Exploring a historic well hidden underneath a St. John's home.

I've been working with the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador (HFNL) since 1996, for much of it involved with HFNL's work preserving and promoting the built heritage of the province. In that time, I've poked around in more basements and attics of historic properties than I could attempt to count. But today I saw something new, even for me.

A while back, I posted on my personal twitter account (@dalejarvis) a link to a news item from Devon, UK, where a man found a 33 foot deep medieval well underneath the floor of his living room.

I thought this was pretty neat, and then got an note from local real estate agent Janet Kovich (@J_Ko__) saying she had handled the sale a property in St. John's that had a well under its floor. I, of course, wanted to see, so she arranged with the owner for me to go take a peek.

I don't want to give out the street address of the property without permission from the owner, but the house is relatively new, I'd guess having been built in the 1970s or 1980s. It is a curious house,  constructed in the Tudor Revival style, with a central stone-faced tower and spiral staircase. The house was built in a section of the city that would have been on the outskirts of town in the early twentieth century, in farming country.

I arrived at the house, Janet meeting me there and bringing me down into the low, partially finished basement. We ducked our heads under beams, past the base of the central tower, and made our way to the corner of the basement. There, we found a large wooden cover about 8 feet square slightly raised from the level of the concrete floor. Workmen doing renovations on the house assisted by propping up the cover, giving us a clear look at the structure below.

Sure enough, it is a well, circular in shape, about 6 feet wide. The well is constructed with dry stone walls, several feet deep. It very clearly predates the house, and for some reason the original owner of the building had kept the well intact, instead of filling it in. At the bottom of the well is set what looks like a metal barrel or oil drum, filled with rubble or silt. I'm guessing that the drum had been placed inside the well at some point to keep the walls stable.

The well is filled close to the rim with water.  The workmen said the level of the water in the well had risen lately, as had the level of the water in the tiny brook that runs along the boundary line of the property.

I don't know much yet about the history of the property, but will post more later if I find out anything. I suspect there was an old house or barn near the site of the present house.

I'm always interested in hidden architectural gems and oddities like this. If you know of hidden wells or passages in or around St. John's, you can email me at ich@heritagefoundation.ca as I'm always up for an underground adventure! Have you seen something like this? Or have any theories on this one? Drop me a note!

Life in Public Folklore - talk with folklorist Dale Jarvis @MemorialU

Life in Public Folklore
Join folklorist Dale Jarvis, Intangible Cultural Heritage Development Officer for Newfoundland and Labrador as he gives a presentation on the work of public and applied folklore in the province. What does a public folklorist do all day? Come and find out!

12 noon
Tuesday, October 16th
ED4036

Education Building, Memorial University

St. John's, Newfoundland

Tea & Baskets with folklorist Dale Jarvis

Coffee and Culture - Tea & Baskets

The Rooms Theatre

October 11th, 2012
2:30pm

Baskets remind us of a simpler time when made many everyday objects by hand. Join folklorist Dale Jarvis for tea (or coffee) as he displays historic baskets from Mi'kmaw traditions to mill baskets and tells us about the people who used them.

Free with your admission to The Rooms (and of course, tea is included!)

Job Posting: Heritage Outreach Officer with Heritage Foundation of NL

The Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador (HFNL)  is hiring a Heritage Outreach Officer to promote and assist in the delivery of heritage programs, under the direction of both the Executive Director, and the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Development Officer.

Heritage Outreach Officer will

• Promote HFNL programs;
• Help establish heritage committees in participating communities;
• Assist the ICH Development Officer with cognitive mapping in heritage districts and other research projects;
• Prepare basic inventories of heritage assets;
• Assist with published reports and community presentations;
• Undertake activities that build community capacity for heritage districts and other heritage projects;
• Assist on projects that demonstrate the link between built heritage and ICH;
• Assist core HFNL staff with maintenance of files, telephone work, research and office duties as required.

The applicant must have excellent oral and written communication skills; good knowledge of Microsoft Excel; valid driver’s licence and use of automobile;  availability to travel throughout Newfoundland & Labrador; and an undergraduate or master’s degree in history, archaeology, folklore, or architecture. Previous experience with a heritage organization is an asset.

This is an entry-level, one-year contract position with HFNL. Salary is in the range of $20-$25/hour, depending on qualifications. Please send a copy of your cv, three references, and a cover letter describing your interest in heritage work, to:

Hiring Committee, ℅ Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador
PO Box 5171, St. John’s, NL A1C 3A5
ich@heritagefoundation.ca

Deadline for applications:  Monday, 15 October, 2012

Workshops, Graveyards, Boatbuilding and Tea!

In this edition of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Update for September 2012, we present two workshops about safeguarding ICH, in Trinity and Norris Point; Lisa Wilson discusses the restoration of a historic graveyard in Placentia Bay; Crystal Braye presents on a young man keeping the boat building tradition of Newfoundland alive; an invite to tea and a talk on baskets at The Rooms; and, a job posting for a heritage outreach officer with the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador. 

Contributions by Dale Jarvis, Lisa Wilson, and Crystal Braye.

Download the pdf

Photo of Tilting by Robert Mellin

Butter on your nose - a slippery birthday tradition

The other day, I got an email from Shirley, who writes:

"When I was growing up, it was a tradition in our home that on your birthday your mother would sneak up on you and put butter on your nose to bring you good luck on your birthday. I know none of my townie friends experienced this. So, I wonder if this was something only my family did? Or if it was a outport tradition? My family had connections to Placentia Bay, Bonavista Bay, Green Bay and Corner Brook. Have you heard of this?"

I have indeed heard of it, but it isn't a tradition I'm overly familiar with, and I'd love to know if other people celebrate someone's birthday in this way, and where they are from. A quick internet search reveals a little bit of information, much of it recycled word for word from various websites. The tradition goes by a few names, such as "grease face" and "buttered noses." Another variant is referred to as being "flakied" - where a flaky pastry (notably the Passion Flakie popularized by the Canadian firm of Vachon) is rubbed in the face of the person celebrating their birthday.

The tradition clearly goes beyond Newfoundland and Atlantic Canada.  One blogger writes, "When I was growing up in the Floyd/Patrick/Carroll counties area of Virginia, it was traditional to attempt to sneak up on the birthday person and smear butter on their nose. Even our teachers in elementary school would get in on the action, going to the cafeteria and getting the butter." Another American blogger writes that "As the story goes, the butter is meant to help you slide into your new year!"


UPDATE: 14 MAY 2020

Madeline Moore, of El Cerrito, California, writes:

I was born and brought up in Providence, R.I. We children buttered each other's noses on birthdays which meant being chased around all day by a sibling with a hunk of butter on her finger. Mother did nothing more than shake her head. I have lived in California for the last 63 years. Nobody out here has heard of it. A faculty member at UC Berkeley said the custom originated in Cornwall UK. I'm now 86 and it pleases me that I'm in good company.

UPDATE: 22 JULY 2020

David Baxter, who grew up in North Carolina, writes:

I grew up in North Carolina and our tradition was putting black grease on the birthday person’s nose by sneaking up from behind as a surprise. I know of several families in NC that did the same thing. I thought it was a southern tradition, didn’t know it has its roots in Canada. None of my grandparents or parents ever told me what it was supposed to mean. I assumed that it was for good luck. My kids hated it and would run away, my wife from Indiana didn’t understand what it was all about, so we discounted it once our kids got to be teenagers. It made me a little sad to see a tradition die away, even though it was a little strange. 

If you have thoughts on birthday butter, black grease, or flakies, email me at dale@heritagenl.ca or leave a comment below.

(photo from Top 10 Unusual International Birthday Gestures)

2 Job Postings for Manuels River Hibernia Interpretation Centre

The Manuels River Hibernia Interpretation Centre (MRHIC) is a 1200 m2 facility under construction in the Town of Conception Bay South and due to open early in 2013. While its primary function is to inform visitors about the river—its geology, biology and human history—it will also operate as a community resource, with function rooms, a mini-theatre, and café and gift shop. The Centre will be operated by a small staff of full-time, part-time, and volunteer assistants, overseen by the Manuels River Natural Heritage Society (MRNHS).

The following two positions are full time. They require highly motivated individuals with strong leadership and collaborative abilities. The candidates must have the ability to engage and motivate people.

Operations Manager
The Operations Manager will be responsible to the Board of the MRNHS for the management of the MRHIC, including visitor services (exhibits, programs, gift shop, café, functions, etc.), staff supervision, accounting, building and trail maintenance, marketing and promotion. The Operations Manager will also contribute to the development of the vision and strategic direction of the Centre, ongoing fundraising activities, reporting and liaising with external sponsors.

Experience in business and people management, event planning and customer service would be desirable. Strong leadership, networking, and communication skills are essential. Previous experience in writing funding proposals would be an asset.

Education Manager
The Education Manager will be responsible for the development, promotion and delivery of educational programmes, to include curriculum-related programmes for K-12 school classes, post-secondary programmes for MUN and CNA, summer camps, and a variety of programmes for visiting community groups. The Education Manager will also be responsible for the maintenance and development of the permanent exhibits and the procurement of travelling exhibits. She/he will be assisted by a small staff of part-time and volunteer interpreters.

Experience in running educational programmes is essential. A university degree in an appropriate discipline is required. Applications for both positions should include a cover letter, résumé and the names and contact information of three references. Please send applications to arrive no later than 5 October 2012 to:

CBS Parks Commission
24 Cherry Lane, Unit 3
Conception Bay South, NL
A1W 3B3
info@cbsparkscommission.ca

An Intangible Cultural Heritage Session in Norris Point

Organized by Anita Best (contact abest@mun.ca to register).

Sunday, September 30 from 1pm - 4:30 pm, The Julia Ann Walsh Heritage
Centre, Norris Point. Cost: $15

Dale Jarvis, Provincial Intangible Cultural Heritage Officer will talk about ICH, what it is and how you can keep track of it in your community. Local folks will be on hand to show their ICH products. Dale will also help us to understand the logistics of planning an Oral History Project, really useful information before you dash out with your video camera or audio recorder to record Aunt Dot or Uncle Harry.

Intangible Cultural Heritage Collections in Museums - A Workshop in Trinity, NL

1:00 – 4:30 pm
Friday, October 12, 2012
Trinity, NL

Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) is also known as “living heritage” and it encompasses many traditions, practices and customs of a group. These can include the stories we tell, the family events we celebrate, our community gatherings, the languages we speak, the songs that we sing, knowledge of our natural spaces and our healing traditions. In this workshop participants will learn how to document ICH and living traditions in their community, support and encourage the passing on of knowledge and skills, how to digitize this material for easier access, and explore the potential of ICH as a resource for community development.

Instructor: Dale Jarvis, Intangible Cultural Heritage Development Officer
Enrolment Limits: Maximum of 25

Space is limited!! Register early!!

Financial assistance for transportation costs is available for MANL members: please contact the MANL office for more information. You may also visit www.museums.ca to find out more about the Canadian Museums Association Travel Bursary. 

For further information, please contact the MANL:
manl@nf.aibn.com ¨ Ph 709-722-9034 ¨ Fax: 709-722-9035

Download the pdf