A new home for the 1892 Meneely and Co. foundry bell from Ireland's Eye, Trinity Bay.

We had a grand chat yesterday with Mr. Garland Bailey about one of our Registered Heritage Structures, St. Luke’s Anglican Church in Old Bonaventure. Garland and his local committee are working on a plan to see the building find new life in the community. 

One plan is to see the re-use of a historic bell, from the old church in the now resettled community of Ireland's Eye, Trinity Bay.  The bell was cast at the Meneely and Co. foundry at Troy, NY in 1892. 

We've written about the interesting history of the Meneely foundry in an earlier blog post, and there are several Meneely bells in churches across the province. This one is interesting as it shows it was donated/paid for by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, and lists the two churchwardens of the day.

It's great to see one being saved, and we will be following the Old Bonaventure project as it unfolds. Photos of the bell below, with an archival image of what the old St. George's Church in Ireland's Eye looked like circa 1950.

St. George's Anglican Church, Ireland's Eye, c1950, Maritime History Archive, PF-317.855

Saving Endangered Crafts across Newfoundland and Labrador: Introducing Heritage NL's Mentor-Apprentice Participants

Colourful wooden boat created by Newfoundland artist Jerome Canning.

From boatbuilding to bark tanning, traditional skills at risk of being lost in Newfoundland and Labrador just got a boost from Heritage NL.

Nine projects from all across the province that pair a learner with an experienced craftsperson have been given the green light by Heritage NL, the provincial agency that deals with historic places and living heritage. 

The Heritage NL Mentor-Apprentice Program is a one-on-one immersion program that provides funding up to $10,000 to support the teaching of endangered crafts and skills from an established mentor to an apprentice craftsperson or tradesperson. 

“The traditional craft sector is an important part of our contemporary economy, especially in rural areas,” says folklorist Dale Jarvis, Executive Director of Heritage NL. “We are excited to support these tradition bearers and entrepreneurs in learning and promoting skills and crafts that otherwise might fade away.”

The participants will have a year to work together, teaching and learning a variety of skills including weaving, making traditional Labrador clothing, and manufacturing Uilleann (Irish) bagpipes. There are two more opportunities for people interested in traditional skills to apply to the program, February 10 and April 10, 2022, with more information online at heritagenl.ca. 

This program is supported by the Labour Market Partnerships program, Department of Immigration, Skills and Labour, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The approved mentor/apprentice projects are as follows:

Labrador duffle work, (a pure wool fabric originally used for blankets and coats).

Mentor Joyce Lee, Red Bay,  with apprentice Miranda Rumbolt, Mary’s Harbour.  

Rodney punt design and construction

Mentor Jerome Canning, St. John’s, with apprentice Chris Hogan, St. John’s.

Bark tanning 

Mentor Susan Furneaux, Conception Harbour, with apprentice Nicole Travers, Lark Harbour.

Uilleann (Irish) bagpipe making

Mentor Neil O'Grady, Carbonear, with apprentice Robert Brown. 

Wild food processing and preserving

Mentor Lori McCarthy, St. John’s with apprentice Tina White, Mount Pearl.

Labrador cossack (dickie) making

Mentor Charlene Rumbolt, Mary’s Harbour, with apprentice Katie Lee, Red Bay.

Weaving skills

Mentor Stephanie Stoker, St. John’s, with apprentice Chantelle Evans, Makkovik;

and

Mentor Megan Samms, Katalisk / Codroy Valley, with apprentice Jane Walker, Bonavista;

and

Mentor Jessica McDonald, St. John’s, with apprentice Christian Dauble, St. John’s.

For more information or photos, contact:

Dale Jarvis

Heritage NL

dale@heritagenl.ca

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

Take a look at some of the beautiful work our apprentices have made. More details on our Mentor-Apprentice program to come!

A beaded shield. Bark Tanning work created by apprentice Nicole Travers.

Storage of Japanese Knotweed - a Foodways preservation technique credited to apprentice Tina White.

Goose Eye Weaving by apprentice Chantelle Evans.

Duffle work courtesy of mentor Joyce Lee.

On the loom - Weaving in process by apprentice Chantelle Evans.

Linen weaving by mentor Stephanie Stoker.

Mentor Susan Furneaux's "Small Landscape" bark tanning.

Apprentice Jane Walker's first completed woven scarf.

A woven baby blanket by apprentice Christian Dauble.

Wessex Lecture “The Welfare Officer: The Life and Work of Welfare Officers during the First Decade after Confederation with Canada ”

Larry Peckford has put together a history and personal story of the work of Welfare Officers in the first decade of post-confederation Newfoundland and Labrador. Drawing on his own family experiences and the minutes of meetings of senior executives, departmental annual reports and publications, Larry chronicles an interesting period in the evolution of social services delivery in those early years. Included are the stories of the men and women who provided departmental leadership in recruitment, training and development and, most importantly, placing a focus on those Welfare Officers who endured the hardships of delivering an essential service to a new province after confederation with Canada.

The event will be held on Facebook Live and Zoom at 7:30 pm on January 12th 2022, via the following links:

https://www.facebook.com/hfnlca/live

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88969728397

Wanted: Digital Archives Intern for the Baccalieu Trail Heritage Corporation

Wanted: Digital Archives Intern

The Baccalieu Trail Heritage Corporation (BTHC) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to preserving, promoting and protecting the heritage of the Baccalieu Trail Region.  The BTHC is hiring a youth intern to create and manage digital files related to their regional folklore collection, which includes filmed oral histories and a large number of photographs, many digitized from the Corporations 35mm slide collection. As part of the project, digitized files will be uploaded to the BTHC collection on Memorial University’s Digital Archives Initiative website.

Work will take place at the BTHC office in Carbonear, NL.  Duties include organizing digital materials to be placed online; processing collected data and electronic files; digitizing, compiling metadata and uploading records for Memorial University’s Digital Archives Initiative;  and performing other related duties as required.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Applicants should have knowledge of computers, and Google/Excel spreadsheets.
• Experience compiling metadata for archival collections is a bonus.
• Must have a strong ability to work independently, and excellent organizational skills are a must.

Work experience related to the management of online inventories, editing of digital data (audio, photographic, video), or cataloguing of materials would be a plus. Applicants should have a background in folklore, history, or library and archival work, or an equivalent combination of experience and training.

Applicants must be aged 15-30 and legally entitled to work in Canada.

One of the goals of the Youth in Heritage Program is to diversify and strengthen the cultural heritage sector. We encourage individuals who face barriers to employment to apply.  

This is an 8 week position, starting in January 2022. Salary:  $20/hour.

Interested individuals should send their contact information and resumes to: contact@baccalieudigs.ca

Deadline to apply: January 8, 2022

This position is funded as a partnership between ICOMOS Canada’s Youth in Heritage initiative and Heritage NL. 

Wessex Lecture this Wednesday: “Christmas Wonder with Wendy”

“All is calm, all is bright…” Is it? Was it? The well known and loved Christmas carol Silent Night holds a special place in the hearts of many of those who hear it. It’s one of those tunes that invokes memories of Christmases past and instills hope for a better tomorrow. But how did it come to be written and why is its message of peace so timeless? 

 As a seasonal offering, through use of dramatic monologues, Wendy Woodland will present an exploration of Silent Night that may just have you thinking about the carol with new perspective and renewed interest. 

Live on the Heritage NL facebook page

7:30pm, Wednesday, November 8th

Craft at Risk, New Knitters, Research in Change Islands and Harbour Grace, and Heritage Polaroids!

In the November 2021 edition of the Heritage Update: Heritage NL and Craft Council of NL launch the Craft at Risk project; a group of new knitters learn some skills in Torbay; Michael Philpott of Heritage NL gets ready to teach you how to research your historic home (from home); we give an update on our recent People, Places, and Culture workshop on Change Islands; our intern is busy scanning hundreds of Polaroids from the Town of Trinity; we visit with the postmaster of North River; explore the heritage of the Parsons/Collis building in Harbour Grace; and announce a new job opening for a social media coordinator! We've been busy!

Download the pdf at:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/16Mlw7E4UG99mLeT1fQZi1wnxn0KpfgPZ/view?usp=sharing

Job posting - Heritage NL Social Media Intern - deadline Dec 6th

Do you like geeking out over heritage online?  Are you passionate about people and their stories? Are you curious about the stories behind our historic places in Newfoundland and Labrador?  We are looking for a Social Media Intern that is passionate and is looking to support the understanding of an appreciation for the built and intangible cultural heritage of Newfoundland and Labrador. The ideal applicant will be energetic, self-motivated, and will have strong organizational skills. One of the goals of the Youth in Heritage Program is to diversify and strengthen the cultural heritage sector. We encourage individuals who face barriers to employment to apply.

The Social Media intern will be responsible for assisting in day-to-day operations and management of content of the Heritage NL Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter accounts. This position will be responsible for planning, creating, scheduling, and posting content for various heritage projects such our designation program for historic places, and for our Craft at Risk Mentor/Apprentice programs and internships. 

Must be aged 15-30 and legally entitled to work in Canada. $20/hour - 35 hrs per week. 

Start date: 1/10/2022

End date: 3/31/2022

Responsibilities for Social Media Intern

• Work alongside the Heritage NL team to create a plan for social media strategies 
• Aid in the daily aspects of promoting historic places and Craft at Risk Mentor/Apprentice projects
• Monitor postings to ensure brand message is constant, from the terminology used to images posted
• Interact with followers by communicating and answering questions through the Heritage NL’s social pages
• Assist in implementing plans to increase followers on popular social media websites such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn
• Brainstorm/offer ideas for social media projects/opportunities, and help create digital content 

Send your resume and cover letter to ich@heritagenl.ca by December 6th. 

Some photos from the Hant's Harbour Post Office (and revisiting an interview with the postmaster)

Heritage NL was in Hant's Harbour last week, and we had a quick look at the old post office/telegraph office. This small building has an intriguing history, but the elements have not been kind to it lately. Dale Jarvis took the opportunity to take a few photos, which you can see below.

For more on the building, you can see an adaptive reuse study we did in 2020:

https://heritagenl.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Hants-Harbour-Final.pdf 

or you can listen to our interview with telegrapher and former postmaster, Clarence Snook:

Living Heritage Podcast Ep209 Dry Stone Walling with Ken Tuach

Ken Tuach. September 2021.
Photo by Harnum Photography.

In this episode of the Living Heritage Podcast we talk with Ken Tuach about dry stone walling in Newfoundland and Labrador, his family's history in stone work, and the dry stone craftsman certification process. We also hear snippets of audio from the stone wall workshops Ken led as well as a short clip from Lara Maynard with Heritage NL on the importance of Heritage Skills.

Dry stone wall workshop at Lakeview, Brigus.
September 2021. 
Photo by Harnum Photography.

Ken Tuach is the owner and operator of NL Flagstone, a quarry in Pynn's Brook, NL. NL Flagstone produces quality masonry and landscaping stone and has been operating since 1994. The also create stone installations including outdoor living spaces, patios, paths, seating, stairs, etc. Ken is a certified level three dry stone craftsman and led two dry stone workshops for Heritage NL in Brigus this fall.

Dry stone wall workshop at Kent Cottage. 
October 2021. 
Photo by Harnum Photography. 

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Living Heritage 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.