The Memory Store: But we're even more lucky to have the artifacts...

The week's Memory Store video is another video from Gary Green. Gary is a past president of the Crow's Nest Officer's Club and a past president of the Crow's Nest Military Artefacts Association. This week Gary Green explains how the gun shield art and other wall art displayed in the club is placed in the order it was left when the Second World War ended.

Watch the video below or click here to watch the video on YouTube.

Click here for more information about the building's history and architectural style.
If you missed our initial post explaining the concept of the Memory Store clip here to go back to our first blog post with the introduction video or check out our YouTube channel at ICH NL.

Stay tuned for more short stories about historic places in the province, in the form of short oral history interviews conducted with the people who care about those places and if you have a personal memory about a historic place in Newfoundland and Labrador, and want to add your voice to the Memory Store project, let us know at ich@heritagefoundation.ca

-Terra

The Memory Store: It was not consumed in the fire of 1892...

Photo courtesy of Bruce Templeton.

The week's Memory Store video comes to us from St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church otherwise known as the Kirk. Bruce Templeton tells the story of the burning bush in relation to the Presbyterian Church and how the burning bush medallion of an earlier church survived the fire of 1892.

Watch the video below or click here to watch the video on YouTube.

Click here for more information about the building's history and architectural style.
If you missed our initial post explaining the concept of the Memory Store clip here to go back to our first blog post with the introduction video or check out our YouTube channel at ICH NL.

Stay tuned for more short stories about historic places in the province, in the form of short oral history interviews conducted with the people who care about those places and if you have a personal memory about a historic place in Newfoundland and Labrador, and want to add your voice to the Memory Store project, let us know at ich@heritagefoundation.ca

-Terra

The Memory Store: The walls came down and we were back to square one...

This week’s Memory Store video is a clip of Elisabeth Laverty from the Anglican Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. Elisabeth describes the construction of the Anglican Cathedral of St. John the Baptist and the destruction caused by the 1892 fire.

Watch the video below or click here to watch the video on YouTube.

Click here for more information about the building's history and architectural style.
If you missed our initial post explaining the concept of the Memory Store clip here to go back to our first blog post with the introduction video or check out our YouTube channel at ICH NL.

Stay tuned for more short stories about historic places in the province, in the form of short oral history interviews conducted with the people who care about those places and if you have a personal memory about a historic place in Newfoundland and Labrador, and want to add your voice to the Memory Store project, let us know at ich@heritagefoundation.ca

-Terra

The Memory Store: An optical illusion...

The video for this week's the Memory Store was filmed in the stairwell of the Anna Templeton Centre.  Executive director Beverly Barbour describes the process of installing an elevator in a historic building, especially one which is a bit of an optical illusion.  You can check out the building and the new elevator during an evening or weekend craft class at the centre.

Watch the video below or click here to watch on YouTube.

Click here for more information about the building's history and architectural style.  If you missed our initial post explaining the concept of the Memory Store clip here to go back to our first blog post with the introduction video or check out our YouTube channel at ICH NL. 

Stay tuned for more short stories about historic places in the province, in the form of short oral history interviews conducted with the people who care about those places and if you have a personal memory about a historic place in Newfoundland and Labrador, and want to add your voice to the Memory Store project, let us know at ich@heritagefoundation.ca

-Terra

The Memory Store: And we painted the rest white...

The Memory Store post this week is another video from the Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador.  Executive director Anne Manuel describes the Craft Council's first exhibition and the expansion of the Craft Council in the building.  Remember you can stop in to Devon House and check out the exhibits or the buildings beautiful woodwork and fireplaces.

Watch the video below or click here to watch on YouTube.

Click here for more information about the building's history and architectural style.
If you missed our initial post explaining the concept of the Memory Store clip here to go back to our first blog post with the introduction video or check out our YouTube channel at ICH NL.  

Stay tuned for more short stories about historic places in the province, in the form of short oral history interviews conducted with the people who care about those places and if you have a personal memory about a historic place in Newfoundland and Labrador, and want to add your voice to the Memory Store project, let us know at ich@heritagefoundation.ca, terra@heritagefoundation.ca or 739-1892 ex. 5.

-Terra

The Memory Store: The Crow's Nest tells a whole bunch of stories...

The week's Memory Store video is another video from Gary Green.  Gary is a past president of the Crow's Nest Officer's Club and a past president of the Crow's Nest Military Artefacts Association.  This week Gary Green explains the tradition of gun shield art and how each gun shield tells a story.

Watch the video below or click here to watch on YouTube.

If you haven't been the Crow's Nest check out their website to find out more information or pop in for ballad night or storytelling circle sometime soon!

Click here for more information about the building's history and architectural style.If you missed our initial post explaining the concept of the Memory Store clip here to go back to our first blog post with the introduction video or check out our YouTube channel at ICH NL. 

Stay tuned for more short stories about historic places in the province, in the form of short oral history interviews conducted with the people who care about those places and if you have a personal memory about a historic place in Newfoundland and Labrador, and want to add your voice to the Memory Store project, let us know at ich@heritagefoundation.ca, terra@heritagefoundation.ca or 739-1892 ex. 5.

-Terra

The Memory Store: The first public library in Newfoundland and Labrador...

This week’s Memory Store video is filmed in the Bishop’s Library where the Basilica houses a museum and archives. Anne Walsh, treasurer of the Basilica Museum and Historical Committee, describes the Bishop’s Library which was the first public library in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Watch the video below or click here to watch the video on YouTube.

Click here for more information about the building's history and architectural style.
If you missed our initial post explaining the concept of the Memory Store clip here to go back to our first blog post with the introduction video or check out our YouTube channel at ICH NL.

Stay tuned for more short stories about historic places in the province, in the form of short oral history interviews conducted with the people who care about those places and if you have a personal memory about a historic place in Newfoundland and Labrador, and want to add your voice to the Memory Store project, let us know at ich@heritagefoundation.ca, terra@heritagefoundation.ca or 739-1892 ex. 5.

-Terra

The Memory Store: They used to put the windows in molasses to keep them from sliding around...

This week’s Memory Store video is a clip of Elisabeth Laverty from the Anglican Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. Elisabeth explains the story of the only surviving stained glass window prior to the great fire of 1892. Elisabeth also mentioned the way large stained glass would have been shipped during the time period – in barrels of molasses!

Watch the video below or click here to watch the video on YouTube.

Click here for more information about the building's history and architectural style.
If you missed our initial post explaining the concept of the Memory Store clip here to go back to our first blog post with the introduction video or check out our YouTube channel at ICH NL.

Stay tuned for more short stories about historic places in the province, in the form of short oral history interviews conducted with the people who care about those places and if you have a personal memory about a historic place in Newfoundland and Labrador, and want to add your voice to the Memory Store project, let us know at ich@heritagefoundation.ca, terra@heritagefoundation.ca or 739-1892 ex. 5.

-Terra

The Memory Store: A present with a big bow on it...

This week's Memory Store video is filmed in the Anna Templeton Centre at 214 Duckworth Street in St. John's. Beverly Barbour the Anna Templeton Centre executive director describes the history of the building, how it came to be the Anna Templeton Centre and why it was named after Miss Templeton.

Click here for more information about the building's history and architectural style.

If you missed our initial post explaining the concept of the Memory Store clip here to go back to our first blog post with the introduction video or check out our YouTube channel at ICH NL.

Stay tuned for more short stories about historic places in the province, in the form of short oral history interviews conducted with the people who care about those places and if you have a personal memory about a historic place in Newfoundland and Labrador, and want to add your voice to the Memory Store project, let us know at ich@heritagefoundation.ca, terra@heritagefoundation.ca or 739-1892 ex. 5.

-Terra

Folklore Photo - The Hole In the Floor and Adolphus's Wake

This week's folklore photo might not look like much, but it comes with a great story, and is a very good example of how intangible cultural heritage and our built heritage are intertwined. 

We've been working on an oral history of the Jenkins House in Durrell, Twillingate, which was owned for a portion of its history by Adolphus and Lucretia Jenkins. 

According to oral history, Lucretia contracted tuberculosis and suffered in the home for many years with the disease. She was confined to her bedroom while her daughter Leah Jenkins cared for her, surprisingly Leah never contracted the disease herself. While Lucretia was sick her husband Adolphus passed away. Adolphus was waked in the home, which was tradition at the time. Bedridden and unable to leave the upstairs of the house, Lucretia still wanted to see her husband one last time. The family decided, instead of trying to bring her downstairs they would saw a hole in the floor by the side of her bed so she could rest and still be able to see her husband, so that is what they did. Today, the cut in the floor is still recognizable by the newer boards that fill where the hole once was. 

Corey Sharpe remembers his Grandmother Leah recounting the story;

“Well, I tell you about that now. I never told anybody about it before. When father passed away, they waked him downstairs. So Lucretia was bed ridden upstairs with TB and separated from the family. She wanted to see her husband while they had him waked. So what they did, instead of bring her downstairs, they cut a hole in the floor so she could look down from her bed and see him. So the floors are to stay like that.”

You can download the full oral history report on the Jenkins House in PDF format here.

- Dale Jarvis

The Memory Store: Start with a lump of clay and turn it into something...

The week's Memory Store video comes to us from the Annex Gallery on the second floor of Devon House.  Executive director of the Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador, Anne Manuel, explains some of the highlights or things that have made the space special over the Craft Council's twenty plus years in the building. 

Click here for more information about the building's history and architectural style.
If you missed our initial post explaining the concept of the Memory Store clip here to go back to our first blog post with the introduction video or check out our YouTube channel at ICH NL.

Stay tuned for more short stories about historic places in the province, in the form of short oral history interviews conducted with the people who care about those places and if you have a personal memory about a historic place in Newfoundland and Labrador, and want to add your voice to the Memory Store project, let us know at ich@heritagefoundation.ca, terra@heritagefoundation.ca or 739-1892 ex. 5.

-Terra

The Memory Store: If we put in a second fire escape...

Hi everyone this is Terra again. I just wanted to introduce you to my main project this summer with the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador: "The Memory Store". The research for the Memory Store includes doing short video clips with people about the stories surrounding historic places. This means part of my summer job is checking out historic sites in and around St. John’s and listening to the stories about them. The video clips of these stories are part of the Memory Store which is a virtual spot where we can find stories about local places. 

The Memory Store is part of the HFNL’s goal to foster a greater appreciation of historic places, by making the stories about these sites more accessible to the general public. The HFNL is working to document the architectural history and the associated stories of Newfoundland and Labrador’s historic places, in and around the St. John’s region. This research project will form part of a permanent collection with Memorial University of Newfoundland’s Digital Archives Initiative.

The following videos are the first in the series which will be posted every second Wednesday. In the first video folklorist and ICH development officer, Dale Jarvis, explains the idea behind the memory store. While in the second Gary Green, past president of the Crow’s Nest Officer Club, tells the story of the second fire escape in the Crow’s Nest placed there during the Second World War. Garry says although the first escape may look like nautical decoration it was put in place as a functional fire escape. Make sure to check out this link to learn more about the Crow's Nest Officer's Club as a historic site!

Introduction Video

Stay tuned for more short stories about historic places in the province, in the form of short oral history interviews conducted with the people who care about those places and if you have a personal memory about a historic place in Newfoundland and Labrador, and want to add your voice to the Memory Store project, let us know at ich@heritagefoundation.ca, terra@heritagefoundation.ca or 739-1892 ex. 5.

Memory Store: If put in a second fire escape...

-Terra

"A rising tide lifts all boats" - Living with heritage in Bonavista

Notice - Annual General Meeting – Newfoundland and Labrador Historic Trust

Thursday March 19, 2015, 7 - 9pm
The Plantation, Quidi Vidi Village, St. John's, NL

Parking is limited so carpooling is recommended. New members welcome
Light refreshments will be served

Following the meeting there will be a special presentation by John Norman:

BONAVISTA LIVING / BONAVISTA CREATIVE: 'A RISING TIDE LIFTS ALL BOATS'

John Norman grew up in the historic community of Bonavista. During his university years, Norman purchased various pieces of vacant land and historic properties throughout Bonavista, which he believed were worth preserving. In 2014, blending formal education and professional work with a passion for built heritage, Norman (with Mark and Chantal Dickson) founded a new group of companies: Bonavista Living; Bonavista Creative; and Bonavista Creative Workshop.

The companies’ core principles are to restore and preserve the existing built heritage of Bonavista, systematically protecting and capitalizing upon its heritage resources, while creating a more livable community for all. They intend to restore numerous residential heritage properties, while fostering and promoting new and unique businesses that will contribute to the local economy, thereby enhancing the community.

Mr. Norman’s presentation will discuss the various ways in which his group of companies is making an impact in the region.

Fishing Stage - Fishing Shed – Shed Stage

Guest blog post by Jennifer Murray, P.Eng

Ever notice the stages in rural Newfoundland? No, not the fishing stages – the performance stages. Nearly every small town and outport in Newfoundland has one these days.

These are the places where the summer festival is held, where local teenage bands play their first gig, and touring entertainers put on the big show of the summer. It’s the spot where local mayors announce the winner of the raffle, thank all the volunteers, and ask the owner of the red pickup to please move his vehicle because he is blocking traffic.

Mostly simple structures – a shed with the door on the wide side – they are cleverly designed to their purpose and climate. Unlike many amphitheatres and outdoor stages in other parts of the world, the shed-stage has a roof and walls on three sides to protect performers and their equipment from the wind and the rain which are a common feature of summer festivals in Newfoundland.

During performances, the doors can be opened out of the way or made into an extension of the stage; when not in use, the doors are secured and the building becomes a storage facility for equipment.

With the closure of many rural churches and schools, and the decline of fraternal organizations which once maintained large halls, these stages and the fields and recreational areas they typically adjoin have become the spaces where the community can come together for celebrations and special events. This infrastructure also supports the expression of many aspects of our intangible cultural heritage. These small stages represent a relatively new form of vernacular architecture, and demonstrate an adaptation of an existing type of building to meet the needs of small communities.

My Woody Point Summer Excursion

Woody Point is a registered heritage district located within Gros Morne National Park. The community is near the tablelands, which offer the region a different kind of physical landscape than other place in Newfoundland. It is a popular tourist destination in the summer, particularly around the time of the Woody Point Writer's Festival, but many people might not know that it has heritage district status. To help promote the district, I recently visited Woody Point to get to know its history, its historic buildings, and some of its residents.

It was a fruitful trip: I returned with 500 archival photographs as well as 100 pages of handwritten local stories, all of which were collected by local heritage enthusiast Charlie Payne. I also gained access to 52 archival interviews (belonging to Parks Canada) from the 80s and early 90s,  and did a number of interviews with residents on my own. Over the next few months, I will slowly be cataloguing all of this data for permanent storage in MUN's online digital archives. As this work is completed, I will be posting links so that it can be viewed by anyone interested.

The Tales of Gros Morne storytelling event at Lobster Cove Head.

 One other thing that came out of my time in Woody Point was a storytelling event held in collaboration with the HFNL and Parks Canada at the Lobster Cove Head lighthouse. This event was a celebration and discussion of some of the superstitions and ghost/fairy stories from the region. We had a good turn out, with lots of stories shared and exchanged -- I hope to do similar collaborations in the future. Thanks to Parks Canada for helping to make this event happen.

Some Parks Canada employees and a few parks visitors sitting around the campfire.

 Please scroll down to see a number of photographs from this field excursion: look at all of the amazing and generous people that I was lucky enough to spend time with and learn from in Woody Point!

Nicky and Mackenzie give amazing tours of the historic Roberts house.

Margarete Sheppard, long time resident of Woody Point, shared with me her life story.

Charlie Payne, a member of the HFNL board of directors, showed me the root cellar he recently made.

Ella Moores, Woody Point's oldest living resident (almost 100!), with Shelley Roberts.

Jack and Sue Parsons in their home near the lighthouse, after sharing their knowledge of the local history.

Brenda Young telling me tales about working at Aunt Jane's Bed and Breakfast in the heritage district.

Robert and Jeanette Rowsell after a wonderful tour of the Prebble house, a municipally designated building.

Thanks for viewing this and please stay tuned for more of what I learned and experienced in Woody Point.
-Lisa

Photo-Post: A Great Day to Unveil

Marilyn Dawe, MHA Glenn Littlejohn, Eric Jerrett, Mayor Philip Wood, and Frank Crews unveil the Cable Avenue Registered Heritage District plaque.

Photo opportunity after the unveiling. Look at those nice smiles!

Myself, center, standing with some champions of heritage in the Bay Roberts area. Without the dedication of these women, commemorations and events like this would never be possible.

What an amazing turn-out--thanks to everyone who was in attendance, and to all who worked so hard to make our plaque event a success! 

To see some photographs and read about why the Cable Avenue Registered Heritage District was designated by the province please click here.

-Lisa

Join us for a heritage district event!

Please join us for the Cable Avenue Registered Heritage District plaque ceremony in Bay Roberts!

This lovely historic street is receiving a commemorative plaque and all are welcome to join us.  Refreshments will follow the unveiling....we hope to see you there.

Where:  The Cable Station Building

When: Friday, August 1st, 2014

Time: 3:00 pm

Documenting Pinkston's Forge in Brigus

On Monday of this week, I travelled to Brigus to help the Brigus Historical Society with their work of documenting the history of Pinkston's Forge.

Pinkston's Forge has been a fixture of the community for a long time, and up to now has been in the hands of the Pinkston family. But maintaining a heritage building like the forge has been a challenge for the family, and the forge itself sits on a lovely piece of corner property. Recently, the family has decided they want to develop the property, but were concerned about the potential loss of the forge. So, the family has decided to turn the building over to the town, on the condition that it be moved.

Moving a heritage building from its original location is rarely the first choice for heritage conservationists, and moving an old forge will pose challenges for the historical society, but it will ensure that the building sees a new life, and hopefully, more educational opportunities.




Local heritage volunteers will be working on the documentation of the building and artefacts, and the ICH office has offered to help with collecting the associated oral histories of the building. On Monday, we helped with the first interview. The photo above shows (l-r) Muriel Pinkston-Wells and John Charles Pinkston, whose father and grandfather started the blacksmithing business, along with  local heritage consultant Dale Russell-Fitzpatrick, who conducted the oral history interview.

We’ll be posting more on the project as it unfolds.

If you have a memory of Pinkston's Forge, email me at ich@heritagefoundation.ca or comment below.

- Dale Jarvis

Folklore Photo - Painting the Jenkins House, Twillingate

I have been working on compiling an oral history of the Jenkins House in Blow Me Down, Durrell, Twillingate. The above photo is of the house at the end of its restoration project. Here, owner Corey Sharpe talks about how he selected the colour for the house, in consultation with George Chalker, HFNL's Executive Director:

So colour was another thing. What are we going to put on it for colour? I can remember it always being white. So I said, “I’m not a big fan of white. White’s everywhere. It’s not even a colour, in my opinion. But anyway, it did look nice on the house and stuff.” So I said … I spoke to George Chalker, and he said, “Well, take a look at those heritage colours that we had Templeton’s do for us.” I said, “Yeah, I’ll do that.” 

So I picked out a colour. I think it was Dory Buff or something like that. Am I going to drastically change the colour of the house, or what am I going to do? So the siding, the local siding, had been replaced on the house in different places on the house over time. It was never all stripped and replaced. I could do one side one year, then 15, 20 years later they probably did a patch on the other side, whatever. So anyway, I got down to a patch that was original to the house. It had the cut nails, and I said, “What colours were on that house?” So I slowly scraped the paint down. When I got down to the last colour, apart from say the red ocher-ish stain that they had on it, that was the colour. It was almost like exact. That just made up my mind right there. So that’s the colour we painted the house.

Photos courtesy Corey Sharpe.

Tuesday's Folklore Photo: and now for something completely different

Okay, so I might be cheating a bit with today's folklore photo, as the real focus of the post is actually a reel-to-reel film. We often have the most random items dropped off to us at the Intangible Cultural Heritage Office, which we're more than happy to receive. As cultural and heritage mediators and facilitators, we often become the custodians of items in order to preserve and make them accessible to the public.

We recently came into possession of a 12 inch reel-to reel film entitled Architecture of Newfoundland and were tasked with figuring out how to digitize it. To our delight, it has already been digitized and made available to the public via Memorial University's Digital Archives Initiative. This film was produced by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and is a fantastic snapshot of architecture in the province in 1975. The film has been made available to view in its entirety by Memorial University of Newfoundland Distance Education, Learning and Teaching Support (DELTS). 

Click here to watch Architecture of Newfoundland!

-Nicole