What can we do to stop the theft of historic art pieces?

Following the recent theft of an iconic Amelia Earhart statue in Harbour Grace, I did a quick Google search on stolen bronze art pieces. The results are shocking, and this is only a short selection of a VERY long list over a few months. What steps can we take here in Newfoundland and Labrador to stop the theft and presumed recycling of historic bronze statues?  - Dale Jarvis

Here are just a few recent thefts:

24 April 2025 - Edmonton, Alberta
Man arrested after more than $250K in metal stolen, including Emily Murphy statue
https://www.ctvnews.ca/edmonton/article/emily-murphy-statue-partly-recovered-at-metal-recycler-man-charged

3 April 2025 - Albuquerque, New Mexico

Bronze statue stolen from northwest Albuquerque park

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycKz79yNZv8

11 March 2025 - Edmonton, AB

‘It’s very disrespectful’: Second bronze statue within 2 weeks goes missing in Edmonton

https://www.ctvnews.ca/edmonton/article/its-very-disrespectful-second-bronze-statue-within-two-weeks-goes-missing-in-edmonton/

27 February 2025 - Berlin, Germany

Boy with Octopus: Who is stealing Berlin’s bronze statues?

https://www.the-berliner.com/english-news-berlin/boy-with-octopus-eduardo-rossi-who-is-stealing-bronze-statues/ 

14 February 2025 - St. Paul, USA

Stolen F. Scott Fitzgerald statue destroyed, suspect arrested after scrap yard calls police

https://www.fox9.com/news/stolen-f-scott-fitzgerald-statue-stolen-arrest 

12 February 2025 - DC, USA

500-pound Scottish terrier statue stolen from D.C. dog park

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRiCHYt8MkU 

9 December 2024 - Montreal, QC

Art heist or metal theft? Iconic mother-and-child statue stolen in Westmount 

https://www.montrealgazette.com/news/article562630.html 

7 November 2024 - Gananoque, Ontario

Noel Bullock statue stolen from Gananoque Horticultural Society Park

https://www.gananoquereporter.com/news/noel-bullock-statue-stolen-from-gananoque-horticultural-society-park 

1 November 2024 - Berthierville, QC

Thieves speed off with bronze statue of Quebec Formula One racing legend Gilles Villeneuve

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/villeneuve-statue-melted-down-1.7371102

Sep 20, 2024 - St. Albert, Alberta

Statue of imitations: Saint Albert could return to St. Albert

https://www.stalbertgazette.com/local-news/statue-of-imitations-saint-albert-could-return-to-st-albert-9518792

Two paid work experience positions with Heritage NL and MANL!

Heritage NL and Museum Association of NL (MANL) have two ASCEND positions available for NEET youth. This initiative provides meaningful employment opportunities for youth aged 15-30 who are Not in Employment, Education, or Training (NEET), while strengthening the community sector.

Through provincial minimum wage subsidized 19-21 week work placements in community sector organizations, ASCEND gives youth the hands-on experience, mentorship, and career development they need to succeed. Before placements begin, participants complete two weeks of career and personal development training, equipping them with the skills and confidence to thrive in the workforce. The two positions are:


2025 Heritage Conference Intern

Heritage NL and Museum Association of NL are searching for an internship position to assist with the organization of the Fall 2025 Heritage Conference, which will take place at The Rooms in St. John’s. This annual conference is hosted by MANL, ANLA and Heritage NL, who are working together to help local heritage organizations build ideas and tell community’ stories. The Intern will work closely with the organizational team on programming the conference, contacting possible workshop leaders and presenters, organizing events and meetings, and assisting with registration and promotion of the event. The applicant will have a background in event planning, strong computer skills, and knowledge of various digital media formats. A heritage background or work experience, or work with community historical organizations or museums, is an asset. The participant should be able to demonstrate the ability to plan, design, or carry out a project or task from start to finish with well-defined objectives and outcomes.

MANL Professional Development Assistant

The Professional Development Assistant will play a key role in advancing the skills and expertise of museum professionals and volunteers across Newfoundland and Labrador. The Intern will be responsible for assisting in the development, coordination, administration and delivery of MANL’s training and mentoring programs. Working closely with MANL staff, the Intern will support MANL’s professional development objectives, including supporting MANL’s membership of 160 heritage organizations, as well as the work of WHAM! - Working in Heritage, Archives and Museums - a new partnership dedicated to raising professional standards and skills in the diverse heritage fields in this province. Excellent communication skills, as well as strong interpersonal skills are required to help support MANL members services and to build relationships with heritage organizations, government and communities throughout the province. Excellent computer skills would also be an asset, including experience with digital technology & learning. This position will require careful record-keeping, attention to detail and the ability to work on multiple tasks, while delivering results on schedule.

The Museum Association of Newfoundland and Labrador and Heritage NL are committed to being equal opportunity employers, actively promoting employment equity, diversity, inclusion, and anti-racism.

DEADLINE: April 25th, 2025

If you fit the NEET criteria,

1. send your resume to dale@heritagenl.ca, AND
2. register with the ASCEND program at https://joinascend.ca/

Heritage NL gives heritage status to historic Port au Port rectory

A window-filled historic museum on the Port au Port Peninsula has been given heritage status by Heritage NL as a Registered Heritage Structure. 

The Our Lady of Mercy Museum was constructed in 1952 as the rectory for the parish priest of the Our Lady of Mercy Roman Catholic Church (also a Registered Heritage Structure) located next door.  Over the years, the building served as a priest’s rectory, office, and family home. 

Still recognized by some as “Father Green's House,” the building now serves as a popular museum, gift shop, and tea room. 

Its most distinct architectural feature is the sun porch with diamond-shape window panes, which wraps around two sides of the structure. Local students would visit the building in the 1950s and ‘60s to see their exam marks posted in the sunroom windows. 

“Heritage NL is proud to showcase the special architecture and history of Western Newfoundland,” says Dr. Lisa Daly, chair of Heritage NL. “The designation of the Rectory celebrates its continued heritage as a community-centred space, and is timely given that this year is the centennial anniversary of the church.” 

In addition to the designation, Heritage NL will be working with the Our Lady of Mercy Committee to provide training around the conservation of historic wooden sashes, an important skill to have for a structure with so many windows. 

Heritage NL was established in 1984 to preserve one of the most visible dimensions of Newfoundland and Labrador culture - its architectural heritage. Heritage NL designates buildings and other structures as Registered Heritage Structures and may provide grants for the purpose of preservation and restoration of such structures.

 

The City of St. John's Heritage Awards

 Heritage Awards

The City of St. John's Heritage Awards recognize commercial and residential property owners for their work in rehabilitating, restoring and celebrating our rich built heritage.

Who can submit a nomination?

Residents can nominate a designated Heritage Building or a building in a Heritage Area; property owners can nominate their own property.

 

Award categories

Nominations are accepted annually in the following categories:

• preserving or restoring the original character of a heritage building or any building in a Heritage Area
• rehabilitating an older building, including successfully integrating modern elements
• respecting the character of a modern building in a Heritage Area
• infill developments that blend into a neighborhood in a Heritage Area
• stewardship and long-term preservation of a heritage building or any building in a Heritage Area.

 

Application and Deadlines

The deadline for applications is Friday, February 28 at 5 p.m. To submit a nomination, complete and submit the Heritage Awards Nomination Form.

 

Contact us

For more information, please contact Planning. 

Learn more here: City of St. John’s Applause Awards Website

MANL Midday Museums- Heritage Mentorship Program Launch

Join the Museum Association of Newfoundland and Labrador on Tuesday, February 25, 2025 as they celebrate the first anniversary of Midday Museums and introduce the launch of their brand new Heritage Mentorship program!

In celebration of our first anniversary of Midday Museums, MANL is launching a brand-new resource designed for their members.

• Do you have questions on which funding applications would best suit your needs?

• Have you struggled to engage volunteers, particularly youth, with your organization?

• When you hire students every summer, are you comfortable with student payroll and other HR duties?

• Is your computer too old to install the software you need for your collections archiving?

MANL is here to help!

Please join the conversation on February 25 to hear about our heritage mentorship program and how it can help your organization. This initiative grew from our recent heritage conference, held at The Rooms this fall.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, there is no shortage of passionate, hard-working heritage employees and volunteers, with many years of experience, knowledge, skill and ingenuity. Our people are our best resource! It makes sense that we build on that expertise by sharing it with our peers in our communities throughout the province.

One aim of our Heritage Mentorship Program is to connect experienced professionals and volunteers with everyone in the heritage sector who need help, including emerging professionals, youth, students, and volunteers of all ages. Interested in engaging and mentoring youth within your organization? Juliet Lanphear, from Heritage NL will be joining us to announce an upcoming opportunity to bring together emerging professionals to network, become involved in the heritage sector, and share their insights into engaging youth in heritage.

So, please join MANL on Tuesday, February 25, 2025 at noon on Zoom. Registration is free and everyone is welcome to participate. To register, simply fill out THIS FORM by noon, NST on Monday, February 24. 

For more information and to register, please click here.

Instructor Spotlight: Susan Furneaux

Work and photo credit: https://www.instagram.com/marynterraart/
Created when they were a student in Susan Furneaux's class.

Susan Furneaux is a teacher, artist, craft consultant, and mentor. She specializes in natural dye and fibre techniques, learning, teaching, and exhibiting throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, nationally and internationally. Susan has won multiple awards for her embroidery, natural dye and innovative use of natural materials including the 2022 VANL CARFAC’s ‘Endurance Award’.

In 2022, Susan was a mentor with Heritage NL’s Mentor-Apprentice Program. Motivated by reciprocal knowledge exchange, capacity building and the preservation of traditional skills, Furneaux shared the craft of Bark Tanning. This is a traditional method used for tanning hides into leather, or colouring materials. Bark Tanning was listed as critically endangered on Heritage NL’s 2021 Craft at Risk List.

In March Susan will be teaching Beyond Basics: An Advanced Landscape Needle Felting Workshop!

With photos for inspiration, Susan Furneaux will guide participants through creating landscapes in needle felting. Topics will include colour theory, blending, background alternatives and embellishment. This workshop requires previous needle felting experience. Participants are required to bring photos for inspiration and any wool bits and pieces they may have in their stash.

When: March 5, 12:30-4:30pm NST
Where: Heritage NL's office located on the 2nd floor of the Newman Building, 1 Springdale Street

Register here for the workshop!

Stories from Chapel's Cove by Patrick Whelan

Excerpt about Harbour Main-Chapel Cove-Lakeview from the Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador, Volume 2.

Just before the holidays we had a visit to our office from Patrick Whelen of Chapel's Cove. He was interested in dropping off two stories about the community. The first story is a true ghost story he experienced as a boy. Here is his written stories in his words:

"My friend Harold and I were walking home from Avondale one summer's night circa 1960. The time was approximately midnight. The walk home would take us about an hour to complete after accompanying our girlfriends home. The night was very bright with a full moon shining above Hickey's Mountain on the calm water of Second Pond. From the edge of the road to the water was about ten or twelve meters. There were low bushes growing in the pond and along the side with grass closest to the road. So there were no big obstructions.
I said to my friend, "Look do you see that?"
We stopped, and shouted, "Hey, hey!" at the man who kept moving and did not respond. 
He was moving outside the bushes which were growing in the water. This pond has a deep muddy bottom. The silhouette showed that he had something resting on his shoulder and he was supporting the object in his hands. It looked like a rifle. His cap had the shape of a salt and pepper cap. Along the side of the road was crushed stone. We both picked up some and threw at the figure. Then we ran for about fifty feet or so before looking back. There was no one there. Also, when the person was moving outside the bushes, the water was not disturbed. The area where this event occurred was Lakeview. We were on our way home to Chapel's Cove."

Have you ever encountered a ghost near Lakeview? Let us know your experiences!


The next story is about the old cemetery in the community and how it was demolished. Below are the words Patrick wrote about his memories of the site:

"The old cemetery in Chapel’s Cove is located in the centre of the community. No burials took place after about 1900. A new cemetery was created on Chapel’s Cove ridge.

The old cemetery had small and very large aspen trees. The very large trees numbering about eight which lined the side of the road. In 1958 a hurricane topped the large trees across the road in front of the new school which we attended and watched the action. Some of the clearing crew used a large two man cross cut saw to junk up the large trees. Those trees were about 60 ft. high and approx. 30 in. diameter. Unfortunately, no one recorded the rings for age.

In 1959/60 Father Howard announced at Mass that the old Parish Hall would be torn down and a new one built. This old building served the Chapel's Cove residents as a church, school, and an entertainment hall. The location of the new hall was not yet to be decided. One Chapel’s Cove resident told Father Howard that he would give him the land to build a new hall.

Anyway one morning at Mass in Harbour Main Father Howard announced that he had permission from the bishop to build the new hall on the old cemetery approx. on the footprint of the old hall. Now the wheels are in motion the trees were all cleared and the old bldg was torn down by the local residents.

Next came the unbelievable, the excavation order to bulldoze the site, to a level property was indicated by Father Howard. Although the people of Chapel’s Cove were talking amongst themselves about this terrible atrocity, only one person, Dick Fewer, spoke openly about it. Since the R.C. Priest was the sole ruler of the community no one dared to question his motives.

A bulldozer from Holyrood was offloaded at the cemetery and began excavating. My school friends would look in awe as the bulldozer started to dig its blade into the ground and push whatever was in its path. He started to dig form Phil Whelan's property towards the river. This area was the location where Phil Whelan's two infant brothers were buried. Further over towards Murphy's fence were the remains of Dick Fewers' family. The land by Whelan's property was higher than the area towards the river, therefore he would cut off the high and fill in the low. As he was digging deeper we could see the skeleton remains and wooden boards from the coffins being pushed ahead of the dozer. The remains which were not pushed in front were crushed by the dozer going front and bak over the land. When any bones became visible we would collect and store them in a wooden container located near the site. During this excavation a dog was seen carrying a human bone in his mouth from the cemetery. 

Now that the site has been levelled off, the graves at the lower area of the cemetery are there to this present day which is October 2024. This cemetery had only two white headstones and one wooden cross surrounded by a white pailing fence. All the remains are buried inside the main entrance gate at St. Peter and Paul cemetery, Chapel's Cove. 

Unfortunately this is a sad but true story that the orders from one person could eradicate the first cemetery in Chapel's Cove."

Are there other older cemeteries that have been demolished? Let us know if you have one in your community!

Registration Open for Youth Heritage Forum

Heritage NL and our partners are excited to announce that the registration for the Youth Heritage Forum is now open. Interested participants can register on Eventbrite here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/youth-heritage-forum-tickets-1204966269549?aff=oddtdtcreator

The Youth Heritage Forum is a great opportunity for students and emerging professionals to network, attend professional development seminars and workshops, and share your thoughts on being a youth in heritage. Lunch is provided!

"Applying The Halperts’ Vision to Today," event with MUN Folklore

Please join us on Tuesday, February 11th from 6:30 to 8:30 pm in Gushue Hall DH 2002 (Junior Common Room) for a “Applying The Halperts’ Vision to Today,” a roundtable discussion featuring MUN Folklore Department graduates and/or faculty who worked with or were influenced by Dr. Herbert and Violetta Halpert, the founders of Memorial's Department of Folklore, and the Folklore and Language Archive (MUNFLA).

Our panelists will discuss the Halpert's legacy in the province and beyond, reflecting on public folklore, community facing scholarship, and future applications.

Facilitated by Jillian Gould (Folklore, MUN), this event will feature Amanda Dargan (Education Director, City Lore, New York City); Michael Taft (Head of the Archive American Folklife Center, Library of Congress, retired); Crystal Braye (N.L. Public Folklorist, Octopus Consulting); Philip Hiscock (Folklore, MUN, retired); and Neil Rosenberg (Folklore, MUN, retired).

Light refreshments will be served.

Visitors may park in Lot 22 (Large lot by Business and Social Work. To cross Prince Philip, you may take the underpass from the north side of campus, by the Chapel, right to R Gushue Hall). https://www.mun.ca/cep/media/production/memorial/administrative/campus-enforcement-and- patrol/media-library/parking/Permitted-Lot-Map-2024.pdf

Heritage Funding Survey from the Museum Association of Newfoundland and Labrador

Our friends over at MANL invite you to fill out a short Heritage Funding Survey. They write,

We are gathering data about our heritage organizations so we can prepare to educate various levels of government and municipalities on the importance of the heritage sector and to advocate for a much-needed injection of funds into the CEDP program. To achieve this we need your help and that of every heritage organization in the province.

In order for our information to accurately reflect the work being performed by our heritage organizations and the value it brings to our province, we are asking everyone to please complete this short survey at your earliest convenience. Please feel free to forward this survey onto other heritage organizations within the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

We would also like to thank everyone who took the time to engage with the CBC NL Radio program The Signal with Adam Walsh last week. If you missed the program, you can listen to it on their website. Here is a link to the news story covered by CBC, which also contains a link to the radio program:   https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/nl-heritage-sites-risk-funding-1.7431889

You can help them out by answering the Heritage Funding Survey right here.  

January 2025 edition of the Heritage Update

In the January 2025 edition of the Heritage Update:

• Heritage NL announces the return of the popular Youth Heritage Forum, happening March 22nd;
• we want your feedback for our Youth Engagement and Employment Survey;
• gearing up for the 20th Annual Heritage Places Poster Contest;
• launching the National Heritage Week 2025 Municipal Challenge;
• The NL Historic Trust's Southcott awards;
• ongoing research on the St. Joseph’s Chapel, Blackhead, One Room School and Church;
• the Celebrate 75 project is underway;
• Craft at Risk Mentor receives the Premier’s Medal for Heritage;
• A report on the Cemeteries as Community Heritage workshop in Heart's Content;
• and Flora and Folklore: a taste of Labrador Tea. 

Download the full newsletter at:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NGbVbHQRQkD1vwrj-MOzatFyBXpyHxhi/view?usp=sharing 

Flora and Folklore: Labrador Tea

Flora and Folklore: Labrador Tea

By Dale Gilbert Jarvis

Most local readers will know something about Labrador tea, the small evergreen shrub of the heath family Ericaceae. Formally known as Rhododendron groenlandicum, it grows in bogs and swamps, and on rough terrain, in Greenland, Canada, Alaska, northern Europe, the more northern sections of the United States, and of course, Labrador.  The Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador offers the following description of the shrub:

Labrador tea is an evergreen shrub, usually less than one metre in height. The new twigs are densely covered with brown hairs, while the older branches have a flaking bark. The leaves are thick and leathery, with the margins rolled under. The upper surface resembles dark green leather. The lower surface has a dense rusty felt of hairs when mature.

Over the years, Labrador tea has also been known as common Labrador tea, bog Labrador tea, bog tea, Hudson's Bay tea, James tea, St. James tea, Indian tea, wooly tea , wild rosemary, swamp rosemary, swamp tea, marsh cistus, moth herb or thé du labrador. 

Photo credit: Salicyna CC BY-SA 4.0, wikimedia

Labrador tea has been a popular Indigenous beverage in North America for centuries, and has also been used as a spice for meats. It has been used by settlers, traders, trappers and explorers. William Epps Cormack, the early nineteenth century inland explorer, found the shrub growing in many locations, and in 1822 he wrote, "on the skirts of the forest, and of the [marshes] are found ... Indian or Labrador tea.”

Some connoisseurs recommend collecting the leaves in the spring, before flowering, others in late fall. Some collectors prefer the flowers of the plant, claiming they make an even more pleasant beverage. Most agree that the tea should not be too concentrated, due to the poisonous content of the leaves, and that the tea should be steeped, never boiled. The leaves of the plant have been used in Germany to make beer more intoxicating. In Finland, Labrador tea is regarded as an aphrodisiac, and it is popularly used to flavour liqueurs.

In a 1957 study of the Indigenous peoples of the western arctic, ethnobotanist W. J Oswalt also noted the paranormal powers of Labrador tea. He wrote, "there are ceremonial uses for Labrador tea; one is to turn a stalk and throw it out the door if a child is ill or if you want to get rid of ghosts."

If you try it, let me know if it works. 

Sources

“Labrador Tea” in Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador. St. John's: Harry Cuff Publications Limited, 1998.

Oswalt, WH: “A Western Eskimo Ethnobotany” in Anthropological Papers of the Univ. of Alaska (1957) v6 n1, pp16-36.

William Eppes Cormack: Narrative of a Journey Across the Island of Newfoundland in 1822, ed F.A. Bruton (London: Longmans, Green and Co. Ltd., 1928).

20th Annual Heritage Places Poster Contest

 20th Annual Heritage Places Poster Contest

It’s the 20th anniversary of Heritage NL’s annual Heritage Places Poster Contest. Each year we challenge students from grades K-12 to get creative – and each and every year we are thrilled with the results. Today’s young people will one day be the custodians of our province’s heritage places. And the popularity of our poster contest is proof positive that our heritage places are valued by Newfoundlanders and Labradorians of all ages.

The overall winning submission will be featured on our 2025 Heritage Day poster, which will be unveiled on Monday, February 17, 2025. 

The deadline for receiving entries has been extended to Friday, January 24, 2025. Find contest details here https://heritagenl.ca/programs/poster-contest/ 

Youth Engagement and Employment in Heritage Survey

In preparation for the upcoming 4th Youth Heritage Forum on March 22, 2025 at The Lantern, St. John’s, Heritage NL is asking for your input on youth engagement and employment in heritage.

Are you an emerging professional, student, or recent grad? Are you a museum or heritage group interested in employing youth? We want to hear from you about barriers to engaging youth in the heritage sector and what Heritage NL can do to help.

The survey is available through this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeP8kx7E5Q2jUC7MTBI3N_uA2937HIYs0uwZmEbyqzBwpwGbQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

"Are We Doing Enough to Preserve our Heritage?" on The Signal

Tune into The Signal on CBC NL Radio One at noon January the 14th for a special program, "Are We Doing Enough to Preserve our Heritage, including our historic buildings, landscapes, stories, etc.?". Host Adam Walsh has invited Luke Quinton from the Newfoundland and Labrador Historic Trust and Kate Pitcher from the Colony of Avalon to be guests on the show. 

Feel free to call in to share the work achieved every day by heritage staff and volunteers, as well as the many benefits heritage has to offer this province and its people. This is an opportunity to educate and advocate for our heritage. 

There are several methods to participate, including writing a short email, sending a text, and calling in by telephone: 

Telephone: 709-722-7111 

Toll Free: 1-800-563-8255 

Email: thesignal@cbc.ca 

Text: 709-327-8206 

Learn more about The Signal here: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-89-thesignal 

Charles Ollerhead and the Heart's Content Salvation Army Cemetery

Our last blog post on Charles Ollerhead and the Heart's Content Salvation Army cemetery inspired questions on who Charles Ollerhead was, and the history of this tiny, one-marker cemetery. More information was found in Connecting the Continents by Ted Rowe, an excerpt of which is available below.

Connecting the Continents by Ted Rowe.

Excerpt below was taken from: Rowe, Ted. Connecting the Continents. St. John’s: Breakwater Books Ltd.,

2009-04-21. Page 96-97, with the authors permission.

"The Salvation Army first appeared in Heart's Content in 1891, striking a chord with a young cable operator dedicated to the cause. Newcomers to Newfoundland, the Army brought a religious style especially appealing to those Methodists nostalgic for the lively, unrestrained prayer meetings of their earlier days. Carried on a wave of unabashed evangelical fervour, the Army swept through the outports and attained official standing as a religious denomination, which, among other things, allowed it to operate its own schools in a government-supported denominational education system. 

At first the congregation of St. Mary's, still mindful of the Wesley upsurge, did not know quite what to make of this new intrusion, but a congregational meeting in January 1892 found them ready to close ranks: 

Mr. Charlton asked who were members of the Church. Rev. Chairman stated that any persons who connected themselves with any other church or sect or enrolled themselves as members of S Army could not be members of the Church and pointed out that the Rector was not bound to bury a corpse simply because the friends of the deceased wished it. After some remarks by Messrs John Farnham, Gaden Rendell & others Mr. Charlton proposed, Mr. J. H. Moore seconded that persons joining any other church or enrolling as member of S Army be not allowed to use St. Mary's cemetery. Carried. 

Headstone of Charles Ollerhead, buried in the Salvation Army Cemetery
in Heart's Content. Photo courtesy of Ted Rowe.

No dithering as far as the Salvation Army was concerned. The Army's stalwart in Heart's Content was Charlie Ollerhead, a 20-year old Anglo employee whose father had broken away from the Church of England and married into the Methodist side of the Hopkins family. A bachelor with some spare time on his hands, Charlie Ollerhead became passionate in the cause. He volunteered as secretary of the Salvation Army in Newfoundland and spent his summer holidays helping out at headquarters in St. John's. His zeal is apparent in a small item penned for the Army's Canadian newspaper, The War Cry: 

One would think it an impossibility to have a public S.A. banquet in Heart's Content, the people seem to be so much opposed to us, but the Captain's faith ran high, and six of us took up our cross to beg (without a trial there's no denial), and the Lord opened the peo- ple's hearts and they helped us exceptionally well.  

We have no real barracks here, and we tried to get a hall, but failed to obtain one. We had with us Capt. Hoddinott and Bro. Howell, with his cornet and guitar, from Carbonear, also officers from Hant's Harbour and Scilly Cove. We had a nice crowd. The musical jubilee went with a swing. I believe everyone enjoyed themselves, and the unsaved had another chance to get ready to enter into the marriage supper of the Lamb, but none would accept the invitation...We realized the nice little sum of thirty dollars…

 

The Army held their first meetings in a fishing shed on the Rockwood plantation, nicknamed the "tar-pot," where they attracted a contingent of men from Scilly Cove. By 1893, the Scilly Cove people branched off with a corps of their own. In Heart's Content a new barracks was established near the Main Brook. 

Charlie Ollerhead's soldiership was cut short by ill health in 1896. In March, the station superintendent advised that he take a fortnight off and noted that he would be wise to "discontinue his more active operations in connection with the Salvation Army, public speaking, shouting, excitement and late hours not being good for him." Anglo's general manager in London ruled that his occupations outside combined with his duties were too much, and he would have to resign one or the other. Ollerhead worked on and off until June when he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. He died in November. Forewarned by the Church of England policy on burial space, the Army had secured land for a cemetery on the barrens just behind Rowe's Bank. Charlie Ollerhead was the first and only soldier laid to rest there. After his passing the Army failed to gain a firm footing in Heart's Content and departed for good in the 1930s. Today, their tiny cemetery with its single gravesite is the only reminder that they were ever there." 

Learn more about the history of Heart's Content in Connecting the Continents by Ted Rowe (2009).

Cemeteries as Community Heritage event in Heart's Content

Learn more about the cemeteries of Heart's Content database and more at the upcoming Cemeteries as Community Heritage event on November 21st. One cemetery included is the Heart's Content Salvation Army Cemetery, which only contains one headstone.

Headstone of Charles Ollerhead, buried in the Salvation Army Cemetery
in Heart's Content. Photo courtesy of Ted Rowe.

The headstone belongs to Charles Ollerhead, who died November 27th, 1896 at the age of 25. 

The inscription reads:

In Loving Memory of

Charles Ollerhead

who departed this life Novr 27th, 1896

Aged 25 years

He has crossed o'er the sea

He has reached the bright coast

He fell like a warrior

He died at his post

Learn more about the upcoming Cemeteries as Community Heritage event and register here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/1047957367697?aff=oddtdtcreator

Adaptive reuse of historic places - thinking about incubators, accelerators, makerspaces, and coworking spaces

Hobby Horse Making Workshop, 2011

Think of transforming your heritage building into something other than a museum? There are lots of examples of other kinds of models for Craft and Business Spaces.

Quidi Vidi Village Artisan Studios

The Quidi Vidi Village Artisans Studios is a project of the Anna Templeton Centre that was designed to accelerate the growth of new craft enterprises. Upstairs 10 Studios are rented by emerging craftspeople where they produce and sell their work in a supportive and encouraging environment. On the main floor community programming is offered in the public space and outreach programming supports home-based artisans.
https://www.qvvstudios.ca/


Genesis Coworking
Genesis Coworking is a St. John's-based coworking space, offering individuals and small teams from all sectors an inspiring place to work and collaborate
https://www.genesiscoworking.ca


St. John’s Farmer’s Market
Located in the former Metrobus depot on Freshwater Road since 2018, with space for vendors and room for customers to socialize with friends, eat tasty foods, buy local produce, and pick up local art.
https://sjfm.ca


Tobay History House
A repurposed historic building, and a good example of vibrant, local arts and heritage programming
https://www.historyhouse.ca/

Express Newark

Transforming a historic department store into an urban arts incubator

https://medium.com/@KSSarchitects/transforming-a-historic-department-store-into-an-urban-arts-incubator-e67549f14425  

See also

The differences between a business incubator, an accelerator, and a coworking space
https://www.officernd.com/blog/incubator-spaces/
https://canadiansmallbusinesswomen.ca/resources/community-hubs-co-working-spaces/

ART INCUBATORS AND MAKERSPACES: An Application In Benton Harbor, Michigan
https://reicenter.org/upload/documents/colearning/artsincubator2014_report.pdf

Six reasons to support an art incubator
https://freshmindmag.com/2024/09/10/art-incubators-how-theyre-helping-artists-thrive-in-the-business-world/

Heritage Update October 2024 - Craft at Risk, Stonework and Cemeteries; Paradise and Posters; and a Goblin for Hallowe'en

In this edition of the Heritage Update - coopering, spruce root basketry, and the making of Labrador black bottomed sealskin boots are all listed as being under threat in the 2024 Heritage NL Craft at Risk list; we look back at the legacy of Samuel Garrett, a skilled master stonemason (he who built the famous Four Sisters on Temperance Street); a note on our fall events, including a symposium this November in Heart's Content about how communities can take action to conserve historic cemeteries; a report on our Paradise People, Places, and Culture Workshop; the youth poster contest entry information; a peek at the new online exhibition - The Early Lebanese Community in Newfoundland; the experiences of the Lamaline Heritage Society at building a younger board of directors; and some thoughts on the Newfoundland placename, Goblin. 

Download the pdf here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MoQW7bQS5hu_LcFfPFkGYPO9dBLaSxff/view?usp=drive_link

CBC feature on Heritage NL's "Craft at Risk"

Heritage NL is excited to highlight a CBC feature with Krissy Holmes on the Craft at Risk exhibition currently on display at the Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador. 

Heritage NL curated the exhibition which is running from October 4 to November 8, 2024. This exhibition showcases the work of several Mentor-Apprentice participants. Please check out the exhibition in person at the Craft Council Gallery which is open Wednesday-Sunday 12-5pm. For more info about the Craft Council including their location visit their website: https://www.craftcouncilnl.ca/contact

More information about Craft at Risk including our updated Craft at Risk List 2024 please visit is our website here: 

https://heritagenl.ca/programs/craft-at-risk/

Media Release: Updated List of Endangered Crafts Released for Newfoundland and Labrador

Sealskin boot making, traditional dyeing, and the building of Labrador kayaks have all been placed on an updated list of endangered crafts for Newfoundland and Labrador.

St. John’s, NL
For immediate release

The Heritage NL Craft at Risk List 2024 is designed to track changes in levels of local knowledge, and to plan for the future. Concerned about the loss of traditional know-how, Heritage NL has been working to document crafts at risk and to encourage the sharing of heritage skills.

The Heritage NL Craft at Risk List 2024 features 76 crafts, 16 of which are listed as critically endangered. These include things such as coopering, spruce root basketry, and making black bottomed sealskin boots. An additional 42 crafts are listed as endangered, while 15 crafts are listed as currently viable. Three crafts, including the recently listed hay barrack making, are listed as having become extinct in the last generation.

Heritage NL has partnered with the Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador to showcase some of these crafts at risk in a new exhibition at the Craft Council Gallery on Water Street, St. John’s. This exhibition features the work of 18 participants of the Heritage NL Mentor-Apprentice Program. This program, coordinated and funded by Heritage NL, was a one-on-one immersion program to support the teaching of endangered crafts and skills from an established mentor to an apprentice craftsperson or tradesperson.

“The culture and heritage of Newfoundland and Labrador is so entwined with craft,” says Dr. Lisa Daly, chair of Heritage NL’s Board of Directors. “Through the fishery, built heritage, making clothing, and our foodways, we find the art and craft that has taken things from functional to beautiful. I hope that we can continue such partnerships to preserve and share the intangible cultural heritage that makes this place so uniquely home for us, whether our ancestors have spent generations here, or we are new to the province.”

“Heritage NL hopes to continue to work so that future generations can continue to learn the crafts that shape our identity,” Daly adds.

The Craft at Risk exhibition runs until November 8th, 2024 at the Craft Council Gallery (155 Water Street) which is open to the public from Wednesday to Saturday 12-5pm.

Find the Heritage NL Craft at Risk List 2024 at www.heritagecraft.ca

###

For more information or to arrange an interview contact:

Dale Jarvis, Executive Director
Heritage NL
dale @ heritagenl . ca
709-739-1892 x1
www.heritagecraft.ca

Save Our Historic Cemeteries! Come learn about how your community can take action.

Come learn about how your community can take action to conserve historic cemeteries in this free symposium with speakers from Heritage NL, MUN Folklore, and Trinity Historical Society.

Cemeteries as Community Heritage
Thursday, November 21st
9:30am - 12:00pm

Heart's Content Regional Centre for the Arts (former Heyfield Memorial Church)
Heart’s Content Registered Heritage District, NL
Directions: https://maps.app.goo.gl/1mkEja8nYGo75uvF7


Schedule of Events:

9:30am - Doors open, tea and coffee

10am - Session start

Introduction: Dale Jarvis, Heritage NL
Before You Start Cleanup - Planning and Municipal Cemetery Designation: Andrea O'Brien, Heritage NL
Update on Heart's Content Cemetery Documentation: Juliet Lanphear, Heritage NL
What is Cemetery Tourism?: Katie Crane, MUN Folklore
Adopt a Headstone Project, St. Paul’s Anglican Cemetery: Jim Miller, Trinity Historical Society

11:30am Questions, general discussion, and wrap-up


This is a free event, and open to the general public, but pre-registration is required here.

After the event, from 12:00pm-1:00pm, there will be a post-session meeting with Heritage NL, Mizzen Heritage, citizens, and Town of Heart's Content to discuss next steps for the community:

• What has already been done?
• Are there burial records for the cemeteries? Where are they?
• What comes next? Who will do it?

Meet MANL conference panel moderator Dale Jarvis- Digital Museums Canada Session

As part of the upcoming MANL conference, Heritage NL will be facilitating a Digital Museums Canada session on Saturday Oct 26th. Come learn about how your heritage organization or museum can avail of DMC funding to help share your local knowledge and stories. 

Registration deadline is October 16th, end of day.
https://museumsnl.ca/2024-conference-agm/ 

Meet moderator Dale Jarvis

Folklorist and author Dale Jarvis is an Adjunct Professor at the Department of Folklore, Memorial University, and the Executive Director of Heritage NL, helping communities to safeguard living heritage and historic places. Dale has been working for Heritage NL since 1996, and holds a BSc in Anthropology/Archaeology from Trent University, and a MA in Folklore from Memorial University. He has served on the UNESCO Consultative Body to the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and regularly teaches workshops on oral history, cultural documentation, and public folklore.

Meet MANL conference panelist Neil Burgess- Digital Museums Canada session

2024 MANL Conference

Date: October 25-26, 2024.
Location: The Rooms, 9 Bonaventure Ave, St. John's, NL

Join us for an in-person opportunity to explore what binds us as heritage organizations! MANL, ANLA and Heritage NL are working together to help you build ideas and tell your communities’ stories. As part of the conference, Heritage NL will be facilitating a Digital Museums Canada program on Saturday Oct 26th. Come learn about how your heritage organization or museum can avail of DMC funding to help share your local knowledge and stories. 

Registration deadline is October 16th, end of day.
https://museumsnl.ca/2024-conference-agm/

Meet panelist Neil Burgess

Neil Burgess has a Masters in Science and worked as a wildlife biologist for 30 years. Now that he is retired, he pursues his passion for learning more about shipwrecks in this province. With friends, he established the Shipwreck Preservation Society of Newfoundland and Labrador. The aim of the Shipwreck Society is to document, protect and promote awareness of shipwrecks and nautical history across the province. The Society has partnered with local museums to create two Community Stories exhibits with funding from Digital Museums Canada. They partnered with the Bell Island Heritage Society to create a virtual museum exhibit online on the U-boat attacks at Bell Island in 1942 and the sinking of four ore ships, and partnered with the South West Coast Historical Society Inc. on an exhibit about the sinking of SS Caribou.

The Tragic Sinking of S.S. "Caribou" 

https://www.communitystories.ca/v2/tragic-sinking-ss-caribou_naufrage-tragique/

When World War II Came to Bell Island, Newfoundland

https://www.communitystories.ca/v2/wwii-came-to-bell-island_seconde-guerre-mondiale/

Meet MANL conference panelist Terra Barrett - Digital Museums Canada session

As part of the upcoming MANL conference, Heritage NL will be facilitating a Digital Museums Canada session on Saturday Oct 26th. Come learn about how your heritage organization or museum can avail of DMC funding to help share your local knowledge and stories. 

Registration deadline is October 16th, end of day.
https://museumsnl.ca/2024-conference-agm/ 

Meet panelist Terra Barrett

Terra Barrett (she/her) is the Intangible Cultural Heritage Program Planner with Heritage NL. She holds a BA in Folklore and an MA in Public Folklore from Memorial University as well as a Social Media Certificate from Algonquin College. She is currently documenting untold histories, traditional skills, and the associated narratives of Newfoundland and Labrador’s historic places. Previously for Heritage NL, Terra conducted fieldwork in several communities, and worked with the Oral History Roadshow and Craft at Risk projects. She volunteers with a number of organizations, and is particularly interested in the crafts, foodways and folk beliefs of the province. Terra has past experience working with MUNFLA, Them Days Inc., and The Rooms.

Terra has been the Heritage NL lead on the following DMC projects:
-The Early Lebanese Community in Newfoundland (2024)
-Heritage Underground - A History of Root Cellars in Newfoundland and Labrador (2022)
-Carved by the Sea: Heritage Places of Bay Roberts, Newfoundland (2020)
-Remembering the Merchants of Main Street, Windsor (2019)

Meet MANL conference panelist Leah Resnick - Digital Museums Canada session

2024 MANL Conference

Date: October 25-26, 2024.
Location: The Rooms, 9 Bonaventure Ave, St. John's, NL

Join us for an in-person opportunity to explore what binds us as heritage organizations! MANL, ANLA and Heritage NL are working together to help you build ideas and tell your communities’ stories. As part of the conference, Heritage NL will be facilitating a Digital Museums Canada program on Saturday Oct 26th. Come learn about how your heritage organization or museum can avail of DMC funding to help share your local knowledge and stories. 

Registration deadline is October 16th, end of day.
https://museumsnl.ca/2024-conference-agm/

Meet panelist Leah Resnick

Leah Resnick (she/her) is a seasoned museum leader with a proven track record directing and forging strategic partnerships nationally, internationally and in cultural diplomacy. She is currently Director of Digital Museums Canada. Over the course of her career she has led close to 100 high profile cultural projects (digital initiatives, exhibitions, grants, art commissions, festivals, art prizes and community engagement). Highlights include leading the Sobey Art Award, Venice Biennale, and a number of world class travelling exhibitions. At the National Gallery of Canada, she was instrumental in reinventing the National Outreach Program. She champions the power of digital, diversity and inclusion, accessibility and sustainability in museums.