How to make an inexpensive lightbox for photographing artefacts!

We are heading out to Spaniard's Bay tomorrow for our Heritage Craft Show-and-Tell (July 17th, 2019) and we've asked people to bring a hand-made craft object to show us. So, today, Rachael Green and I made a cheap lightbox so we'll have something to use to photograph people's treasures.

We bought an inexpensive transparent plastic tote, some white posterboard, two sided tape, parchment paper, and two cheap LED lamps. Total cost: about $32.  Terra Barrett found this DIY instructable here (we used a plastic tote instead of a cardboard box so it less likely to get banged up as we travel around).

Before:

And after:

Some sample "treasures" we photographed, using my iPhone, as a test:

Thoughts? Suggestions? Possible tweaks? Comment below, or email dale@heritagenl.ca

Living Heritage Podcast Ep155 Adler’s Chocolate Factory, Bay Roberts

Scan courtesy of QEII Library, Archives & Special Collections Dept.
Collection: 3.08.064 - A. Adler of Canada Ltd. 

Have you ever had a nut king? Do you know what a silver mint is? Did you know chocolate and candy were produced in Bay Roberts in the 1950s? Listen to this podcast to learn about Adler’s Chocolate Factory in Bay Roberts. Terra discusses the research she has completed at the Archives & Special Collections Dept in the Centre for Newfoundland Studies, and the interviews with two women who worked at the factory, Irene Mercer, and Margaret Sparkes. Tune in to hear about the work the women did, the uniforms they wore, and the friends the made. If you know about stories about the chocolate factory let us know at livingheritagepodcast@gmail.com.

Download the mp3



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The Living Heritage Podcast is about people who are engaged in the heritage and culture sector, from museum professionals and archivists, to tradition bearers and craftspeople - all those who keep history alive at the community level. The show is a partnership between HeritageNL and CHMR Radio. Theme music is Rythme Gitan by Latché Swing.

Heritage Craft Show-and-Tell July 17th

How many people do you know who can run a birch broom, weave a basket, or turn a wooden rolling pin? At one point, makers of these types of objects were commonplace in Newfoundland and Labrador. Today, it seems that fewer people have the knowledge of how to make the tools, objects, and crafts of yesteryear.

Heritage NL and Spaniard's Bay Heritage Society are celebrating heritage crafts, and want to see what family treasures you might have in your cupboard. On Wednesday July 17th, at 7pm, bring something you or your ancestors made to the Heritage Craft Show-And-Tell at the Wesley Gosse Heritage Museum. Folklorist Dale Jarvis with Heritage NL will be on site to chat with you about your object, and Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador researcher Rachael Green will answer your questions about the Craft-at-Risk project.

Nothing breakable or bigger than a breadbox please.
A free event, with mug up to follow.

Heritage Craft Show-And-Tell 
Wednesday July 17th
7pm
Wesley Gosse Heritage Museum
6 Church Hill, Spaniard's Bay

Facebook event listing:

https://www.facebook.com/events/321708925447391/

Can't attend, but have an object you want to show off? Send us a photo!

photo: Model of 17th century British battleship, 

carved out of ivory by Harvey Taylor, resident of Raleigh, Great Northern Peninsula. 

Harvey Taylor was listed as being 45 years old and the father of 6 children in the Census of 1935. 

source: The Rooms,  International Grenfell Association fonds,  Ottawa Business Office, 

St. Anthony office, File MG 63.2192, Item A 58-70, 1932.

Southside Memories with Helen Fogwill Porter

Helen Fogwill Porter. Photo courtesy of CBC NL: https://bit.ly/2XGNTtK.

Do you have memories of growing up in St. John's? Have you heard stories of the longshoremen of the southside?

Join us this Sunday, July 14, at the community room in the St. John's Farmer's Market for a discussion with Helen Fogwill Porter. Folklorist, Dale Jarvis, will led the discussion with Porter, a local writer, and activist on growing up on the Southside Road in St. Johns, Newfoundland, during the 1930s and 1940s.

This Memory Mug Up is a partnership between Heritage NL, the St. John’s Farmer’s Market, and the St. John’s Storytelling Festival. The event will take place on Sunday July 14th from 2-3 p.m. at the St. John’s Farmer’s Market, 245 Freshwater Road.

Southside Memories is a free and informal story sharing session, where people gather, have a cup of tea, and share memories. Bring a memory from growing up, or come out to listen to Helen's stories of the Southside of St. John's.

For more information please contact Terra Barrett with the Heritage NL toll free at 1-888-739-1892 ext. 5 or email terra@heritagenl.ca

Helen Fogwill Porter. Photo courtesy of CBC NL: https://bit.ly/2LL6O42.

More on Helen Fogwill Porter:
Helen Fogwill Porter was born in 1930, on the Southside of St. John's, Newfoundland. Porter began writing in the 1960s, starting with articles, short stories, and poetry. Her memoir Below the Bridge, published in 1980, is based on her youth growing up on the south side of St. John's. She still resides in St. John's, Newfoundland, today.

Her first novel January, February, June or July won the Young Adult Canadian Book Award from the Canadian Library Association in 1989. She was given the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council's lifetime achievement award in 1993. Memorial University of Newfoundland granted her an Honorary Doctorate of Letters in 1997. She was awarded the Order of Canada in December 2015, and the same year a footbridge spanning the Waterford River was dedicated to her.

Porter is a member of the Writers' Union of Canada, and served on the boards of PEN Canada and the Writers Alliance of Newfoundland and Labrador. Porter was also a founding member of the Newfoundland Writer's Guild. Porter taught creative writing with Memorial University Extension Arts and worked with the Visiting Artists' Program of the Newfoundland Teachers' Association. Porter was heavily involved in the women's movement in the early 1970s. She was also a founding member of the Newfoundland Status of Women Council and ran for election to the Canadian Parliament as a New Democratic Party representative four times. In 2003 The Helen Porter Fund was established to help women NDP candidates.

Remembering the Pouch Cove SUF hall

SUF Parade, Pouch Cove, 1955

Do you remember the concerts and times at the old Society of United Fishermen's hall in Pouch Cove? Did you dance there, or have a reception there? Do you know someone who was a member, or remember parades? Come celebrate the history of the SUF, meet former members, have a cup of tea, and maybe even sample some traditional sweets!

Bring any old photos, member's certificates, or SUF memorabilia, and the Pouch Cove Heritage Society will take photos or scan it, to help record the important place of the SUF in Pouch Cove history.

Thursday, July 18th - Remembering the old SUF hall
7:30pm, Anglican Church Hall, Pouch Cove

Organized by the Pouch Cove Heritage Society and Heritage NL.
Free event

Facebook Event Listing
https://www.facebook.com/events/370007783714726/

Take the NL Heritage Craft at Risk Survey!

How many people do you know who can run a birch broom, weave a basket, or make a tea doll? At one point, makers of these types of objects were commonplace in Newfoundland and Labrador. Today, the practitioners of these heritage crafts seem to fewer in number, with fewer people having the knowledge of how to make the tools, objects, and crafts of yesteryear.

Heritage NL and the Craft Council of NL are concerned about this loss of traditional know-how, and are working together to compile a list of makers, craft producers, and skills in decline.

The Heritage Craft at Risk survey is a joint project of the two organizations, which aims to assess the current viability of traditional heritage crafts in NL, and to identify those crafts which are most at risk of disappearing. The project also aims to create a list of heritage crafts in NL, accompanied by information about each craft and whom may practice it.

"Living in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean our craft producers have spent years using their heritage of English, Irish, French, and Indigenous ancestors to grow their creativity and developed a true sense of place that is one of a kind,” says Rowena House, Executive Director of the Craft Council of NL.

“Newfoundland and Labrador has such a unique and diverse range of craft skills that supports some of the best craftspeople in the world,” she adds. “These skills will only survive if they continue to be taught through each generation. They provide a tangible link to our roots, and they are part of our shared heritage.”

With the survey, organizers are asking craft producers, makers, and builders to provide feedback on the current state of the heritage craft form they are most familiar with in Newfoundland and Labrador. The survey covers topics such as the number of makers currently practising specific skills, and issues limiting the health of craft in NL.

Organizers hope that the future Heritage Craft at Risk List will help safeguard, document, and stimulate production of contemporary, traditional, and Indigenous craft. They are looking for feedback from anyone at any level of practise, from professional or amateur craft producers, and from traditional makers of objects ranging from snowshoes to dry stone walls.

“When people think of craft, they often think of things like knitting or rug-making,” says Heritage NL folklorist Dale Jarvis. “We certainly want information on the health of those traditions, but we are just as concerned with things like tinsmithing, fly tying, or making komatiks and slides.”

Interested makers and craft producers can take the survey online at www.heritagecraft.ca, at one of the public sessions to be held over the summer, or by calling Rachael at the Heritage Craft At Risk toll-free hotline at 1-888-739-1892 ext 6.


Public Sessions
Monday, August 12th
7pm Anna Templeton Centre, Duckworth Street, St. John’s

Wednesday, August 14th
7pm SUF Hall, Winterton

Register for the public sessions online at:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/heritage-craft-at-risk-public-sessions-tickets-64797180110

A Brief History of the Evening Telegram at 275 Duckworth Street

The Evening Telegram offices have been in several locations over their 140 year existence, including 275 Duckworth Street. The building was home to the telegram from the mid 1950s to 1981. During this period of time, the Telegram mainly operated from 275 Duckworth Street but the mailroom was located on 154 Water Street. It is the longest running daily newspaper in the province!

With approximately 120 workers, on October 31st, 1981 the Evening Telegram operated at 275 Duckworth for the last time. The 81-year-old printing press printed its last ever copy, its successor being a new 80 page Goss press. Because of this, the last published newspaper at 275 Duckworth had a different style from any published afterwards. During its last week of operation here, the six-section Hoe press turned out more than 230,000 copies of The Telegram.

Did you or one of your relatives work at 275 Duckworth Street, St. John’s? If so, you are invited to a party! To celebrate the history of their new home at 275 Duckworth Street, the Craft Council of NL is hosting a building reunion in partnership with Heritage NL.

Thursday, August 1st
3pm-6pm Cocktail reception
The Salt House
171 Water Street, St. John’s

7pm Reunion
Craft Council of NL Gallery
275 Duckworth Street, St. John's

Get your free tickets here:

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/275-duckworth-reunion-tickets-63656748047

July Heritage Events - Memories, Mats, Photos, and Crafts!

We have a month full of events, workshops, and all-around fun stuff planned for July!

Saturday July 13th - Heritage Day in New Perlican
2pm, Veteran's Memorial Community Centre, New Perlican

12th Annual Heritage day! New designations, winners of the photo contest, and Dale Jarvis will present (briefly!) on the ongoing St. Mark's Cemetery research.

Sunday July 14th - Memory Mug Up at the Market - Southside Memories! 
2pm, St. John's Farmers Market Community Room

We are hoping that the lovely Helen Fogwill Porter will be with us to share memories of growing up on the Southside of St. John's. If you're from that part of town or not, come listen and share your memories of earlier times.


Monday July 15th - Old Christmas Photo Scanning Party
2pm-5pm, SUF Hall, Heart's Delight-Islington 

Bring along your scrapbooks and photo albums and we'll scan your Heart's Delight-Islington Christmas photos for you. We'd love to see photos of your old Christmas tree, family shots, concerts and times, jannies, your favourite gift, and especially photos of the old SUF and Orange parades!
Facebook event.


Wednesday, July 17th - Heritage Craft Show-And-Tell 
7pm, Wesley Gosse Heritage Museum, Spaniard's Bay

Bring something you or your ancestors made to the Heritage Craft Show-And-Tell at the Wesley Gosse Heritage Museum. Folklorist Dale Jarvis with Heritage NL will be on site to chat with you about your object, and Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador researcher Rachael Green will answer your questions about the Craft-at-Risk project. Mug up to follow.
Facebook event


Thursday, July 18th - Remembering the old SUF hall
7:30pm, Anglican Church Hall, Pouch Cove

Do you remember the concerts and times at the old SUF hall in Pouch Cove? Did you dance there, or have a reception there? Do you know someone who was a member, or remember parades? Come celebrate the history of the SUF, meet former members, and maybe even taste some fudge. Bring any old photos, certificates, or SUF memorabilia, and the Pouch Cove heritage society will take photos or scan it, to help record the important place of the SUF in Pouch Cove history.


Monday, July 22nd - Cemetery Transcription and Best Practices Workshop
9:15am - 4pm, Logy Bay Middle Cove Outer Cove Museum

This combination workshop/documentation project will instruct participants in how to transcribe grave markers, and provide advice for towns or heritage groups thinking about planning a historic cemetery project.
$35 - Register here


Wednesday, July 24th - Tea With Hookers!
1pm, Livyer's Lot and Tea Rose, Placentia West Heritage Committee 

Bring your favourite hooked mat for a show-and-tell, and have tea and a conversation with some of Placentia West's best rug and mat makers.
Facebook event

Saturday, July 27th - Traditional Boat Launch
2pm, on the South West Side of Heart's Delight,
between George Reid's wharf and Richard Hebbes wharf.

Join the folks of Heart's Delight-Islington for the traditional boat launch of local heritage boatbuilder Edwin Bishop's new wooden motorboat. Also, if you have a boat that was built by Edwin Bishop, we'd like you to bring it out, and have it in the harbour for the launch on that day.
Facebook event


Thursday, August 1st - 275 Duckworth Street Reunion
7pm, 275 Duckworth, Craft Council of NL Gallery

Did you or one of your relatives work at 275 Duckworth Street? If so, you are invited to a party! To celebrate the history of their new home at 275 Duckworth Street, the Craft Council of NL is hosting a building reunion in partnership with Heritage NL.
Free, tickets available here.  or through the Facebook event here

Cemetery Transcription and Best Practices Workshop July 22

Cemetery Transcription and Best Practices Workshop

This combination workshop/documentation project will instruct participants in how to transcribe grave markers, and provide advice for towns or heritage groups thinking about planning a historic cemetery project.

The morning session will cover the DOs and DON’Ts of planning a cemetery project: Andrea O'Brien (Heritage NL) will provide an overview of how municipalities can designate and protect historic cemeteries; while Dale Jarvis (Heritage NL) will talk about how to record inscriptions, tombstone symbols and stone types, and how to fill out cemetery marker forms. In the afternoon session, participants will assist the Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove Museum in collecting tombstone information at the St. Francis of Assisi RC Cemetery.

Participants will walk through the cemetery looking at the evolution of the memorials and tombstone motifs over time, and then will work to record contemporary grave markers as part of the Museum’s ongoing project to maintain a database of cemetery inscriptions.

Full day workshop, breaks, water, lunch included

Monday, July 22nd, 2019
9:30am - 4:00pm
Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove Museum
744 Logy Bay Road, Logy Bay
$35

(backup rain date: Tuesday, July 23rd, 2019)

Spaces limited, pre-registration required. Registration deadline Thursday, July 18th.

Book your spot here.

A Brief History of the Newfoundland Clothing Company

November 11th, 1911 the Newfoundland Clothing Company opened for the very first time in it’s 275 Duckworth street location. The factory celebrated their opening with a dinner and ball, with 350 ladies and gentlemen in attend. The interior of the building was beautifully ornamented and decorated for the occasion, the place was lit by electricity with noon-day brightness, while the tables were decorated lovely. There were games and dancing on various levels of the building, with heartfelt speeches and cheering by all. Opening over a century ago… I can only dream of what it felt like to be there!

With the seamstresses and tailoresses hard at work, business at the factory soon took off! Producing suits, shirts, overalls, coveralls, etc. with brand names such as Fitreform, Truefit, Progress, Americus, Stylenfit, and Faultless. By 1917, the factory had 150 employees inside, and 30 outside. They were advertised and recognized for their good material, workmanship, quick delivery, and strong attention to detail. In its early days, the clothing factory is described as being a huge operation that was ahead of its time.

Unfortunately, in 1952, the Newfoundland Clothing Company closed its doors for good. Some may say because of confederation, it was simply too difficult for the company to compete with major chains. My hunt for more information continues, and I'm super excited to see what else I can uncover!

Did you or one of your relatives work at 275 Duckworth Street, St. John’s? If so, you are invited to a party! To celebrate the history of their new home at 275 Duckworth Street, the Craft Council of NL is hosting a building reunion in partnership with Heritage NL.

Thursday, August 1st

7pm Reunion

Craft Council of NL Gallery

275 Duckworth Street, St. John's

Get your free tickets here:

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/275-duckworth-reunion-tickets-63656748047

Calling all tailoresses and newspaper boys: 275 Duckworth Reunion

Calling all tailoresses and newspaper boys: 275 Duckworth Reunion

Did you or one of your relatives work at 275 Duckworth Street, St. John’s? If so, you are invited to a party! To celebrate the history of their new home at 275 Duckworth Street, the Craft Council of NL is hosting a building reunion in partnership with Heritage NL.

Perhaps best-known as the home of the Evening Telegram newspaper, the building was constructed circa 1911 for the Newfoundland Clothing Company. Tailoresses busily churned out suits for export, while the cardboard box factory in the basement fabricated the boxes in which to ship them. The business continued till the 1950s, when the fabric merchants moved out, and the newspaper moved in. Scores of paper boys delivered their goods based out of Solomon's Lane, while reporters and printers plied their trade inside. In the mid 1980s, locals dined and danced at The Dallas Lounge or The Reporter, and later still, students made their way through the Compu College doors.

If you remember any of these workplaces, we'd love to meet you! Come along for a chat, some cake and a cup of tea, and meet the others who shared experiences at 275 Duckworth. If you have photos or memorabilia, we'd love to see it!

If you have questions or a memory of the building you want to share, contact Rachael Green craft@heritagenl.ca or call toll-free 1-888-739-1892 ext 6.

Thursday, August 1st
7pm
Craft Council of NL Gallery
275 Duckworth Street, St. John's

Eventbrite listing
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/275-duckworth-reunion-tickets-63656748047

Facebook listing
https://www.facebook.com/events/454785308620627/

Remembering the Hant's Harbour Post and Telegraph Office, an interview with Clarence Snook.

On 10 June 2019, Dale Jarvsi sat down for a chat with Mr Clarence Snook, of Hant’s Harbour, NL, at his apartment at the Admiral's Coast Retirement Centre, Conception Bay South. Now in his 90s, Mr Snook had been the telegraph operator and postmaster in Hant's Harbour for 11 years,  starting before the end of the second World War. This is his story of how he got started and of the women who trained him in. 

Well the lady retired through illness and I had been interested in telegraph, in Morse telegraphy at the time. I was training through another lady, an ex-school teacher over there who also was a postmistress at one time. She was proficient in Morse code, so I went through all one winter and trained under her to learn the Morse telegraphy.

So the following spring, the lady there, Miss Melina Critch, she had been there for many years and her health broke down, and the secretary of... telegraphs – who was the Newfoundland government at that time – called, and wondered if I could struggle through with it even though I hadn’t been officially in the office but I had been trained.

So I said, “Well I’ll try to get along with it,” and I did, and I was there for 11 years, just about 11 years.

I’d just finished high school. I suppose I was probably 18? I had trained in telegraphy independent of the post office that winter. I was attending classes for this lady who’d – I don’t know where she came from, somewhere from out in the community – and I knew that she was proficient in telegraphy. And by arrangement with her schedule I used to go there nights, and eventually I became I suppose proficient in the Morse code.

I was there all long winter, you know, spasmodic right? I didn’t go there every night now but pretty well I’d be there three or four times a week, you know? And it went over very well. She was good as a teacher. And then of course I went over – when Miss Critch [left] – she must’ve been there for I’d say 25 or 30 years.

She was what I would term almost a Florence Nightingale of the community. In those days everybody were letter-writers, and if there was somebody who couldn’t express themselves very well in a letter, they’d go to Melina, Miss Melina, and ask her to write the letter.

She spent hours and weeks I suppose that she never got paid for, nor did she charge for. She was just an angel; that’s the way to put it. She was the nerve centre of the community. In those days were only two radios, not short-wave but long-wave radios, in the community, and she would have to take the news, so-called, and like this time of the year when the sealing ships were out there, the Imogene and the Kyle, etc., etc., they would report back and she would record this in long foolscap books and hand-write it, believe it or not.

This was for the information of the public, to go to the public of the post office and read this. That was the news centre.

Living Heritage Podcast Ep154 Summer Update and Request for Help

In this episode we discuss some of the projects the ICH (Intangible Cultural Heritage) Office is working on this summer. First up Dale, and Terra discuss their research in Bay Roberts on significant sites in the town. These include memories from the chocolate girls about their time working in short-lived Adler’s chocolate factory, stories of the jacky lanterns of Fergus Island, the Klondyke causeway, and the history behind the mummer murder gate. During the second part of the podcast, Dale introduces Rachael, who is working out of our office this summer in collaboration with the Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador. Rachael is working on two projects including craft at risk, and the history of 275 Duckworth Street. She is working to create a database of craftspeople around the province and identifying crafts at risk. Rachael is also researching the history behind the Craft Council’s new building. So if you have memories of, or worked in the Newfoundland Clothing Factory, The Telegram, or Compu College on Duckworth, or have memories about the sites in Bay Roberts let us know at livingheritagepodcast@gmail.com.

Download the mp3


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The Living Heritage Podcast is about people who are engaged in the heritage and culture sector, from museum professionals and archivists, to tradition bearers and craftspeople - all those who keep history alive at the community level. The show is a partnership between HeritageNL and CHMR Radio. Past episodes are hosted on Libsyn, and you can subscribe via iTunes, or Stitcher. Theme music is Rythme Gitan by Latché Swing.

Remembering the Hant's Harbour Post and Telegraph Office

One of the projects Heritage NL has been working on involves the old one-room post office building in Hant's Harbour, Trinity Bay (shown above).

Earlier this week, I sat down for a chat with 93-year-old Clarence Snook, the former postmaster and telegraph operator who worked out of this building in the 1940s and '50s.

When I arrived, Mr. Snook had written out some of his memories for me, which you can read here in pdf format.

If you have a memory of the old Hant's Harbour post office, send me an email at dale@heritagenl.ca. Or, even better, send me a postcard at PO Box 5171, St. John's, NL, A1C 5V5!

- Dale Jarvis

Did you work at 275 Duckworth Street, St. John's? Researcher looking for memories!

Hi! It’s me again, Rachael, Craft Researcher for the Craft Council and Heritage NL!

In my last post I mentioned a little about the Craft Council’s current home, 275 Duckworth Street. My hopes for this post is to uncover more information on this historic building!

One of my projects for this summer is to create a historical report on the structure. So far, my potential occupied dates are:

1911 - 195? The Newfoundland Clothing Factory
195? - 1981 The Evening Telegram
1985  The Dallas Lounge
Mid 1980s - 2010 Compu College
2018-present The Craft Council of NL

I have done some research myself, but I need your help! If you or anyone you know has worked in this building, and has any memories regarding their time here please contact me. You can reach me by email: craft@heritagenl.ca, or telephone: 739-1892 ext. 6. Any information helps!

Sheep Shearing #FolklorePhoto

Shearing sheep

Today's folklore photos come from last week when we had the opportunity to watch and assist in sheep shearing. Dale, Rachael, and I were able to stop in to see and photograph the process of removing the woolen fleece of a sheep with shears. The sheep in this flock were mostly Icelandic and are shorn or sheared by hand with blade shears twice a year. Once in the spring, and again in the fall. This sheep shearer often keeps the wool to spin, and then knit products for herself, family, and friends.

Shearing the back and rump

Dale assisting with the shearing process by holding Luna the sheep steady

New Perlican Field Trip

Jillian, Rachael, Eileen, Betty, Ruth, Kelley, and Dale talk with Ches Peddle of New Perlican.

On Tuesday, June 4, I headed out to New Perlican, Trinity Bay with Dale, our new summer student Rachael, and two professors in the folklore department. We were taking Dr. Jillian Gould, and Dr. Kelley Totten from Memorial University's Folklore Department to meet with members of the community in order to explore future partnerships between the heritage committee and the folklore department.

St. Augustine's Anglican Church

Our first stop was the town hall where we met with four members of Heritage New Perlican to talk about the possibility of the two groups working together on a future folklore field school. After our formal meeting we explored the community with a stop in St. Augustine's Anglican Church. This church was built in 1927 and is set to be deconsecrated this month.

Ches Peddle

Our next stop was one of the colourful stages that dot the harbour of New Perlican. Ches Peddle, who showed us around his stage, grew up and lives in Vitters Cove, New Perlican. He worked on boats, and spent time in the north with the Hudson Bay Company. Ches also builds boats, and each summer he places a flag on the local landmark, Peter's Finger. Ches took us through his stage, explained the different fishing gear, and pointed out who built some of the boats, and stages in the harbour.

Grave located on private property.

We made a quick stop in St. Mark's Anglican Cemetery. This cemetery was part of a clean up project in 2017. The project was another partnership with Heritage New Perlican, and Memorial University. We also stopped to see a lone grave from 1816 which is located on private property. Our last stop of the day was stop at Ron Peddle's and the St. Augustine Anglican Cemetery as no trip to New Perlican is complete without goats. Unfortunately we didn't see any cemetery goats! We did however see little Bella, who is a pet pygmy goat owned by a community member.

Folk art in New Perlican by George Burrage

Introducing our new Craft-at-Risk researcher, Rachael Green

Hi! I’m Rachael Green. I study Archaeology/Geography at Memorial University. As a Co-operative Education student, I am currently interning as a Craft Researcher for the Craft Council in partnership with Heritage NL. The creativity of the craft has always inspired me. I'm thrilled to learn and broaden my horizons of all things craft, folk, and heritage!

My major goals for the summer are: Firstly, to recreate “The Radcliffe Red List of Endangered Crafts”, NL style! In hopes to allow the public a better understanding of crafts at risk, all while creating an organized database of craftspeople around the province. Secondly, to conduct research on the craft council’s new home, 275 Duckworth Street, and create storyboards of the history of each level of the building. Then, to obtain enough information to eventually create a historical report. To give a little overview on the building, it was initially built 1908-1911, homing the Newfoundland Clothing Factory, The Telegram, and then Compu College. If you have any information or questions on my upcoming projects, my email is craft@heritagenl.ca.

As my first week here comes to an end, I couldn't have asked for a better start! So far, I have visited the quaint town of New Perlican. Here, we roamed and spoke to locals on the towns fishing heritage, as they recalled stories of the true beauty of growing up in the area.



I also got the chance to visit some Icelandic sheep, and witness sheep shearing! I will never forget the experience, and the wool was just incredible. We were provided with substantial knowledge on the breed of sheep, as well as, the correct way to shear for a safe and positive experience for both yourself and the animal.

I'm super excited to spend the summer working with the Craft Council and Heritage NL. I’m looking forward to all the exciting adventures to come!

- Rachael

Memory Mug Up at the Market - Sunday, June 9

Poster design by Graham Blair.

Have you had the opportunity to join us for a Memory Mug Up at the St. John's Farmers' Market? This weekend is your chance!

Come to the community room at the St. John's Farmers' Market for our Memory Mug Up at The Market. This is a free and informal story sharing session where people gather, have a cup of tea, and share memories. You bring a memory of growing up, organizers in partnership with vendors at the St. John’s Farmer’s Market supply the tea and local food, and everyone has a chat. Following the sessions, those who are interested can set up a time to have their stories recorded and archived by one of our story collectors. These stories will be edited into a booklet, which will be launched during the final storytelling session in March 2020. 

Heritage NL is partnering with the St. John’s Farmer’s Market, and the St. John’s Storytelling Festival to host a monthly Memory Mug Up at The Market. This Mug Up will take place the second Sunday of each month from 2-3 p.m. at the St. John’s Farmer’s Market, 245 Freshwater Road.

If you have any older photographs you would like scanned bring them along and we will scan them and provide you a digital copy!

For more information please contact Terra Barrett with the Heritage NL toll free at 1-888-739-1892 ext. 5 or email terra@heritagenl.ca

Living Heritage Podcast Ep153 Thrill of the Dark: Katie Crane on Fairies, Coffins, and Pirates

Learning the stories of a place is one thing that tourists seek out when they travel.  But what if some of those stories deal with darker themes? Towns and tourism operators are coming to see the value of what is known in the industry as “Dark Tourism.”

In this podcast, Folklore MA candidate Katie Crane talks to us about her studies in the field, escape rooms, pirate lore, coffin hardware, and her recent participation in “The Thrill of the Dark: Heritages of Fear Fascination and Fantasy” Conference in Birmingham, UK.

Katie Crane is a graduate student in the Public Sector program of Memorial University’s Department of Folklore. She has worked for the Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove Museum, the Historic Sites Association of Newfoundland and Labrador, and for Admiralty House Communications Museum. Her academic research interests include public folklore, museums, heritage interpretation, legends, linguistics, and language revitalization.

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The Living Heritage Podcast is about people who are engaged in the heritage and culture sector, from museum professionals and archivists, to tradition bearers and craftspeople - all those who keep history alive at the community level. The show is a partnership between HeritageNL and CHMR Radio. Past episodes are hosted on Libsyn, and you can subscribe via iTunes, or Stitcher. Theme music is Rythme Gitan by Latché Swing.

Living Heritage Podcast Ep152 Goatlore - The Goats of New Perlican

Goats wearing yokes on Pinsent's Lane, 1940s.
Photo courtesy of Heritage New Perlican.

Curious how goats predict the weather? Want to know what goats and Girl Guide cookies have in common? Need to know what a goat yoke is? Listen to this goatlore podcast to learn all about the goats of New Perlican. We’ve sifted through the archives for our favourite audio clips about goats. Listen to stories and memories from Bertha Conway, Ron Peddle, Susie Smith, and Max Warren of New Perlican, and Grant Tucker of Winterton. It’s a podcast for all goat lovers!

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The Living Heritage Podcast is about people who are engaged in the heritage and culture sector, from museum professionals and archivists, to tradition bearers and craftspeople - all those who keep history alive at the community level. The show is a partnership between HeritageNL and CHMR Radio. Past episodes are hosted on Libsyn, and you can subscribe via iTunes, or Stitcher. Theme music is Rythme Gitan by Latché Swing.

Today's Red Ochre adventure: from bucket to board, an experiment!

We've been doing some research here on the traditional use of red ochre (you can read our preliminary research right here) and how people used to mix it with some type of oil (linseed, seal, or cod liver) as a paint for outbuildings in Newfoundland and Labrador.

A while ago, Heather Fifield, the Coordinator of Laboratories and Services at the Department of Biochemistry at Memorial University, emailed me about some seal oil that Dr. Fereidoon Shahidi's lab no longer needed. So today, I picked up a bucket of the stuff and carefully transported it back to our office.

As an experiment Michael Philpott in our office treated one side of a piece of wood with the pure oil, and then we mixed the oil with some powdered red ochre I had been given by Pete Porter of Change Islands. Michael coated the other side of the board with the red ochre/seal oil mix, and now we'll see how long it takes to dry. Even just a small amount of oil and ochre gave us a beautiful first coat stain, and we're looking forward to seeing how it looks after another coat.

We've been floating around the idea of doing a bigger project, mixing up a larger amount of red ochre paint and testing its effectiveness on an outdoor project like a stage or store. Stay tuned!

If you've got a memory of red ochre (or have some in your shed) send me an email at dale@heritagenl.ca

Check out this amazing carved wooden butter stamp! #FoodwaysFriday

We continue our #FoodwaysFriday theme of wooden kitchen implements with this fantastic piece from Robin Dooley of Frederickton, NL. Robin writes,

This is a butter stamp that my grandmother, Olive Sanger 1929-2017 of Lewisporte, gave to me when I went out on my own. Although we didn’t make much butter (only as a science experiment), we did use it to stamp the homemade play dough or shortbread cookies nan would often make for us. And I let my own daughter do the same now. 

My nan was born Olive Boone Of Burnt Head, Cupid’s. Her parents were Arthur Roland (Rolly) Wilson Boone and Diana Carolyn Bishop. She grew up in the last house on the right before you go up around the loop, there is a shed at the end of the driveway that once was her families shoppe. The house was bought by Mrs Ingeborg Marshall in the '60-'70s and then bought again in the 2000s and restored by a Miss Mackey and her husband. 

Apologies for not knowing her married name. I wish my nan was still here as I am not 100 sure where exactly this came from. She used to say her own great grandmother used it and it was probably around even longer than her! The house was full of treasures when it was sold, I often wish we had more of them to remember her with.

Robin also included the photo below, of her nan in the early 1930s in front of her family store. She writes, "The store sign was a porcelain Sunlight Soap sign and used to say A R Boone and they were in the process of mounting it when this photo was taken."

If any of you have stories or photos to share of Burnt Head or Cupid’s and the Bishop/ Dawe/Boone families, Robin would love to hear or see them. And, as always, if you've got a beloved hand-made kitchen implement, send us a pic and story we'll share it here. Email me at dale@heritagenl.ca

Old Salts (and Herself) - help ID these mystery photographs! #TBT

P10768 Man in winter

Do you recognize this person? Please help us put a name to these faces!

The Research Centre for the Study of Music, Media, and Place (MMaP) at Memorial University is putting the final touches on a website dedicated to the folksongs collected by MacEdward Leach between 1949 and 1951 across Newfoundland and in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. We need your help to identify the people in his photo collection!

Please contact Gale at leach@mun.ca (or comment below!) We'll update captions here if we find out more information.

P10773 Woman on porch

P10779 Unidentified men on boat

P10781 Sailor smoking pipe 

P10780 Men and Boys on the dock

Fleming Street photos from the 1950s and 1960s

Tonight is our Georgestown Scanning/Mapping Party, where we are encouraging people to come share their neighbourhood memories and stories. We start at 7pm at The Lantern on Barnes Road.

To get you in the mood, here are a few photos of Fleming Street, sent to me by Channing Holland (formerly Catherine Channing) who grew up on Fleming Street.

Above is a photo of her sister and brother at the front door of 70 Fleming Street in 1955.  She writes, "The entrance changed in later years when the side windows were replaced by full length panes in a sort of rippled pattern." Today the entire front entrance has been replaced, but similar entranceways could be found all along that row of houses, known collectively as Maple Terrace.

The second one is again of her brother, sitting on the front fence.  She notes, "The cement fence was a much later addition sometime around the '60s I think." The bay window immediately behind the boy is 68 Fleming Street, which still has the same configuration in 2019. The open porch on 66 Fleming has been enclosed.

Finally, an interior photo of the living room of 70 Fleming, circa 1956. The mantel and tile surround remains in the house as of 2019.

At the time of these photos, the house was owned by James G Channing, civil servant, Companion of the Order of Canada, and cabinet secretary under Joseph Smallwood. 

Bring your neighbourhood photos to The Lantern tonight! We will share some of what we find in future posts.

Hobby Horses, Makerspaces, and Digital Literacies

Group displaying their completed horses.

Last week Dale and I led a hobby horse workshop as part of the SSHRC Conference on Makerspaces and Digital Literacies. The goal of the conference was to engage in scholarly discussion around how making is central the way that people practice literacies in their own lives. These can be both tangible and intangible objects and are very relatable to material cultures.

Pieces the horses together.

The aim of the conference was to consider how making and literacy can come together through the use of material culture to engage communities with concepts of citizenship. This conference also focused on how makerspaces can be developed in interesting and innovative ways through cultural institutions such as The Rooms and The Geo Centre.

Finishing touches.

As part of the conference Dr. Anne Burke asked Dale to give a presentation on intangible cultural heritage, and the work of the ICH office. We also led a very quick hobby horse workshop for the participants who came from different places around the world. Participants from the UK were familiar with hobby horses, and those from Finland recounted stories of a different breed of hobby horse which are ridden instead of worn. (If you want to learn more about the hobby horse revolution in Finland click here to watch a short video clip.)

Trimming up his chin.

For those who weren't familiar with hobby horses Dale gave an overview of the tradition and some of the mischief the horses were likely to get up to while mummering such as snapping clothes, stealing table clothes, turning off lights, and "eating" snacks. We split the group of fifteen into three smaller groups and led them through the process of creating and decorating a hobby horse from this template. The group had a lot of fun and were creative in the decorating process with one team adding braces to their hobby horse's teeth. If you want to learn more about hobby horses check out the Mummers Festival page, or keep your eye out come December and take in one of the hobby horse workshops offered by the festival.

Dentistry work.