Living Heritage Podcast Ep187 The Great War Spy Panic

 

This week, we are handing over the podcast to Admiralty House Museum, in cooperation with Memorial University Folk6740 Public Folklore students Katie Crane, Micaela Muldoon, and Mariana Esquivel.

This episode of the Pigeon Post podcast centres on (purported) German spies in Newfoundland during World War I. The hosts discuss various stories about people of German ancestry, or people who were perceived to have German ties, who fell under suspicion and the consequences of this. The hosts also discuss rumour theory, the social and political climates that breed rumours, and the dangers of believing and spreading them blindly — in World War I and at all times. 

Download the mp3 here

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Living Heritage 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.

Living Heritage Podcast Ep186 Carding and Weaving in Millville, Codroy Valley

Today, we are taking a trip to the community of Millville, in the Codroy Valley on Newfoundland’s west coast.  We’re going to have a chat with Edwin “Hockey” Gale, whose family started the carding mill that gave the town its name.  Joining him is Megan Samms, who is a weaver and textile artist living and working in Millville near the house she grew up in, and where she learned to spin yarns and knit them together. 

You can visit Megan's website and see some of her gorgeous work here:
https://livetextiles.online/

You can also follow her on Instagram here:
https://www.instagram.com/livetextiles/

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Living Heritage 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.

Living Heritage Economy Case Study - Living History Meets Social Enterprise: The Green Family Forge

The Green Family Forge is the focus of August's Living Heritage Economy Case Study.

The Green Family Forge. Photo by Dale Jarvis.

The Green Family Forge is a Registered Heritage Structure in Trinity. It is both a Living History museum and a fully functional forge, supporting two blacksmiths who create stunning metal crafts. The Trinity Historical Society hopes to grow this social enterprise and generate new opportunities in old traditions.

Blacksmith working at Green Family Forge. Photo by Dale Jarvis.

You can download a pdf version of the case study here.

This is part of a series of case studies examining the links between living heritage, traditionality, entrepreneurism, and community economic development in Newfoundland and Labrador. For more information, contact Dale Jarvis at dale@heritagenl.ca. Photo courtesy of Wooden Boat Museum of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Living Heritage Podcast Ep185 Using the BillionGraves app to document local cemeteries

Cemetery sleuths Dale Jarvis and Katie Crane introduce you to the BillionGraves app for your mobile phone.  BillionGraves is the world's largest GPS-linked cemetery data resource. As you take photos with the BillionGraves app, each gravestone is automatically marked with a GPS location. The data is then made readily available at BillionGraves.com for free for millions of families around the globe for generations to come. Dale and Katie talk about the intro workshops they've been running with communities, and give you some tips on how you can get started using your phone to document and map local cemeteries and grave markers.

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Living Heritage 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 Weaving - Condon's 100% Pure Wool Blankets, Prince Edward Island to Newfoundland

 

A while back, I got an email from Joanne Morrissey, who we've been working with on her North River project. She had just cleared out an old trunk that had been stored in her basement since 1992. Her mother used to buy sheep's wool when they were shorn in the spring, wash it, pick it and mail via Canada Post to Wm. Condon and Sons, PEI, to have blankets made. 

She writes, "They would make and return in the mail, or return a blanket in the mail, maybe not from the exact wool, but at the time I thought it was from the exact wool!"

If you have a memory of wool processing in Newfoundland, or the Condon mill in particular, email me at dale@heritagenl.ca.

Cemetery Conservation in Placentia: St. Luke's Anglican Churchyard

Last week we visited the most adorable churchyard in Placentia to teach a cemetery conservation workshop with the O'Reilly House Museum and other heritage volunteers.

St. Luke's Anglican Churchyard. Photo by Katie Crane.

St. Luke's Anglican Church has an ancient history. The current church was built between 1906 and 1908, but the original church that was on the site was built in 1689. Many of the stones in the churchyard are fieldstones, and there were a number of 17th century Basque stones which were removed for preservation, suggesting the use of the site as a burial ground predates the 1689 church. You can read more about the history of St. Luke's here.

Memento Mori stones for the Hobson family. Photo by Katie Crane.

Student workers, museum staff, and other heritage volunteers met inside St. Luke's Anglican Church to listen to Dale Jarvis and Andrea O'Brien discuss cemetery conservation. 

Dale talked about the Do's and Don'ts of cemetery conservation. Everyone was curious about how to properly clean and maintain gravestones in historic cemeteries, and how to make sure that information about the gravestones are properly documented using either written marker record forms, or apps like BillionGraves.

Andrea talked about how municipalities can designate historic cemeteries which can help protect them. She talked about the work that the cemetery committee and the Conservation Corps Green Team are doing in the Immaculate Conception cemetery in Cape Broyle. 

Afterwards, we had a short break in the rain, so we went outside and I walked people through how to use the BillionGraves app to document the inscriptions on the headstones. The recording is a work in progress, and you can check out the St. Luke's Anglican Cemetery page here.

Gravestones at St. Luke's Churchyard. Photo by Katie Crane.

If you want to learn more about the work that's going on in the Immaculate Conception cemetery in Cape Broyle, or why cemetery documentation and public engagement is important, you can check out the most recent HeritageNL newsletter here,

We'd love to visit more communities and help cemetery committees, museum workers, and heritage societies safeguard historic cemeteries. Have questions? Want us to visit your local cemetery and lead a documentation workshop? Get in touch! dale@heritagenl.ca or andrea@heritagenl.ca

Living Heritage Economy Case Study - Revitalizing Barking in Southern Labrador: The Labrador Artisans Co-operative

July's Living Heritage Economy Case Study features the Labrador Artisan's Co-operative.

Barked Labrador cossack. Photo by Cindy Colosimo Robbins.

A newly incorporated organization, the Labrador Artisans Co-operative is using old traditions in new ways to tell the story of Labrador and its history. Barking is a centuries-old tradition used by both Indigenous and settler communities to preserve animal hides, textiles, and fishing gear. The Labrador Artisans Co-operative is mixing this Labrador tradition with innovative materials dyeing techniques to create products that showcase what makes Labrador unique.

Barked hand bags. Photo by Cindy Colisimo Robbins.

You can download a pdf version of the case study here.

This is part of a series of case studies examining the links between living heritage, traditionality, entrepreneurism, and community economic development in Newfoundland and Labrador. For more information, contact Dale Jarvis at dale@heritagenl.ca. Photo courtesy of Labrador Artisans Co-operative.

Living Heritage Podcast Ep184 Eileen Matthews and NERRL Hand Painted Designs

Eileen lives and works in New Perlican, where she creates unique arts and crafts for her business, NERRL Hand Painted Designs. Eileen is also an active member of the New Perlican Heritage Committee. In today’s episode, Eileen talks about how Newfoundland scenery inspires her art, and some recent heritage projects in New Perlican. Listeners may know the small community for their colourfully painted stages. Picturesque New Perlican is not to be missed if you are taking a drive along the Baccalieu Trail. 

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Living Heritage 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 Update: Modernist Architecture, Spruce Beer, Adaptive Reuse, and Cemeteries!

Van Ginkel Footbridge, 1962

In this edition of the Heritage Update: Sarah Reid on the Hidden Modernist Architecture in Bowring Park; Rebecca Newhook is looking for possible placements for the MUN Folklore fall 2020 work terms; Dale Jarvis investigates the “St. Johns’ Spruce Beer Brewery” on Signal Hill; a note on possible adaptive reuses for the Greenspond Courthouse by Myles Burry; and Katie Crane and Andrea O'Brien take us for a walk through some historic cemeteries, with some tips on what your communities can do to safeguard our landscapes of memories!

Download the pdf here

Living Heritage Podcast Ep183: Grates Cove Part 2

In this episode, we’re back for Part 2 with Terrance and Courtney Howell from Grates Cove Studios. Terrence and Courtney moved to Grates Cove over a decade ago and started their studio. The business has grown since and they also have a restaurant featuring Newfoundland, Cajun and Korean flavors, offer accommodations, and harvest their own seaweed to make their seaweed lotion. You can also sign up for cooking or art classes during your stay. In this episode, Terrance and Courtney talk about the history of the community and that elusive characteristic that makes Grates Cove such a unique and special place.

This episode is part of a special series about the Baccalieu Trail region of Newfoundland and Labrador. Join us as we explore the hidden gems of the Baccalieu Trail- from stories of phantom ship sightings to local art and history.

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Living Heritage 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.

The Death of Mrs. Leah Rendell, Heart's Content, 1913

Yesterday, we posted a story by Ted Rowe about the Rendell Forge and a picture as it was in 2003. Above is a photo I took of the same building.  You can see the roofline has changed, and the siding was replaced with cedar shakes (shingles). The trees have grown up dramatically behind the building.

The other photo that Ted shared was of the Rendell boys at the time of their mother's funeral in 1913. Below is a copy of the article that ran in the Evening Telegram, 1913-09-30:

We will have more on the Rendell Forge in the future! 

There Would Be None Left Around to See: Wriggle Fences with Kevin Andrews #MakerMonday

For #MakerMonday we'll be profiling some of the people practicing traditional skills on the Baccalieu Trail.
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Kevin Andrews of New Perlican learned how to make wriggle fence by helping his uncles and grandfather make their own. Eight years ago, he and his wife Bonnie made one of their own to show their kids how it was done.

I just wanted to show the kids the type of fences that were around the community 40 and 50 years ago because there's none left here now. So I just made an 8 foot section, that's all. Just for them to have a look at it and just see the work that was involved.

He says that there is a fair bit of work involved in constructing a wriggle fence, but that it is worth it to preserve this knowledge for future generations. It is also what he calls a "long time fence." A wriggle fence will last up to 20 years.

Kevin Andrews' wriggle fence. Photo by Dale Jarvis.

Kevin likes that the wriggle fence is cost effective. The wood is harvested locally. He uses spruce or var for the wriggles and rails, but he says whatever wood bends easiest is a good choice. It also only uses four tools, so it does not require a lot of specialized equipment. He says all you need is an axe or power saw for cutting the wriggles, a hammer or wooden mallet for driving in the posts and wooden dowels used to secure the rails in place, an auger or drill for making holes in the rails for the wooden dowels, and a pocket knife for sharpening the wooden dowels so they can be used as nails.

If you're curious on the steps to making a wriggle fence yourself, listen to Kevin describe how he built his own.

Heritage Foundation NL · Kevin Andrews - Wriggle Fence

We took the wriggles and we come out and you need some rails too for to weave the wriggles in around. You need one on top, one in the centre, and one on the bottom. So you take the wriggle and you bend it, and you go in through the centre one from the top and come out through the bottom one, and that applies the wriggle out facing you. Then the next one you put in, you put it in on the opposite side of the centre piece and the three rail fence, and you weave it the opposite way and put it in through the centre and come down and come out through the bottom. So, each one, every second one goes the same way. There's no nails involved because, well, years ago they had no nails, so they used to make wooden dowels and they'd nail the rails onto the fence, drive the wooden dowel in through the rail and into the stake and weave the wriggles in the way I just told you, and you end up with the wriggle fence. But now, in the beginning you got to put the stakes down in the ground first. 6 or 8 feet apart, however wide you want it. And then you start from there after you get the stakes down in the ground. You drive them down through with a wooden mallet. And then you start from there and put your rails on and then after the rails on then come with the wriggle fences which you weave in through. I done 8 feet and it took me 8 hours, so it was roughly an hour a foot for to build the fence.

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Do you live on the Baccalieu Trail and practice a traditional skill or know someone who does? Fill out our survey!

The Rendell Forge, Heart's Content - guest post by Ted Rowe

Rendell Forge, 2003, courtesy Ted Rowe

The Rendell Forge, Heart's Content by Ted Rowe

The Rendell family of Newfoundland has its origins in Somerset, England.  Blacksmith Charles Rendell moved to Heart’s Content from Trinity in the early years of the 1800s and settled at the northern end of Rowe’s Bank, where he provided the ironwork for the vessels coming off the stocks at Rowe shipyard.  Descendents of Charles Rendell produced an unbroken line in the blacksmith trade in Heart’s Content for three generations.  His four sons Charles, Giles, James and John all took up the trade.  Son Charles was also Heart’s Content’s first constable, appointed in the 1830s, and was prominent in the Loyal Orange Association.   Bela, son of Giles, operated this forge with his son Jim in the 1920s.  When business fell off during the depression years Jim moved his family to Hants Harbour.  In 1941 at the age of 60 Bela went to Scotland as a blacksmith with the Newfoundland Overseas Forestry Unit.  He returned to Heart’s Content at the end of the war and continued with the forge in the 1950s, turning out grapnels, horseshoes and custom ironwork.  Following his death his son Ray worked the operation on a part-time basis.

 The Rendell brothers at the time of their mother's funeral in 1913.
From left to right Bela, Tolson, James, Giles, Charles

Living Heritage Podcast Ep181: Grates Cove Part 1

Photo courtesy of Courtney and Terrance Howell.

In this episode, Terrance and Courtney Howell, owners of Grates Cove Studios, talk about the adaptability of Newfoundlanders during uncertain times, the natural beauty of the Baccalieu Trail, and the history of Grates Cove. Courtney and Terrance moved to Grates Cove over a decade ago and started their studio. The business has grown since and they also have a restaurant featuring Newfoundland, Cajun and Korean flavors, offer accommodations, and harvest their own seaweed to make their seaweed lotion. You can also sign up for cooking or art classes during your stay. Listen to hear more about one of the most ruggedly beautiful spots in on the island.

This episode is part of a special series about the Baccalieu Trail region of Newfoundland and Labrador. Join us as we explore the hidden gems of the Baccalieu Trail- from stories of phantom ship sightings to local art and history.

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Living Heritage 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.

St Andrew's Cemetery Workshop

Today, Dale and I were invited to give a cemetery documentation workshop in the St Andrew's Cemetery in Harbour Grace. St. Andrew's is a small Presbyterian cemetery that is tucked back behind a park with trees that were planted and possibly imported from Scotland. You almost wouldn't notice that it was there if you weren't looking for it!

Entrance to St. Andrew's Cemetery, Harbour Grace. Photo by Katie Crane.

Despite the rain, we had a great group with representation from the Conception Bay Museum, the Harbour Grace Board of Culture, and the Port de Grave Peninsula Heritage Society!

A wonderful turnout for the cemetery workshop. Photo by Katie Crane.

We walked people through how to use the Billion Graves app to record the headstones in the cemetery. We also talked about common headstone materials and Dale gave his "Don't Be At It" talk about historic headstone conservation.

With so many volunteers, recording this cemetery went very quickly. You can check out what they accomplished today on the Billion Graves page for St. Andrew's Cemetery.

St. Andrew's Cemetery was sometimes referred to as the Merchants Cemetery as many of those interred within had some connection to the Merchant families of Harbour Grace.

One notable grave in the cemetery is this cast iron marker to Captain Bert Holst, the captain of a Norwegian schooner who took ill and died suddenly in 1871.

Captain Bert Holst's cast iron headstone. Photo by Katie Crane.

I found Captain Holst's death notice in the Harbor Grace Standard from December 6, 1871 on the Digital Archives Intiative.

Captain Holst's death notice. Harbour Grace Standard 1871-12-06. Courtesy of the Digital Archives Initiative.

Also buried in this cemetery is the artist Joan Parsons Woods.

Joan Parsons Woods headstone. Forever Potting. Photo by Katie Crane.

She studied art at l’École des Beaux Arts in Montreal, and she sculpted memories from her life and poured her love of Newfoundland into the clay. Her sculptures were purchased by the Historic Sites Society and displayed for the 500th anniversary of John Cabot's arrival in an exhibit called A Place Called Home which toured the island. Learn more about Joan Parsons Woods here.

We accomplished a lot today, and I think we had a lot of fun despite the rain. An old English folk saying that Dale brought up today is particularly apt: "Happy is the bride the sun shines on. Happy is the corpse the rain falls on."

And I think I know why Dale felt so at home at this cemetery...

Jarvis headstone. Photo by Katie Crane.

If your community is interested in running a cemetery workshop, get in touch! dale@heritagenl.ca

I Guess I Was a Fighter: Growing Up in Heart's Delight-Islington with Sadie Rowe

Sadie Rowe, originally of Heart's Delight-Islington, is a natural storyteller. She says she grew up in a time before smart phones and tablets, and found joy in buying candy for a penny and catching connors on the wharf, and playing hide and seek in the barrels inside Mr Aaron Rowe's cooper shop.

Here are some of her reminiscences about growing up in Heart's Delight-Islington!

Heritage Foundation NL · Sadie Rowe - Small As A Teacup

When I was born, I was only a pound and a half, and they could set me in a teacup. And people came from all over to see me. There was a gentleman from Heart's Delight who was from the Southeast side and he was home from Boston, and he came to see me and to take a picture because he said, "If I tell somebody this, they won't believe it." So, he said, "I just hope the picture comes out!" When I was born the midwife said that she placed me in a dresser drawer and told mom that she would come down in the morning and bury me, because, she said, "there's no way she's going to live." So, mom said, "Well, if she dies, it won't be in a dresser drawer." And she took me and placed me inside her nightdress and kept me there for about two months, you know, off and on. Wrapped me in flannel, and she used to feed me with an eye dropper with a tiny drop of milk with a little tiny drop of cod liver oil and boiling water, and they would sterilize everything. And that's how I survived. I guess I was a fighter because I wasn't going to reach the finish line and not win the race! So mom said I just came ahead and everything was fine.

Heritage Foundation NL · Sadie Rowe - Sledding In The Garden

We weren't allowed to do anything on Sundays, and I remember once Sunday my mother and father had taken my younger sister and they went to visit, and Mabel and I had been in Sunday School. So, when we came home, out in our garden there was a real steep hill, and it had a really good sheet of ice. And Mabel and I thought, well, we'd take our sleighs and go out and slide. I came out over the hill flying and almost went through the fence, and I realised that Mabel was coming. She was younger than me. So, I realised she was coming down behind me. So, I said, "I have to stop her because she's going to be hurt!" Well, when she came down the hill, she slid off her sleigh, came down the hill on her belly, and the buttons off her coat came down ahead of her, and they were rolling down the hill! And I just rolled with laughter! I managed to catch her when she got to the bottom, and all the front of her coat was torn where the buttons were. Well, we knew we were in trouble. And we went into the house and waited for mom and dad to come home, and when they came home they looked at us and knew that there was something. And Mabel showed mom her coat. Well, we never ever got spanked anyway but mom took Mabel up in her arms and dad took me, and I saw both of them cry because the tears were rolling off of their face, not because her coat was torn but because they realised that we could have gotten seriously hurt that day. And we got a good talking to and we were told that we were never to do it again. And I don't think Mabel and I went out in that garden to slide after. It really sank in that what we did was wrong.

Heritage Foundation NL · Sadie Rowe - Think Twice Before You Mess With The Girl

The teachers always went home to lunch, but the basement door was always left open in case it rained. When we'd come back to go to school we were allowed to go in there and wait for school to open at 2 o'clock. So, I guess one day the boys decided to play a trick on us girls and decided to lock us out and we got wet. So, me and a few more girls decided that we would tie them in the basement. So, we found some twine and we tied them in, and the teacher came, and we all went in school but a lot of the older boys was missing. The teacher kept looking and listening and finally asked, "What's going on here today?" No one said a word, so they kept asking. Then we finally had to tell him what happened. He said, "Well! We have to let them out sometime!" So, seeing it was my idea, he said, "You go and let them out." When I opened the door, of course, they looked at me and they were very sheepish and very ashamed of theirselves. So, they all walked in school, and the teacher said, "I guess a lesson was learned here today. You boys, you'll think twice before you mess with the girls again!"

Do you have memories of growing up in Heart's Delight-Islington? We'd love to hear them. Get in touch at ich@heritagenl.ca!

Living Heritage Podcast Ep182 - Traditional Knowledge on the Baccalieu Trail

Researcher Katie Crane has been compiling a list of people along the Baccalieu Trail who have traditional skills and stories to share. In this episode, we hear from carver and knife-maker Edward Delaney, Kevin Andrews on how to build a wriggle fence, Edwin Bishop an what makes a good boat, Laurie Pitcher on sealskin, Michael Laduke about light and colour in stained glass, Gerry Strong on Newfoundland music, and the importance of Tickle Cove Pond with singer Ernie Pynn. Florence Hurley introduces us to fairy music, while Judy Symonds teaches us to cure arthritis, and Ralph Barrett explains the value of spider webs.

Download the mp3

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Living Heritage 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.

This is Who We Are: Traditional Music with Ernie Pynn #MakerMonday

For #MakerMonday we'll be profiling some of the people practicing traditional skills on the Baccalieu Trail.
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Ernie Pynn of Carbonear started playing guitar with a band when he was in high school. He credits seeing Ryan's Fancy in concert at the stadium in Harbour Grace with inspiring him to play traditional music. He stopped playing music for a while, but resumed his interest when his son was in Cubs, and now he plays with his friends as the group Long Drung at senior's homes and fundraisers in the area.

Three generation of the Pynn family performing at the Wooden Boat Museum of Newfoundland and Labrador. Photo courtesy of Ernie Pynn.

One of the best things about knowing how to play traditional music is how it brings people together. Ernie says that one of the biggest opportunities he has gotten from knowing this skill is the chance to socialize and meet new people. He hopes that his music is able to bring a bit of pleasure to the people he performs for.

His favourite traditional songs to play are those that tell stories. He says that these songs teach us what life was like in the past, what was important, and connect us to our roots. Songs like Tickle Cove Pond give us a window into what was important in the past, and what skills were used.

Heritage Foundation NL · Ernie Pynn On Tickle Cove Pond

This is who we are, right? And when you think about a song like Tickle Cove Pond, I mean, most people are in cutting wood now with pick-ups and snowmobiles and...which is great. But every now and then you hear of someone going in with a horse and slide, right? And I don't know how familiar you are with Tickle Cove Pond but I mean, it's a song about someone cutting wood and goes through the ice with his horse and so on, right? But I mean, that's the way people lived. That's what you did. And if you didn't do that, you had a cold winter, right? I mean, that's life. Songs, music should be about stuff.

He enjoys sharing these songs and the love of traditional music with his grandson, who has been learning from his grandfather since he was 2 years old. He believes that sharing traditional music with children from a young age will help them to appreciate at it, and help them keep their culture alive. He says that the music is in them, they just need help bringing it out.










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Do you live on the Baccalieu Trail and practice a traditional skill or know someone who does? Fill out our survey!

A Beautiful Boat is a Cranky Boat: Wooden Boats and Snowshoes with Edwin Bishop #MakerMonday

For #MakerMonday we'll be profiling some of the people practicing traditional skills on the Baccalieu Trail.
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Edwin Bishop of Heart's Delight-Islington learned how to build wooden boats from watching his father. Boat building skills were passed down through generations, and he has been building wooden boats since he was a teenager. He estimates he has built around 36 boats to date. Last year, he launched what he swore would be his last boat but he is already building another one for his granddaughter. As he says, "Sometimes I think I'm just crazy about boats."

Boats built by Edwin Bishop. Photo courtesy of Edwin Bishop.

The hardest part about building boats, Edwin says, is choosing the design. Each boat serves a different purpose, so depending on what you want to use your boat for will influence which design you choose. Edwin loves to build boats that can accommodate sails. He and his wife have taken many sailing trips in boats Edwin has built. Listen to Edwin's advice on what makes a good boat below!

Heritage Foundation NL · Edwin Bishop On What Makes A Good Boat

I think what makes a good boat is the design. The shape of it and the design is what makes a good boat for me, right? I got a phrase that I use from my father that you probably heard before, too, "A beautiful boat is a cranky boat." Now, most people don't to have anything to do with a cranky boat because they figure they're not safe and so on, but for me, and I learned from my father, if you're going to build a boat make sure she can wear a set of sails, and make sure she's a little bit cranky because she'll be better as a sailboat. You know, the curves and the lines...I build all kinds of boats, but a round bottom boat for me is a real boat. The round bottom, a nice sheer curve on top, and when you look at her on the water she's round, and she's curved, and she's pretty. 

Edwin credits the Wooden Boat Museum of Newfoundland and Labrador for working tirelessly to preserve and pass on boat building knowledge, including his own. He said he has learned a lot from them, and is glad of the work they do bringing education about wooden boats to the younger generation.

He also makes traditional wooden snowshoes, steaming and bending the wood by hand and tying intricate knots. He began learning this skill because he needed to repair the snowshoes he owned. Once he got started, he found it was something he enjoyed. He does say that it is a complicated process, especially tying the knots. He recalls the first pair of snowshoes he made and how he woke up his wife and his visiting sister with his celebratory shouts when he successfully figured out how to tie the knots after working on them until the wee hours of the morning.

Moose hide snowshoes by Edwin Bishop. Photo courtesy of Edwin Bishop.

Edwin describes knowing how to build boats and make snowshoes as almost a spiritual experience. He says when he when he sees stuff coming out from his hands, it is like being given a gift, one that he is lucky to have. He also appreciates the way that these skills connect him, and also his grandchildren, to people who were living almost 100 years ago. He says being able to do the same thing that his father, and his grandfather did, is very important to him, and he hopes that others will continue to do the work to celebrate these skills and help future generations connect with them like he has.
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Do you live on the Baccalieu Trail and practice a traditional skill or know someone who does? Fill out our survey!