of the celebrations for Salmon Festival the Grand Falls-Windsor Heritage Society hosted their second annual Memories Mug Up at the Classic Theatre on High Street. About a hundred audience members came out to listen to the six storytellers share their memories of growing up in Grand Falls-Windsor. The session was moderated by Mary Kelly, a recently retired teacher and member of the heritage society.
There were stories about growing up in during the Second World War, the newspaper industry, memories of High Street and Main Street, and stories about the paper mill. Today's story comes from Roy Oldford:
On Friday, July 13, as part of the celebrations for Salmon Festival the Grand Falls-Windsor Heritage Society hosted their second annual Memories Mug Up at the Classic Theatre on High Street. About a hundred audience members came out to listen to the six storytellers share their memories of growing up in Grand Falls-Windsor. The session was moderated by Mary Kelly, a recently retired teacher and member of the heritage society.
There were stories about growing up in during the Second World War, the newspaper industry, memories of High Street and Main Street, and stories about the paper mill. Today's story comes from Barbara Smith:
On our trip out to Grand Falls-Windsor for the Memory Mug Up event back in July we were told the story behind the framed chip bags that hang in the Classic Theatre on High Street. Listen to the clip below to hear Shawn Feener, the owner/operator of the Classic Theatre, explain the story behind the tickets and chip bags.
What was the first movie you saw in theatres? Or where was your first date?
On our trip out to Grand Falls-Windsor for the Memory Mug Up we were told an interesting story about the slide projector in this photo. The event was held in July at the Classic Theatre as part of their Salmon Festival celebrations and there were six storytellers on stage. Shawn Feener, the owner/operator of the Classic Theatre and one of the story tellers, explained the story behind the slide projector. You may notice right away but it has been altered slightly with the addition of three tin cans. These were added so that the picture from the slide could reach the screen. Listen to the clip below to hear Shawn Feener and John Edwards explain the story of the tin can projector. What have you used tin cans for besides beans?!
As part of the Collective Memories project Dale and I headed out to Grand Falls-Windsor last week to help out with the town's first Memory Mug Up event. The mug up was held in the Classic Theatre on High Street and was part of the town's Salmon Festival activities. The event was organized by the Grand Falls-Windsor Heritage Society and was a staged interview with six local community members.
Dale moderated the discussion which involved memories of horses and goats, tales of how to sneak in to the movie theatre with flattened nickels or fake tickets, stories of memorable local characters, the influence of strong woman, and memories about growing up in the community. The event was recorded and will be placed on Memorial University's Digital Archives Initiative. Check out the video below for a taste of the event and stay tuned for more memories!
Elizabeth Munch in front of Hermann's Shoe Shop. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Munch.
On October 14, 2016, as part of the Collective Memories project, I interviewed Elizabeth Munch Power of Grand Falls-Windsor about her family’s business and experience on Main Street.
In this interview Elizabeth discusses her parent's move from Europe to Canada, and how they made their way to Windsor, NL. She also discusses growing up in Windsor, her father's cobbler/shoe shop in Windsor, the camaraderie of the business owners on Main Street, and the family's move to St. John's. I posted a short clip of Elizabeth discussing Bonfire Night below but your can click here to listen to the entire interview and learn more about Hermann Munch's shoe shop.
Hermann Munch on left. Circa 1950s. Photo courtesy of GFWHS.
On September 23, 2016, as part of the Collective Memories project, I interviewed Yvonne Courtney of Grand Falls-Windsor about growing up in Grand Falls, shopping on Main Street, the merchants and business owners, the various cultures on Main Street, and social events in Grand Falls-Windsor.
In this interview Yvonne describes the fashion of the 1950s and 1960s and shopping on Main Street. Describing Cohen's on Main Street Yvonne remembered:
Cohen’s had elegance right off the magazine covers. They had changed the shop completely. When you walked up those steps on the left hand side and entered the world of Cohen’s fashion you were just blown away. Everything was gorgeous. There were velvet coats or fur coats, fur-lined coats, there were hats like you had never seen before, there were shoes that were really today’s shoes with a clutch purse to match and the clothing was just gloriously beautiful and there was carpet on the floor and the dressing rooms were snazzier. Everything about Cohen’s was just snazzy, totally snazzy and big floor length mirrors, 2 or 3 of them in a row. You could stand there and see everything and you could stand there and just admire putting on a coat or whatever. Cohen’s really had a fashion sense that was a cut above. Cohen’s had a way of presenting it that was in a league of its own.
On September 22, 2016, as part of the Collective Memories project, Audrey Burke and I interviewed Dolores Becker of Grand Falls-Windsor about her husband Ernst Becker’s business and experience on Main Street.
In this interview Mrs. Becker discusses her husband's move from Germany to Grand Falls-Windsor, his watch repair and jewellery shop, as well as the other businesses on Main Street. She also remembers the supportive nature of the business owners on Main Street especially Mr. George Stewart.
Mrs. Becker describing George's kind nature:
Mr. George Stewart, who was up on the end with the big grocery, we knew George well. We would go to him for the groceries. So George used to come down and visit Ern in his shop. Ern couldn’t leave because he was the only one there. So he would come and Wayne Morris would come, and George said to him one day, “There is a little tiny spot next to my store,” he said, “you don’t need to be in this drafty old place. Why don’t you come up here?” It was 8’x32’. So he went up into it and Mrs. Basha and the Cozy Chat next door, she owned that bit of land and George owned a little bit so he got the land from Mrs. Basha and built this little 8’x32’ shop.
Some of the people interviewed for the booklet, members of the Grand Falls-Windsor Heritage Society, and Heritage Foundation staff.
On Saturday, March 4th, Dale, Kelly, and I attended the "Merchants and Memories of Main Street" booklet launch in Grand Falls-Windsor. The launch took place in St. Joseph's Parish Hall just around the corner from Main Street where the memories of the booklet focused.
Interviewer Terra Barrett with longtime GFW resident Yvonne Courtney who was interviewed for the booklet.
“A Little Montreal: Merchants and Memories of Main Street, Windsor” is the third booklet in the Collective Memories Series produced by the Heritage Foundation. This booklet focuses on the memories of people who grew up, lived, worked, and shopped on Main Street with a particular emphasis on the merchants and shops of Main Street, Windsor.
Reviewing photographs from the GFWHS.
The Grand Falls-Windsor Heritage Society (GFWHS) had a collection of their archival photographs from Main Street projected on the wall. They displayed several 8mm and 16mm films from Grand Falls and Windsor including a soap box car race, baseball and hockey games. The Society also placed photocopied photographs and documents on a table for visitors to view and help identify the people pictured.
The crowd listening to a reading from the booklet.
The launch was a great success with over 150 people turning out and all the booklets being sold in a matter a minutes. The Society is placing an order for more printed booklets and can be contacted here! A PDF version of the booklet will also be placed online through Memorial University's Digital Archives Initiative.
Debating who is in the wedding photograph displayed on the banner.
There were lots of refreshments provided following a couple of speeches and readings by three participants showcased in the booklet. The Heritage Foundation had three large banners printed and displayed around the room which prompted stories and arguments had over who was in the photographs. After the official launch there were photographs taken of the staff members from different stores on Main Street such as Riff's, Cohen's, Stewart's, etc.
Former staff of a Main Street shop. I believe this photo is of the Stewart's staff - let us know if the comments if you know for sure!
Discussing stories of Windsor.
The Main Street booklet is part of the foundation’s Collective Memories Project. This project is an initiative of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Office of the HFNL, with funding provided by the Department of Children, Seniors, and Social Development. The Collective Memories Project invites seniors to record their stories and memories for sharing and this booklet and launch was an excellent opportunity to do just that!
Anne Warr posing with the Windsor quilt and the Cozy Chat banner which displays the photograph of her parent's wedding in the Cozy Chat.
Main Street, Windsor. 1944. Photo courtesy of GFWHS.
The Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador (HFNL) and the Grand Falls-Windsor Heritage Society present a booklet launch at St. Joseph’s Parish Hall in Grand Falls-Windsor on Saturday, March 4th, from 2:00-4:00pm.
“A Little Montreal: Merchants and Memories of Main Street, Windsor” is the third booklet in the Collective Memories Series produced by the Heritage Foundation. This booklet focuses on the memories of people who grew up, lived, worked, and shopped on Main Street with a particular emphasis on the merchants and shops of Main Street, Windsor.
Sharpe was one of several residents of Grand Falls-Windsor who were interviewed as part of the oral history project completed by HFNL in conjunction with the Grand Falls-Windsor Heritage Society.
“This booklet developed as a result of conversations with the Grand Falls-Windsor Heritage Society,” says Terra Barrett, a researcher with the foundation. In recent years the Heritage Foundation has assisted with the digitization of some of the Society’s archival materials but most of that material focused on the AND company, the mill, and the former town of Grand Falls,”“This project focused on Main Street in order to showcase and learn more about the Windsor part of the community.”
The Main Street booklet is part of the foundation’s Collective Memories Project. This project is an initiative of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Office of the HFNL, with funding provided by the Department of Children, Seniors, and Social Development. The Collective Memories Project invites seniors to record their stories and memories for sharing.
The booklet launch is open to the public and will include light refreshments. There will be copies of the booklet available at the launch as well as a PDF version which will be placed online. For more information please go to www.collectivememories.ca or call Terra Barrett at 1-888-739-1892 ext. 5.
Several members of the Grand Falls-Windsor Heritage Society with Heritage Foundation staff. Standing L-R: Joe Shapleigh, Jim Locke, Dale Jarvis, Brian Reid, Terra Barrett, John Blackmore. Sitting L-R: Cathy Simpson, Audrey Burke. 2016. Photo by Kelly Drover.
The following four films are the final batch of reels I have digitized for the Grand Falls-Windsor Heritage Society. They show various aspects of life in the area, with a mix of spliced together clips alternating colour film with black and white. The children and families shown in the reels are likely relatives of the photographer, Albert Hillier who had 4 siblings, and 19 nieces and nephews. I also wonder if his wife Enid is in the footage. Hopefully those who knew Albert will be able to identify some of these people in his life.
This first film starts by showing one of the Church Lads Brigade camps. Like one of our previous C.L.B reels, it shows some sort of silly parade with the adult C.L.B. members marching while wearing paper hats and carrying a flag made from a pair of white pants. Again, I am wonder if this was a tradition C.L.B. camps in general, or was it specific to this camp. The reel then changes to black and white (the scenes have been spliced together) and we see two women, a baby, and a young boy on a beach, and then in the back seat of a car. The next scene shows the young boy, and another older boy eating bread while sitting on the rocky beach, they are joined by a man who poses with the boy in front of the camera.
The next reel is a similar mix of colour film and black and white, what looks to be from different years. It starts showing a group of shirtless men outside drinking from a jug. Do you recognize the house in the background? We then see one of these men holding a puppy. The reel cuts to a game of football in front of the same house, likely with the same group of men. Then there is a scene showing a C.L.B event near a church. This clip is not very clear but you can see some of the buildings in the area. The reel then changes to colour, and appears to be much later footage. A young girl with brunette braids is on a boat and sticks her tongue out to the camera. Is she one of Hillier's nieces? The film cuts again to a man outside carrying a sack and a truck carries lumber in the background. A baby in a yellow beret sits in a pram looking at the camera. The last scene is black and white, very briefly showing a man standing next to a tripod setup, and what looks like a large pot over a fire.
Next is a short 30 second reel that shows men in a grassy area surrounded by trees, playing football and tackling each other. The same house that was in the background of the last film, can be seen in this one.
The final film of this collection, begins with a child in a red coat playing in the snow. In the background there is writing in the snow, most of which I cannot read but I do see the date 1945. The same child is then seen being walked in a stroller along a paved road. The reel cuts to a dark scene indoors, possibly with the same child, along with some adults. The child looks like they maybe playing with a camera. The reel then shows men outside in the winter, and various scenes of the Grand Falls-Windsor Mill and the dam.
Whether or not you have connections with the area, I hope you have enjoyed viewing these films. If you recognize any of the locations or people in these films, please email kelly@heritagefoundation.ca
When I started to work on digitizing the 8mm reels from the Grand Falls-Windsor Heritage Society, I expected to see formal community events and home videos with families and children. Among the mix of Church Lads Brigade reels and other footage from the Grand Falls-Windsor area, were four films that showed house parties were people were drinking alcohol, laughing, and playing pranks. These four films show a wonderful side of the personalities of these people and a relaxed party atmosphere that you usually do not see.
When I first set up the projector, the first reel that I played was black and white footage from the late 1940's showing a house full of people sitting around drinking and joking with the camera. After watching all the reels, this is still my favorite. Two men performed some sort of ritual alternating between bowing to a crate of liquor bottles and taking sips from their drinking glasses. A man in a hat and an Anglican clerical collar reads from a book. He is later seen asleep with his arms crossed and a sign reading "not dead but interred" laid on his chest. Another man wearing round glasses, a hat, and a fake beard, sticks out his stomach to portray a character. The photographer, Albert Hillier, was a member of the Northcliffe Drama Club for 52 years, and while they are not performing in the footage, you can clearly see that his group of friends had a theatrical persuasion. I am curious to know if the man dressed as an Anglican priest, was an actual priest or was he in costume.
This reel also contained scenes apart from the house party. We see young boys playing outside with a toy car and a set of wheels. There is a woman in an apron looking out a window and making gestures to the camera. Two men are outside with a car and truck with a logo on the drivers side door. Another woman joins the men and they dance before the reel ends. Do you recognize the houses in this area?
The next film is very dark, but there is a lot of laughter in there. The footage starts upside down, which may be a hint that this was filmed towards the end of a party. While it is dark and out of focus in parts, there are some good shots of peoples faces, so some may be recognizable.
In the last set of reels I shared, there was one film that showed title cards relating to the footage he shot, some of which we have. The next film has eight title cards, though some words are out of frame. One title, that we don't have the relating film, reads "Guilty: Sergt. LeMoine Sews Lieut. Lane's Coat Sleeve." Another, which may help identify one of the individuals says "A Corner Brook Photographer." These title cards are followed by a short clip showing a small gathering. The party takes place in the same house as some of the other reels, and a man pours the guests drinks from a jug.
The final reel in this set once again shows a house party with people sitting around talking and drinking, while a man is playing guitar. We then see a sleeping guest with a doll laid next to him, and another man stands over him reading from a book. I would love to hear what he is reading, maybe funeral or marriage rites? We then see three men in standing in front of the camera. The man in the center holds a funnel to his mouth while the other two pour in liquid. The guests pass around a balance toy and joke with each other. The camera returns to the sleeping man, who now has the balance toy stood up on his chest. The camera pans down to his feet and he is now wearing women's shoes. Next the camera shows a women setting down plates on a table full of food and desserts. The camera pans around the room to show the guests standing around eating, drinking, and having a good time. Although the footage is dark, in this film and the previous, there appears to be a projector set up on one of the tables, which makes me think that this may be Albert Hillier's home.
I hope you enjoyed this look at house parties in the late 1940's. Do you recognize any of the individuals or locations in these films? Contact me by email kelly@heritagefoundation.ca
In October, I began working on digitizing Nineteen 8mm film reels from the Grand Falls-Windsor Heritage Society. Without labels or a way to view the reels, the contents of the films was a mystery to the Society so they sent them along to us to have digitized. The films are now ready to be shared and I hope with your help we will be able to identify some of the individuals or locations in the films. The films have a variety of topics, but the bulk of the collection show formal events and camps of the Church Lads Brigade. The Church Lads Brigade has had a major presence all over the province, and while these reels are of the Western Division, they are a good example of the activities of the C.L.B as a whole. The films are interesting not just for those connected with the C.L.B, but for anyone who was involved in other groups that went on similar camping trips.
This first film was previously posted, but I was able to record a clearer copy so I decided to share it again. The reel shows a C.L.B. Parade with band that march towards an Anglican church. At the church there is an inside service as well as an outdoor event with many people in attendance. This is one of the few C.L.B. reels which showed a formal event.
Next we see what looks to be an open air church service conducted by the cadets of the C.L.B camp. Their families look on, visiting the camp for the day. This reel also shows some other camp activities, as well as title cards. There are fourteen titles, created by the filmmaker Albert Hillier, that may relate to this reel or others in the collection. They identify that at least some of the camps had taken place in South Brook, and one was identified as filmed in 1947.
Another reel that was previously posted shows various C.L.B scenes. I was able to reattach a broken section adding 4 minutes on to the film, as well as improving the quality. The reel showed various camp activities including swimming and sports as well as local events at the Grand Falls War Memorial and the railway station.
Unfortunately none of these films have sound, and in the following film the sound would be an important part of the event. The footage is dark, filmed at dusk while a music group with a female lead is playing for the camp. The campers can be seen dancing between the tents, having fun with a night of music.
The next film identifies the camping group as the Church Lads Brigade Western Division, and at least this particular camping trip took place in South Brook in 1947. It shows a formal event and some footage of the camp grounds including a C.L.B crest with the division, location, and year laid out in white stones. I hope this information will help to identify some of the people in the films.
While the image of the C.L.B is often thought of as uniforms and parades, this film shows some foolish behavior by the adults at the camp, starting with some sort of silly march where they all pull up one pant leg and march around the campsite. I am curious to know if this was a unique event or some tradition at the camps. Next is a meal scene, with all adults and a priest sitting at the head of the table. The mood is jovial, with members making faces at each other and the camera, and one man wearing a fake nose. We then see an informal wrestling match, and the boys line up to go swimming. The last scene in this reel shows the adults joking around and hitting each other with a strap.
The adults at camp can also be seen in the following film playing baseball and getting ready for a swim. They pose in front of a sign that reads "Our Summer Resort" and lists rules for the camp site. I believe this is also located in South Brook. We also see a female camp visitor laughing and joking with the men. This visitor seems to be in some connection with a inspection and parade that takes place at the camp and ends the reel.
The next film is a good example of everyday camp life. It shows the serious side with a camp inspection, there are various clips involving food and eating, We see how the campers bathed, and some recreation activities like baseball and boxing.
The campers also had to deal with the elements, in this case rain and the flooded camp. We can see that the tents have been raised off the ground and both the men and boys are working in a line to bail out puddles of water. It is not just necessary work, but they can be seen having fun as well, throwing a bucket of water towards the camera and tossing the bucket in the air back to the beginning of the line.
The final film in this set is a short clip showing the more serious side of the Church Lads Brigade, with all members in uniform and lined up for an inspection
I hope you enjoyed viewing these films, I look forward to posting the remaining nine soon. If you recognize any locations or people in these films, please contact kelly@heritagefoundation.ca.
At our last meeting with the Grand Falls-Windsor Heritage Society, they brought out three prints they want to identify. The photographs show what looks to be copper (or similar) relief art panels. They show three different aspects of logging work. While they look very familiar to me, we have not been able to place the. Do you know where these pieces are or were displayed? Comment or email kelly@heritagefoundation.ca
Terra Barrett, Dale Jarvis, and Kelly Drover in the Old Mill in Glovertown.
This week as part of the Collective Memories Project Dale, Kelly, and I travelled to Grand Falls-Windsor to meet with their heritage society. On the drive out we made a quick stop to the Old Mill in Glovertown. After learning a bit more about the site and the urban legend it has encouraged we wanted to take a look at the building itself. The mill is situated on a side road relatively close to the main road through town but if you didn’t know the mill was there you could bypass it completely. The abandoned mill is covered in graffiti from different decades with some graffiti referencing the red eyes urban legend. It was an interesting but eerie spot to visit and learn more about.
Members of the Grand Falls-Windsor Heritage Society and Dale Jarvis and Terra Barrett of the Heritage Foundation. Photo by Kelly Drover.
After our short detour we met up with the GFW Heritage Society in their office on High Street. This meeting was a follow up on the work I did in Grand Falls-Windsor in September on the memories and merchants of Main Street in Windsor. The photographs and interviews are being edited into a booklet for the community however the ICH Office also wanted to do something a little bit different so we met with the society to discuss the booklet launch and the possibility of doing a pop-up exhibition in the New Year. We tentatively decided on the last weekend in February for the launch and exhibit and are looking forward to the event!
Razor, stropper, brick, bottle, and tobacco from Stewart's Grocery.
While in the community we also completed an oral history interview with Brian Reid and photographed some of the artefacts housed by the society. We also returned digital copies of the Merchants of Main Street interviews which can be found online here. If your community has material you would like help digitized or would like to start an oral history project of your own feel free to contact terra@heritagefoundation.ca or call toll free 1-888-739-1892 ex. 5.
