Do you have a memory of Muddy Hole, Shearstown?

Starting in the early 1800s, men from Mercer’s Cove and French's Coves visited the area bordering Bay Roberts and Spaniard’s Bay “chasing the wood” -- collecting winter firewood. As the area was more sheltered than the coast, some families started to overwinter there, returning to Bay Roberts in the spring. Eventually, they settled there permanently.

Some of the earliest family names of the Shearstown pioneers were Holmes, Earle, Hedderson, Badcock, Sparkes, Franey, French, Saunders, and Mercer.  Some settlers like Augustus Mercer worked in the fishery, while John and George Tetford set up a cooperage. The area was originally known as Ryan's Brook or The Gut, but in 1905, the name was changed to Shearstown in honour of the Reverend W.C. Shears.

During its early years, the most prosperous part of Shearstown was the section of the community known as Muddy Hole, which lies near the mouth of the Shearstown River. This was once a bustling trading place where people from Shearstown and its surrounding communities would go to buy supplies.

Do you have a memory of the section of Shearstown known as Muddy Hole? Heritage NL and the Town of Bay Roberts are working on a Virtual Museum Project, and any of your stories, photos, or memories of Muddy Hole are welcome!  You can email Dale Jarvis at dale@heritagenl.ca or call 1-888-739-1892 x2.

Rehearsing the Heart's Delight-Islington Christmas Carols (and some archival audio).

We've been doing some work to document and share the two traditional Christmas carols that were traditionally sung by men door-to-door on Christmas Eve in the community of Heart's Delight-Islington. The group above will be performing at The Rooms as part of the the afternoon Coffee and Culture session on December 12th.

We have a couple archival recordings of the carols, none of which are of exceptional audio quality, but they will give you an idea of the tune.

First up are two recordings from an audio tape entitled "Ht's. Delight-Is. Carolers 1970-1971" from the collection of Edwin Bishop.   Edwin writes,

"As far as I can recall I recorded it myself at my sister's house (Harry and Elva Morgan) on Northeast Side. I can’t recall most of the names but pretty sure Lewis Legge or Clayton Reid was the leader. My brother James and Jim Reid, Hedley Fost and Gilbert were most likely there."

Download version one as MP3
Download version two as MP3





Next up, in this recording, Joe Crocker, Jim Reid, Fred Fost of Heart's Delight-Islington sing the carols. Recorded early 1980s. Thanks to Shirley Crocker Rockwood for the copy of the recording.
Download the MP3 here

Living Heritage Podcast Ep162 Revitalizing the Heart's Delight-Islington Christmas Carols

In days past, Christmas Eve in Heart’s Delight-Islington would ring with the singing of  their own special Christmas carols. The tradition involved the door-to-door singing of two specific carols which had been passed down over the past century. Originally, they were sung by men, who would travel to every house in the community. Other communities in the area, such as Cavendish and Green's Harbour, also once sang a version of the carols, but the tradition remains strongest in Heart’s Delight-Islington.

The custom continues with some changes over time, but more work is needed to safeguard this very special local tradition.  In this podcast, we chat with Stan Reid and Howard Sooley, two long-time carolers who are working to ensure this tradition is carried on to the next generation.  We talk about the past and present of the tradition, and where they would like to see it in the future.

Note: On Dec 12th, as part of this year's Mummers Festival, The Rooms will be hosting an afternoon Coffee and Culture with participants from Heart's Delight-Islington. Facebook event here. Photo courtesy Geraldine Legge.

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

Living Heritage Podcast Ep161 We ❤ Craft Skill Sharing Series

With funding from New Horizons, the Anna Templeton Centre is proud to present the We ❤ Craft Skill Sharing Series - 10 tours, presentations, and workshops that showcase craft in and around St. John's. The events will facilitate the sharing of craft skills between seniors and their community, including other seniors, youth, and the general population.

The focus is not just on traditional Newfoundland and Labrador craft, but also adaptive and international craft and skills. There has been one event, a tour of the embroidery and silver of the Anglican Cathedral, where Joyce King gave a tour of the history and architecture of the Cathedral, Don Beaubier discussed the history and workmanship of some of the silver housed there, and Susan Furneaux discussed the embroidery on display, some of which was made locally by Bunty Severs.

Over November they will host a panel at the Quidi Vidi Village Plantation where three generations of knitters will demonstrate some methods for tricky and difficult techniques, and will take audience questions. At the end of November they will have three workshop on Iris folding, a Dutch technique of using scraps of paper, and because it is hosted by Sheila Ford, a quilter, scraps of fabric, to create beautiful images on cards.

Dr. Lisa Daly is the project organizer for We ❤ Craft, working with a board of women who are passionate about crafting. Lisa is also a member of the Heritage NL board, and has been working in heritage and tourism for almost two decades.

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

Living Heritage Podcast Ep160 Listening for La Llorona with Mariana Esquivel Suárez

Mariana Esquivel Suárez (@folklorette) is a Mexican graduate student at Memorial University’s Department of Folklore. She is currently writing her thesis on the legend of La Llorona (the weeping woman) as a symbol of protest in Mexico. Her academic research interests include supernatural folklore, folk religion, and the intersection of folklore and politics.  We talk about the origins of the La Llorona legend, and how it has changed and shifted over time.

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

Heritage NL goes Back to School - at the Marjorie Mews Library

Do you remember bringing splits to school for the fire, or being in a school play or concert? Did your school have indoor plumbing, or not? Did you take a school field trip to Bowring Park? Are you a retired teacher or educator? Or maybe you were the reason your teacher wanted to retire! We want to hear your memories!

On November 14th, Heritage NL folklorist Dale Jarvis is hosting a School Days Memory Mug up at the Marjorie Mews Public Library. You bring a memory of your schooldays, we’ll supply the tea and biscuits, and we will all have a chat. It’s free, open to everyone, and there won’t be a test at the end.

School Days Memory Mug Up
Thursday, November 14th, 10am
Marjorie Mews Public Library
12 Highland Drive, St. John's, NL A1A 3C4

Facebook event listing here


For more info:

Dale Jarvis
dale@heritagenl.ca
1-888-739-1892 x2

A Traditional Bonfire Night in Heart's Content - by Claude Rockwood

A Traditional Bonfire Fire

About a month or so before bonfire night a crowd of us, boys and girls ages 8-10, from the Northern Point would rush home from school every day and head for the woods. While the boys cut trees and boughs, the girls would drag them to the wide open field located up behind Uncle Albert and Aunt Lydia’s house (no relation). Believe it or not, but all this was done without grown-up supervision. Then we would pile them as high as we could pile them.

Bonfires could be seen all over the Harbour - Southern Cove, Rockwood’s Room, Rowe’s Bank, and Up the Backway. Now the big thing was to gather up as many boughs and trees as you could so you would have the biggest bonfire in the Harbour.

After the bonfire was over, we would all go to Uncle Albert and Aunt Lydia’s house  for a big scoff of pork and cabbage. For the scoff, we would all bring along some vegetables- cabbage, potatoes, carrot and, of course, each of us would have their own piece of salt meat. Aunt Lydia would supply scoff  vegetables from her own garden, as well. Everyone would sit around and have a fine old feed and chat about anything that came to mind. And you know, the smell of smoke from our clothes didn’t seem to bother them at all. I think Uncle Albert and Aunt Lydia were only too glad to be able to take part in the bonfire night with us children.

Bonfire night went on for several years until Aunt Lydia died in 1947.

This story was related to me, Claude Rockwood, by Mary (Mame) Burrage ( nee Piercey ) who grew up on the Northern Point, Heart's Content. Albert and Lydia Langer were my maternal grandparents.

Photo:  Bonfire Night, Porterville, Newfoundland, 2010, courtesy of Barry Porter. 

Living Heritage Podcast Ep159 Celebrating ICH in Jeonju, South Korea

In this podcast episode, guest host Katie Crane chats with Dale Jarvis of Heritage NL about his recent trip to the city of Jeonju, Korea. Dale talks about his experiences and impressions of Korea and the city of Jeonju, and about receiving the 2019 Jeonju International Award for Promoting Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). While there, Jarvis also presented on NL heritage programs at the 2019 World Forum for Intangible Cultural Heritage, at the National Intangible Heritage Center (NIHC).

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

Living Heritage Podcast Ep158 Remembering Dr. Anna Templeton

Anna Templeton is perhaps best known today for a craft centre named in her honour in downtown St. John’s. But our province's modern crafting scene would not exist as it does today without the woman herself. She was a pioneer of the province’s cottage craft industry. Through her work with the Jubilee Guilds and the Department of Education, Templeton made craftwork accessible and profitable for rural women. She empowered women to learn new skills, gain personal confidence and earn their own income. Anna defied societal expectations of women through her fieldwork and her leadership as she championed the wider recognition of traditional crafts and craftspeople.

On September 18th, 2019, Dr. Anna Templeton was recognized as an Exceptional Person from the Past as part of the Provincial Historic Commemorations program of Heritage NL. In the podcast we share her story, memories of her, and some words from a recording of Dr. Templeton herself.

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