Digital Museums Canada Investment - The Early Lebanese Community in Newfoundland

Photo of Melin and Marion Noah and family in the doorway of their New Gower Street grocery store. Courtesy of City of St. John's Archives

Heritage NL's exhibition proposal for The Early Lebanese Community in Newfoundland receives funding as part of Digital Museums Canada's 2022 investments. Stay tuned as we create this digital exhibition over the next year. 

The Early Lebanese Community in Newfoundland
Heritage NL
The Lebanese community has a long history in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador that is not often commemorated. This virtual exhibit delves deeper into the story behind many well-known local businesses across the province, exploring how one group of immigrants built a unique sense of place while retaining cultural ties to its ancestral homeland.

Heritage NL has produced three exhibitions funded by Digital Museums Canada:
2019 - Remembering the Merchants of Main Street, Windsor
2020 - Carved by the Sea: Heritage Places of Bay Roberts, Newfoundland
2022 - Heritage Underground - A History of Root Cellars in Newfoundland and Labrador

Press Release shared from Digital Museums Canada:

We’re pleased to announce that 19 new projects submitted as part of the 2022 call for proposals were approved for investment.

“The recipients of funding from the 2022 Call for Proposals represent a wide range of compelling subjects from organizations all over Canada,” said Leah Resnick, Director of Digital Museums Canada. “We look forward to working with these organizations to build their digital capacity and bring their projects to life.”

 “Through Digital Museums Canada, the Canadian Museum of History is pleased to honour its commitment to communities across the country in sharing diverse online stories, accessible to all,” said Caroline Dromaguet, President and CEO of the Canadian Museum of History.

Topics covered in this year’s new digital projects include:

• Diaspora: Montréal Jewish Community (QC); Lebanese community in Newfoundland and Labrador
• Community History: Early coal mining in the Bow Valley (AB); Lithuanian immigrants and the War of 1812 (ON); a community festival in Saint-Eustache (QC); the impact of the SS Atlantic shipwreck (NS)
• Art and Architecture: Inuit art (MB); Winnipeg modernist architecture (MB); NFT artmaking (ON); Franco-Ontarian illustrators (ON); Acadian stained glass (NB)
• Women: Women in medical illustration (QC); women journalists in the early 20th century (QC)

In all, DMC received 39 proposals for the Medium and Large investment streams, and 20 proposals for the Small stream from museums and heritage organizations across the country. Projects were selected through a competitive process by an arm’s-length advisory committee.

See the full list:
Approved Projects

Eligible organizations are invited to apply during the next Call for Proposals, which opens on Thursday, June 15, 2023. For more information, please visit the DMC website.

Commemorations Ceremony and Book Launch: The Lebanese Business Community - April 4th, 2023

For immediate release

St. John’s, NL
March 27, 2023

Join Heritage NL at The Lantern, 35 Barnes Road, St. John’s on Tuesday, April 4th at 7:00 pm, as we celebrate the newest addition to our Provincial Historic Commemorations Program – The Establishment of the Lebanese Business Community in Newfoundland.

Newfoundland and Labrador is home to a diversity of cultures and ethnicities, but little attention has been given to how non-European identities have contributed to our province. “Beginning with their arrival in the late 19th century, Lebanese immigrants established a successful business community here. This Provincial Commemoration recognizes the efforts of these Lebanese-Newfoundlanders to build businesses and establish a unique sense of place,” says Heritage NL’s chair, Dr. Lisa Daly.

In addition to the Provincial Historic Commemoration, Heritage NL also announces the launch of The Establishment of the Lebanese Business Community in Newfoundland. This book features chapters on well-known Lebanese business owners, discusses the early arrival of Lebanese immigrant families in Corner Brook, and maps the Lebanese business community of St. John’s from 1898-1936. Several transcripts of oral history interviews are included and the book features over 150 photos of early Lebanese businesses and families.

The event is free and tickets can be found on EventBrite at https://www.eventbrite.ca/o/heritage-nl-11970018677.

Heritage NL is a provincial crown agency with a mandate to stimulate an understanding of and an appreciation for the architectural heritage and intangible cultural heritage of Newfoundland and Labrador.

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For Further Information Contact:

Andrea O’Brien
andrea@heritagenl.ca
1-888-739-1892 ext 4

Provincial Historic Commemorations Ceremony and Book Launch: The Lebanese Business Community in Newfoundland

Join us in person at The Lantern on Tuesday, April 4th at 7:00 pm, as Heritage NL celebrates the newest addition to our Provincial Historic Commemorations Program - The Lebanese Business Community in Newfoundland.

Newfoundland and Labrador is home to a diversity of cultures and ethnicities, but little attention has been given to how non-European identities have contributed to our province. Beginning with their arrival in the late 19th century, Lebanese immigrants established a successful business community here. This Provincial Commemoration recognizes the efforts of these Lebanese-Newfoundlanders to build businesses and establish a unique sense of place.

In addition to the Provincial Historic Commemoration, Heritage NL would like to announce the launch of “The Establishment of the Lebanese Business Community in Newfoundland and Labrador”. This book features chapters on well-known Lebanese business owners, discusses the early arrival of Lebanese immigrant families in Corner Brook, and maps the Lebanese business community of St. John’s from 1898-1936. Several transcripts of oral history interviews are included and the book features over 150 photos of early Lebanese businesses and families.

While the books will not be available for sale at the event we will have copies to review. If you would like to purchase a book please order online through Lulu: www.hfnl.ca

Grab your free ticket for the event today! Click here.