“Remembering the Merchants of Main Street” explores the diverse history of Grand Falls-Windsor

Photo courtesy of Grand Falls-Windsor Heritage Society. 1965.

A new online exhibit by Heritage NL invites you to take a walk down Main Street with the residents of Windsor, Newfoundland, and to explore the vibrant history of this shopping district. The site combines recent and archival photographs from community members and the Grand Falls-Windsor Heritage Society’s collection with written and audio memories about the food, shops and entertainments of Main Street.

“Remembering the Merchants of Main Street” is a partnership between Heritage NL and the Grand Falls-Windsor Heritage Society (GFWHS). Developed with the assistance of the Virtual Museums of Canada Community Stories Investment Program, the exhibit helps visitors discover the stories behind the street’s many businesses, and learn how immigration and development have impacted the community.

The community of Windsor grew with the establishment of a railway station and the development of a paper mill in the early 1900s. From its inception, Windsor provided home and opportunity to immigrants, including people who travelled from China or war-torn Europe to find safety and livelihoods for their families. Their surnames have become part of the fabric of the town: Basha, Becker, Chow, Cohen, Münch, Riff, and others.

“Stories like the ones in this exhibit help us understand our relationship to local heritage,” says Heritage NL public folklorist Terra Barrett. “It showcases lesser-known aspects of the community in a way that is accessible to those from Grand Falls-Windsor and beyond.”

The Community Stories Investment Program helps smaller Canadian museums and heritage organizations work with their communities to develop virtual exhibits that engage online audiences in the stories, past and present, of Canada’s communities.

The “Remembering the Merchants of Main Street” virtual exhibit can be viewed at:

http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/home/

http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/virtual-exhibits/exhibit/remembering-the-merchants-and-memories-of-main-street-windsor/

Historic foundry that cast the 1845 Petty Harbour church bell under threat. #SavetheBellFoundry

Here is an interesting little news story in the built heritage and intangible cultural heritage world.  I while back, I blogged about the 1845 Whitechapel bell at St. George's Anglican Church, Petty Harbour.  Back in 1981, the bell had been identified as one of at least seven Newfoundland Whitechapel bells.

The Whitechapel Bell Foundry has a very long and impressive history, and the Petty Harbour St. Andrew’s bell has some very historic counterparts, as the foundry produced such notable bells as Big Ben and the Liberty Bell. The business has been on its present site since the mid 1740s, is one of just two remaining bell foundries in Britain, and the foundry is reportedly the oldest manufacturing company in the UK.

Currently, the building and business are in danger of closing and being turned into a boutique hotel, even though there is a partnership proposal in place by the United Kingdom Historic Building Preservation Trust to keep the site open as a working foundry.

An online petition to save the foundry is rapidly gaining signatures.

Oral History Roadshow short-listed for Governor General’s History Award

Left to Right: Wanda Garrett and Elaine Spurrell of the Southwest Arm Historical Society, Terra Barrett of Heritage NL, Joanna Dawson of Canada's National History Society, and Lester Green of Southwest Arm Historical Society.
The Southwest Arm Historical Society were also nominated for the Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Community Programming and were an honorary mention.

The Heritage NL project, the “Oral History Roadshow” has received an honorary mention for the 2018 Governor General’s History Award for Excellence in Community Programming.

The goal of the project was to capture the stories and memories of seniors, to share these stories with their communities, and make them freely accessible to the general public. The Oral History Night Roadshow saw Heritage NL travel to 10 communities to host Oral History Nights, conduct follow up oral history interviews, and create a series of community history booklets. In January 2019, Heritage NL public folklorist Terra Barrett was invited to Ottawa to attend the Canada’s History Forum, the Governor General’s Award Ceremony, and the History Makers Gala.

The complete Oral History Roadshow booklet series can be downloaded for free from the Heritage NL website at:

http://heritagefoundation.ca/discover/publications-ich/

Tying knots in trees, and randying on coasters - notes from Heart's Delight - Islington

Heart's Delight 1955 aerial photograph by Lee Wulff, photo A 14-77.2 at The Rooms.

Happy Friday, ICH fans!

We had a really positive workshop last night in Heart's Delight - Islington. They have a new town Heritage Committee, and seem to be really keen on doing some work documenting and safeguarding living heritage.   We chatted about what makes up “Living Heritage” and introduced the five categories of Intangible Cultural Heritage as defined by UNESCO.  From there, community members came up with a long list of local traditions, skills, crafts, customs, and knowledge.  One of the best parts of my job is that I'm always learning new things (and new words) and last night was no exception. People talked about fishing skills and berth names, bean suppers, candy-making, tying knots in young tree branches and letting them grow to make things like gavels, and "randying the girls home" - which isn't as rude as you might think.  Locally, "randying" means sliding (sledding, or what a mainlander might call "tobogganing") down a hill, or pulling someone on a sled/cat/slide. "Randy" gets its own entry in the Dictionary of Newfoundland English.

Prioritizing our list of possible living heritage themes.

After MUCH discussion, there was a general consensus that the best place to start would be to do some further work documenting, recording, and promoting the knowledge and practice of the traditional Heart's Delight - Islington Christmas Carols. These are two very old traditional carols, which exist in modified versions in some of the nearby communities, but which are still widely sung in Heart's Delight - Islington. Traditionally, they were sung by men, who would travel to every house in the community. The custom continues with some changes over time, but more work is needed to safeguard this very special local tradition. There were other recommendations which you can peruse here.

Want a "Where is our Living Heritage?" workshop in your town? Drop me a line at dale@heritagenl.ca.

Mayor Clayton Branton, Dale Jarvis, and Wayne Ford. Photo by Allan Boyce

Looking for NL step mothers to take part in a visual project on step motherhood.

Freelance photographer and documentarian Vaida Nairn is working on a project to challenge and break down the traditional folktale motif of the wicked stepmother, and she is looking for step-mothers who might be interested in taking part in a photography project which will travel to Scotland for Mothers Day.

Vaida writes:

Through images and testimonies the exhibition explores motherhood as blended family experience in the times when such families are almost as common as traditional nuclear ones. The interviewed and photographed women represent a wide range of ages, ethnicities, nationalities, and length of time they have been mothering children they are not related to biologically.

However, what the women do seem to have in common are personal joys, challenges and pressure that often come with the prevalent image of the ‘evil stepmother’ found in folklore and popular culture. Still, more importantly, the thread that connects the women the most is the universal experience of motherhood and all its joys and challenges.

The attitudes are changing and countries like Australia and USA have annual National Step Family Day celebrations. Therefore it is, perhaps, a good time for us too in other countries to revisit the stories we tell about stepmothers, rethink the importance of a more constructive narrative and show due appreciation to all who join motherhood - through blood connection or not.

Visual element of the exhibition: documentary photography style photograph of each stepmother participating in the project in her own home environment.

Written text: A quote from each participant on their personal experience on step mothering, including, but not limited to:

• personal challenges
  
• challenges imposed by the modern day societal stereotyping and judgement
  
• prevalence of the negative step mothering image in folklore and popular culture
  
• difference between step mothering and mothering, if any
  
• positive and rewarding side of the step mothering experience
  
  Important:
  

• Confirmation of interest in taking part in the project: until the end of January, 2019
  
• Interviews and photography sessions: January - end of February, 2019
  
• Project is non commercial, so participation is voluntary.
  
• If preferred, anonymity is guaranteed.
  
• I work in a respectful, non-intrusive and fun way so that the project is rewarding to all participating parties.
  
• The project is scheduled to be exhibited at The Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh, Scotland March 20 - April 13, 2019 to coincide with the UK's Mother's Day. I am also looking for opportunities to exhibit the project in St.John's, NL in 2019 around Canadian Mother's day.
  
  For more information and/or express your interest in the project, please contact:
  Author: Vaida Nairn, freelance photographer Website: www.vvnphotography.comInstagram: @vaidavnairn
  Twitter: @vaidavnairn
  Email: vaida.vaitk@gmail.comMobile: (709) 325-1129

Public Lecture - "Georgestown: A Neighbourhood Talking Tour" Feb 27

Public Lecture - "Georgestown: A Neighbourhood Talking Tour" 

The Georgestown Neighbourhood Association annual heritage event. 
Wednesday, February 27th, at 7:30 p.m. 
The Lantern, 35 Barnes Road. 

In September 2018, the incoming class of Master's and Ph.D. students in the Folklore Department at Memorial University researched the oral history of Georgestown for their Field School project. They presented their findings as a walking tour to great success. Now, they're back again to share their stories of Georgestown with the neighbourhood. Stories of ghosts, childhood shenanigans, and bygone family businesses as well as the sights, sounds, and scents that bring Georgestown to life will showcase the neighbourhood's favourite memories and lasting influences. If you have fond memories of Georgestown, or want to learn its hidden history, come to this Folklore Field School reunion talk! 

One night only! Discussion, tea, coffee, and treats to follow.

Living Heritage Podcast Ep143 Roadside memorials, anniversaries and conferences with Holly Everett. #FolkloreThursday

Terra Barrett and Holly Everett.

In this episode, Holly Everett discusses her research on roadside memorials, grave markers, memorial assemblages, and culinary tourism as well as the 50th anniversary of Memorial University's Department of Folklore, and the upcoming Folklore Studies Association of Canada conference. Dr. Holly Everett is an Associate Professor in the Department of Folklore at Memorial University, cross-listed with the School of Music’s Ethnomusicology program. She is the author of Roadside Crosses in Contemporary Memorial Culture (2002), as well as articles in Contemporary Legend, Cuizine, Ethnologies, Folklore, the Folklore Historian, the Journal of American Folklore, MusiCultures, and Popular Music and Society. Holly is also the current Head of the Department of Folklore at Memorial and the President of the Folklore Studies Association of Canada.

Download 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 HFNL 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.

New HeritageNL Fieldnotes - Anglican Cemetery, New Perlican; Methodist Churches in Bauline

We're starting up a new little informal publication series here at the Intangible Cultural Heritage office.

The Heritage NL Fieldnotes Series was created to openly share information concerning the ongoing research projects of Heritage NL in the fields of built heritage and intangible cultural heritage. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. This is where we'll be posting short reports that we may not have fully developed as part of our occasional papers series, and which we may update as new material becomes available.  For further information on the reports, you can email dale@heritagenl.ca 

So far, I've posted two articles:

• Jarvis, Dale Gilbert. A History of St. Mark’s Anglican Cemetery, New Perlican. Heritage NL Fieldnotes Series, 001, November 2018. Heritage NL: St. John's, NL, Canada.
  
• Jarvis, Dale Gilbert. Notes on Methodist Churches, Bauline, Conception Bay.  Heritage NL Fieldnotes Series, 002, December 2018. Heritage NL: St. John's, NL, Canada.

If you find these articles useful, comment below!

#FolklorePhoto: The Reverend and Mrs. William Henry Browning

This photo shows the very distinguished Reverend and Mrs. William Henry Browning. While the photo bears the mark of the Fulton Art Studio of Brooklyn, it comes to us from the community of Bauline, Conception Bay, NL, where Rev. Browning served as Methodist minister between 1914-1918. Photo courtesy Town of Bauline. 

Mrs. Browning was born Ellie Grace Currie, of Britannia Cove, Random Island circa 1869. They were married on July 18th, 1891 in Britannia, Rev TW Atkinson officiating, with David Currie (most likely her father) and JJ Durrant as witnesses. William was 34; she was 22.  Ellie's father David had come from Llanberis, Wales to work in the local slate quarries.  Today, the National Slate Museum exists close to the point from where the Curries emigrated. 

William and Ellie had most likely met while Browning was working as a Methodist circuit minister, as he served a number of Methodist circuits around Newfoundland.  As an example, he is listed as officiating the Shoal Harbour marriage of Thomas Pond (28, a fisherman of Foster's Point) and Mary Eliza Benson (28, a "spinster" of Fox Harbour), though both of them were Episcopalian. He also served as minister of the Western Bay circuit in 1906-1910, where he officiated over several weddings. A new church was completed in Western Bay during his ministry. He served on the General Board of Missions, 1917-18.

Browning's obituary appeared in the Evening Telegram 1922-10-12: "Methodist Pastor Dead" and gives a more complete picture of his work and service:

Rev. W. H. Browning, Methodist Pastor at Hr. Grace, died early this morning from heart failure. William Henry Browning was born in England 1858 and was ordained in 1887, five years after coming to Newfoundland. His circuits since that time have included St. George's, Britannia, Petites, Random North, Little Bay, Fogo, Bonavista, Burin, Western Bay, Lower Island Cove, Pouch Cove and Harbor Grace. He held various offices In the Methodist Conference, for many years. In 1906 he was elected Secretary and in 1908 President of the Newfoundland Methodist Conference. He was frequently a delegate to the general conferences and General Board of Missions. An able administrator, a loyal minister of the gospel, a true friend, hundreds of his children in God all over the country, and in other lands, will mourn his passing. He is survived by his wife, formerly Miss Currie of Britannia, to whom the Telegram extends sympathy.