The Memory Store: But we're even more lucky to have the artifacts...

The week's Memory Store video is another video from Gary Green. Gary is a past president of the Crow's Nest Officer's Club and a past president of the Crow's Nest Military Artefacts Association. This week Gary Green explains how the gun shield art and other wall art displayed in the club is placed in the order it was left when the Second World War ended.

Watch the video below or click here to watch the video on YouTube.

Click here for more information about the building's history and architectural style.
If you missed our initial post explaining the concept of the Memory Store clip here to go back to our first blog post with the introduction video or check out our YouTube channel at ICH NL.

Stay tuned for more short stories about historic places in the province, in the form of short oral history interviews conducted with the people who care about those places and if you have a personal memory about a historic place in Newfoundland and Labrador, and want to add your voice to the Memory Store project, let us know at ich@heritagefoundation.ca

-Terra

Living Heritage Podcast Ep008 Admiralty House Museum with Allison Bennett and Carla Watson

Allison Bennett is from Mount Pearl and graduated with a Master of Arts (in History) from Memorial University in October 2014. She is currently completing her Bachelor of Education (Intermediate/Secondary) at Memorial and will graduate this fall. Allison is currently employed as the Centennial Celebrations Coordinator at Admiralty House Communications Museum and is organizing and preparing events for HM Wireless Station’s 100th anniversary September 2015. Originally hailing from Saskatchewan, Carla Watson completed her Masters in Public History at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario. She is currently the Museum Manager for Admiralty House Communications Museum in Mount Pearl. In this podcast, Terra Barrett talks with Allison and Carla about the Admiralty House Communications Museum, favourite stories and artifacts found in the museum, examples of programs, stories about supernatural activities in the museum, and challenges youth face working in the heritage sector.

Booklet Launch Sept 10th - Witless Bay: Exploring A Cultural Landscape

The Department of Folklore will launch its latest publication, Witless Bay: Exploring A Cultural Landscape, on Thursday, September 10th, in ED4036, at 12 noon.

This booklet is the result of the 2014 Department Field School. Graduate students and visiting faculty spent three weeks last September 2014 living in Witless Bay, documenting local traditions. Essays cover the history of Witless Bay, as well as some of the most important houses, barns, and fish stages/stores in the community. 

Join us for coffee/tea and snacks.

Living Heritage Podcast Ep007 Food Knowledge and Skills with Sarah Ferber

Sarah Ferber is the Education Manager at Food Security Network NL. Their mission is to actively promote comprehensive, community-based solutions to ensure access to adequate and healthy food for all people in the province. Sarah works closely with community groups across NL to gather, share and preserve food skills and knowledge. In this podcast, folklorist Dale Jarvis talks with Sarah about the "All Around the Table" film series, creating food celebrations with seniors, traditional knowledge, food skills workshops, and advancing farm-to-school and school gardening initiatives.

The Memory Store: It was not consumed in the fire of 1892...

Photo courtesy of Bruce Templeton.

The week's Memory Store video comes to us from St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church otherwise known as the Kirk. Bruce Templeton tells the story of the burning bush in relation to the Presbyterian Church and how the burning bush medallion of an earlier church survived the fire of 1892.

Watch the video below or click here to watch the video on YouTube.

Click here for more information about the building's history and architectural style.
If you missed our initial post explaining the concept of the Memory Store clip here to go back to our first blog post with the introduction video or check out our YouTube channel at ICH NL.

Stay tuned for more short stories about historic places in the province, in the form of short oral history interviews conducted with the people who care about those places and if you have a personal memory about a historic place in Newfoundland and Labrador, and want to add your voice to the Memory Store project, let us know at ich@heritagefoundation.ca

-Terra

Tuesday's Folklore Photo - A Trinity Potato Garden

Happy Tuesday! For this week's Folklore Photo, a lovely view of a potato garden in flower in Trinity, Trinity Bay.

I have been assisting the Agricultural History Society of NL with some of their files, soon to be uploaded to the Digital Archives Initiative, under the "Knowledge and Practices Concerning Nature and the Universe" section of the ICH Inventory. This is one of the photos in their collection that will be included.

The photo was undated and unnamed, but that is the Hiscock House there in the background, now a provincial historic site.  I love the wood stacked up behind the garden, as well.  The photo was used in a panel prepared by the Agricultural History Society circa 2008, but the photo might be older. If you recognize it, email me at ich@heritagefoundation.ca or leave a comment below!

- Dale Jarvis

Oh! You Nasty Nazi Man: A WWII Novelty March Song from 1940s Newfoundland

Those of you who follow the ICH blog know that we are often uploading information and interviews to the ICH Inventory on Memorial University's Digital Archives Initiative. It is an amazing resource for people conducting historical and folklore research, and the ICH Inventory is only one small part of the entire collection.

There is a recent uploads page for the DAI, which showcases some of the more recent items uploaded. While checking it out today, I came across this peculiar gem, a novelty march song from Newfoundland entitled "Oh! You Nasty Nazi Man" - a call-to-arms of sorts with a chorus that starts "Oh! you nasty Nazi man, Way over in Berlin, You know you haven't got a chance, This blinking war to win."

Words and music are attributed to A.J. Dee, and copyright is attributed to one A.S. Donnelly, of 20 McKay Street, St. John's. If you know anything about this piece of music, or the author, let me know, or leave a comment below!

You can view the sheet music on the DAI, or download a pdf here.

Can you help solve the mitt mystery of Long Beach, Trinity Bay? #nlheritage

I recently got an intriguing email from Wanda Garrett of the Southwest Arm Historical Society, concerning a pair of children's mitts dug up by her father. Wanda writes:

A few years ago, my father dug up two children's mitts on his land in Long Beach. I am trying to find out some historical information about the mitts - how old they are, etc.

The mitts appear to be children's mitts as they are small. They are two different sizes. It appears that the mitts were dipped in some type of solution to make them waterproof - maybe linseed oil?

The land where the mitts were found is now owned by my parents but it used to belong to my grandparents. When my parents took over the land, my grandparents' home was in bad shape and falling down so they had it bulldozed and buried on the land. We don't know if the mitts were in the house when it was bulldozed or not. My grandparents purchased the land and house in the '50s. The original owners of the land lived there from 1873-1961. 

I asked my mother (who is 81) if she remembers seeing these mitts before but she does not. I also asked her brothers, who are a little younger than her, and they also do not remember them. Therefore I am thinking they belonged to the people who owned the house and land before my grandparents. When they sold the house to my grandparents, they left some belongings in a back room upstairs. These mitts may have been among their items.

Have you seen or worn mitts like this? If you have, send me an email at ich@heritagefoundation.ca, or leave a comment below.

- Dale Jarvis

Living Heritage Podcast Ep006 Public Folklore with Jillian Gould

Jillian Gould is an assistant professor in the Department of Folklore at Memorial University. In the public sector she was a museum educator in New York City, and has worked with museums and archives in Toronto, Ottawa, and St. John's. On this episode, Dale Jarvis talks with Jillian about egg rolls and egg creams, fish and chips, public programming and festivals, and the public folklore program at Memorial University.