Showing posts with label doors open. Show all posts
Showing posts with label doors open. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 26, 2022

Burgess Property Plaque Unveiling and Open House

On Sunday, July 17th, Heritage NL presented several historic plaques to the Burgess Property in Whiteway, which was followed by an open house of the property.

Several Burgess Property Outbuildings

The Burgess Property was designated a Registered Heritage Structure by Heritage NL in 2020 due to its historic and aesthetic value, and for its connection to the Burgess family, who were the first permanent settlers in Whiteway (then Witless Bay, Trinity Bay). Following the recent restoration of the Burgess Property structures, Heritage NL was proud to present them with a historic plaque.

Burgess Root Cellar with historic tools

The new plaque reads: “Burgess Property is a collection of structures built and operated by the Burgess family over six generations. The arrangement of the property’s component buildings speaks to settlement patterns in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, while the structures themselves are good examples of the diversity of residential and working buildings of the period.

Charles (1818-1898) and Sarah (1828-1894) Burgess arrived in Whiteway (then Witless Bay, Trinity Bay) from Carbonear with their three children in 1862. By 1871 the Burgess family comprised eight of the community’s twelve inhabitants. Though early Burgess men were recorded as fishermen, the family was active in several lines of business including sail-making, sawing lumber, boat-building, and barrel-making. Naomi Burgess (1850-1934), daughter-in-law to Charles and Sarah, was a midwife who practiced from the property.

Historical barrel-making artifacts
were on display at the open house.

The Burgess buildings are located between Jimmy Rowe’s Pond and Trinity Bay, the former a source of fresh water and ice and the latter a source of income. The cluster of related buildings speaks to the diverse functions of outport family premises and the sources of income they often drew on. The structures are largely utilitarian with no decorative trim. The house is differentiated from the outbuildings by the use of clapboard rather than wood shingles. The form of each speaks to its function and evolution over time. The large door of the mill indicates use for loading material while the store addition to the stable has a lower roof slope and different roofing material. The present house was built circa 1902 for Naomi and Henry Charles (1852-1915) Burgess after the previous house was destroyed by fire, though exact dates of construction for the outbuildings are unknown.”

New Burgess Property Plaque

Each building of the Burgess Property is also being presented with an individual plaque include the stable and store (built by 1897), the root cellar (built during late 1800’s), the fishing stage (built circa 1900), the house (built 1902-1903), and the saw mill (built 1916-1919). 

Burgess Stable

The event was opened with a speech by the chair of Heritage NL's board, Dr. Lisa Daly and a ribbon cutting completed by the youngest generation of the Burgess family.

Dr. Lisa Daly 

Numerous members of the Burgess family were present to answer questions and historic artifacts associated with the property and community of Whiteway were on display.

Heritage NL like to extend a special thanks to the Burgess family for allowing the public a chance to explore the outbuildings of the Burgess Property.

Learn more about the Burgess Property here and here.



Wednesday, July 13, 2022

Plaques to be Unveiled for the Burgess Property Registered Heritage Structure in Whiteway

Dr. Lisa Daly, Chair, Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador (Heritage NL), invites you to celebrate the designation of the Burgess Property as a Registered Heritage Structure and the unveiling of several heritage plaques.

Please join Heritage NL for the ribbon cutting followed by an open house, Sunday, July 17, 2022 from 1:00-4:00 pm at the Burgess Property on Burgess Lane in Whiteway.



In 1862 Charles and Sarah Burgess and their children moved to Whiteway, becoming the community’s first permanent residents. The Burgess property consists of a house, a stable and store, a sawmill, a root cellar, and a fishing stage which were built between 1860-1900. The Burgess family were involved with several industries including fishing, producing lumber for building houses and boats, and Naomi Burgess was a midwife who practiced from the property.

The Burgess Property was designated a Registered Heritage Structure by Heritage NL in 2020 due to its historic and aesthetic value. Restoration of the house and several outbuildings was recently completed, in part through funding from Heritage NL’s Restoration Grant Program.

Learn more about the Burgess Property here and here.

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Doors Open St. John's returns for 2013


Guest blog post by Christina Robarts

September 7-8 from 10am-4pm
It’s that time of year once again for the annual Doors Open event. Every year various sites around the city of St. John’s open their doors to visitors free of charge. For those who don’t know Doors Open is a unique opportunity for citizens and visitors to the province to celebrate our heritage through the exploration of some of our hidden historical, architectural and cultural gems. Doors open events are community-wide, open-hours events which provide the public access to architecturally, historically or culturally significant or interesting properties, free of charge, within a given time frame. The places and spaces included may be those which normally charge fees, or are not usually open to or promoted to the public.

This year we have 16 returning favourites and 3 new sites:

16 returning favourites
  • The Newman Wine Vaults
  • Robin Hood Bay Waste Management Facility
  • James J. O’Mara Pharmacy Museum, Apothecary Hall
  • Basilica of St. John the Baptist and Basilica Museum
  • The Anglican Cathedral of St. John the Baptist
  • Clovelly Stables Community
  • Art Gallery at the Refugee and Immigrant Advisory Council
  • Central Fire Station
  • Crow’s Nest Officers’ Club
  • Quidi Vidi Plantation and Craft Incubator
  • Quidi Vidi Brewery
  • The Railway Coastal Museum
  • The YMCA of Northeast Avalon
  • St. John’s Farmers’ Market
  • Winterholme Heritage Inn and Spa
  • Suncor Energy Fluvarium
3 Sites participating for the first time
  • The Peter Lewis Gallery
  • Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove Museum
  • FarOut Fitness
Admission is FREE to all sites. For more details about times and days of participating sites please visit www.doorsopendays.com , Like Doors Open Days on Facebook or @DoorsOpenDaysNL on Twitter or on Instagram @DoorsOpenNL.

You can also email Christina Robarts, Doors Open Days 2013 Coordinator at doorsopendays@gmail.com

This event is sponsored by: CBC, The Telegram, Newfoundland Historic Trust, City of St. John’s, Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canadian Heritage, and Heritage Canada Foundation.