Avondale Railway Station: List of People who Worked Here

Picture taken during a visit to the Avondale Railway Station as they were re-shingling the roof. (Heritage NL, 2023)

Heritage NL and the Town of Avondale have been working together to compile a list of everyone who may have worked at (or lived in) the Avondale Railway Station. The names of station agents, telegraphers, section foremen, and others associated with the station will be included in a proposed exterior sign helping to tell the personal stories behind this historic building. With much research we have been able to recover this list of names of individuals who worked at and around the Avondale Railway Station. This is only a small portion of the people who spent their time here and we are always looking for more information and stories about the station and workers! Feel free to email research@heritagenl.ca or fill out our survey on the subject at forms.gle/f37hryvx7eUurGtJ9!

The following list of workers is in chronological order of when they worked at Avondale Railway Station:

William Aspell (Section Foreman) 1887-1918

C.J. Furey (Telegrapher) circa 1890

G.A. Simms (Telegrapher) circa 1890

Edward Kennedy (Post Office Operator) 1890-1913

J.W. Mitchell (Telegrapher) 1895-Unknown

John Meany (Telegrapher) circa 1895 & (Station Agent) circa 1898 

(Mr) S. Forbes (Telegrapher) circa 1901

Richard White (Station Agent) circa 1904

John Withycombe (Unknown) Unknown-1905

James Kennedy (Post Telegraph Operator) 1905-1906

John Kelly (Section Foreman) circa 1906

Louis Lawton (Post Telegraph Operator) 1907

P. Lee (Conductor) circa 1908

Annie Moore (Post Telegraph Operator) 1908-1910

(Mr) Maher (Station Agent) 1909-1911

A.J. O’Rielly (Station Agent) 1911-Unknown

(Mrs) Maurice Kennedy (Telegrapher) circa 1911

Bertha Moore (Post Telegraph Operator) 1911-1918 & (Post Office Operator) 1914-1919

C. Tavernor (Reid Co. Station Agent) March 1913-October 1913

W. Dwyer (Reid Co. Station Agent) Unknown-1913

John T. Meany (Postal Telegraphs) circa 1914

Dennis Meany (Reid Railway Co. Staff) circa 1914

(Mr) Fox (Station Agent) circa 1918

Jennie Moore (Post Telegraph Operator) 1919

(Mrs) Wade (Unknown) circa 1920

Julia Kennedy (Post Office Operator) 1920-1930 & (Post Telegraph Operator) 1920-1931

Catherine Hennessy (Maid/Housekeeper) Mid to late 1930s

Anne Costello Doyle (Snack Bar Worker/Housekeeper) 1939-1941

Mike Wade (Station Master- Operator) circa 1940s

Daniel Costello (Telegrapher) 1945-1947

Greg Costello (Station Master) circa 1947

Patrick A. Costello (Section Man) 1940s-1950s

James Costello (Section Man) 1940s-1950s

Leo Hickey (Relief Agent) 1961-1971

Chelsey Gosse (Carpenter/Labourer) Unknown-1968

Terrance Michael Doyle (Station Agent) 1969-1984

Terry Doyle (Station Agent- Operator) circa 1980s

James B. Lewis (Worked on train and at station) Unknown

Thomas Costello (Section Foreman) Unknown

James P. Fleming (CN Railway Station Agent) Unknown

John R. Kennedy (Unknown) Unknown

John Parsley (Unknown) Unknown

Living Heritage Podcast Ep236 Mentor-Apprentice Program: Letterpress Printing with Duncan Major and Katie Butler Major

Duncan and Katie in their home studio. Photo courtesy of Heritage NL.

In this episode we talk with mentor Duncan Major, and apprentice Katie Butler Major who are two participants of Heritage NL’s Mentor-Apprentice Program.

Walpugis Press

Duncan learned the craft of letterpress from Tara Bryan, a painter and book artist who was well known internationally for her letterpress work. He started working as Tara’s apprentice in 2000 at the age of 14. In this role Duncan helped make handmade, limited-edition artist’s books. The pair continued to collaborate until Tara’s death in 2020.

Since 2004, Duncan has operated Walpurgis Press with Katie Butler Major, making cards and sundries. Duncan has introduced bookmaking and printing to kids in St. John’s, Goose Bay, North West River and Nain.

Working on the Love poster during the apprenticeship. Photo submitted by Duncan Major and Katie Butler Major.

Katie has always been drawn to handcrafts. She is an avid sewer and knitter, and enjoys working with her hands creatively—so letterpress is a natural fit for her. Katie has helped design and produce invitations, coasters, and cards. As Duncan’s partner, she has learned the basic printing process and is also familiar with the materials that go along with printing. Katie has participated in Printer’s Fairs organized by the Book Arts Association, met letterpress artists from abroad, and visited Running the Goat’s printshop in Tors Cove.

Avondale Railway Station: Did someone in your family work here? We want to know!

Did someone in your family work at the Avondale Railway Station? We want to know their names!

Heritage NL and the Town of Avondale are working together to compile a list of everyone who may have worked at (or lived in) the Avondale Railway Station. The names of station agents, telegraphers, section foremen, and others associated with the station will be included in a proposed exterior sign helping to tell the personal stories behind this historic building.


If you know of someone who worked at the station, you can email research@heritagenl.ca or fill out the short online survey at https://forms.gle/f37hryvx7eUurGtJ9

Avondale Railway Station 1988 before restoration

Source unknown

Avondale Railway Station 2022

Photo credit Heritage NL

If you would like to learn more about the Avondale Railway Station and its history click the link below:

https://heritagenl.ca/heritage-property/avondale-railway-station-registered-heritage-structure/

The Gale Carding Mill: an interview with Terri (née Gale) Dunphy and Don Gale

Photo of the Gale family circa 1944.
Photo courtesy of Don Gale.

Earlier this month, Heritage NL visited the West Coast and interviewed Terri and Don Gale about the Gale family and their family's carding mill in Millville. Terri and Don’s grandfather, Alexander Gale, started the original Gale’s carding mill during the 1890s. 

Gale's Carding Mill in 1971.
Photo from The Last Stronghold by Margaret Bennett.

The Gale’s mill would card wool from all over the province, arriving via train. The mill operated throughout the spring and summer, carding the wool from the shearing season. Terri Gale recounts that when she was a child in the 1940s, all the employees of the carding mill were women.  

Newspaper Clipping from the Western Star
September 20th 1905

Spinning bee in 1935, probably in Millville.
Photo courtesy of Don Gale.

Sending wool to be carded saved time, and yarn was used for creating knitted wares like blankets and knit clothes. Terri and Don recount that most families in the Codroy Valley owned sheep for wool and meat. 

Current Equipment in the Mill

The original mill from the 1890s ran using a waterwheel from water diverted from the nearby brook. During the 1940s, a new mill was constructed and a diesel generator was installed, replacing the waterwheel. Alex Gale left the Millville carding mill to his sons Edward and George Gale, who ran the business as Gale Brothers. 

Advertisement and instructions for the Gale Brothers Carding Mill
in the Western Star 1945.

The Gale carding mill closed in the 1970s.

For further listening check out Living Heritage Podcast Episode 186 on Carding and Weaving in Millville, Codroy Valley, here: http://www.ichblog.ca/2020/08/living-heritage-podcast-ep186-carding.html

You can read more about the Gale Carding Mill on Heritage NL's main website: https://heritagenl.ca/heritage-property/gale-carding-mill-registered-heritage-structure/

Living Heritage Podcast Ep235 Mentor-Apprentice Program: Cossack Making with Charlene Rumbolt and Katie Lee

Katie posing with her finished cotton duck tote bag. Photo courtesy of Charlene Rumbolt and Katie Lee.

In this episode we talk with mentor Charlene Rumbolt, and apprentice Katie Lee who are two participants of Heritage NL’s Mentor-Apprentice Program.

Charlene is the lead artist and knowledge keeper at the Great Caribou Studio in Mary's Harbour. A talented seamstress, she was a winner in the Senior Visual Arts division of Arts & Letters NL in 2019 and 2021. Charlene is a member of the NL Craft Council. She began sewing at 11 years old and has since made dresses, pants, handbags and more. Charlene has taught crafting and art for over twenty years, in both group and individual settings. For the last 12 years, after learning from elders in Nain and Hopedale, Charlene has been making the traditional Cossack/Dickie and the Akalik. Learn more about her work at Great Caribou Studio.

Katie's finished cossack (also known as a dickie). Photo courtesy of Charlene Rumbolt and Katie Lee.

Prior to the start of the program Katie had basic skills in cossack making and was intent on improving her abilities. Her artwork has been inspired by her Indigenous roots and she plans on making more traditional outerwear to carry on her ancestors traditional craft while simultaneously expressing her own creativity within her culture. She has previously worked at the Great Caribou Studio in Mary's Harbour.

Katie sewing her cotton duck tote bag. Photo courtesy of Charlene Rumbolt and Katie Lee.

Gale Carding Mill, Codroy Valley, designated as a Registered Heritage Structure

MILLVILLE, CODROY VALLEY - A historic wool carding mill, possibly the last remaining in the province, has received heritage designation as a Registered Heritage Structure by Heritage NL.

Located at a crossroads and along Granddaddy’s Brook, the Gale Carding Mill is a well-known landmark in the Codroy Valley.  Constructed around 1940 to house the Gale family’s carding mill, this two-storey, wooden building employs utilitarian design elements and is constructed using locally milled lumber.

Millville was established in 1897 when Alexander Gale started a wool carding business (later known as A. Gale and Sons) near Granddaddy’s Brook, close to the site of the present-day mill building. Gale built a dam and a water wheel on Granddaddy’s Brook to power the British-made, industrial carding machines he purchased in Nova Scotia. 1,000 pounds of fleece were carded in the first year of operation. 

An interview with Sir Edward Morris, following his visit to the Codroy Valley in 1908, reported that the carding mill was “run by a man and a little girl, and they turn out ten thousand pounds of wool annually.” By 1942 the existing mill was constructed and operated in conjunction with the original mill. While the original carding mill was powered by a water wheel, the new one was operated using a diesel generator. At top production, the Gales were producing about 500 pounds of carded wool per day up to a peak of 40,000 pounds annually. 

“This is an exciting project that shows the link between our architectural history and the strong heritage of craft and craft development in Newfoundland and Labrador,” says Dale Jarvis, Heritage NL Executive Director. “

“We look forward to working with the Gale family to see that this mill, and the heritage skills associated with it, continue on into the future.”

Heritage NL was established in 1984 to stimulate an understanding of and an appreciation for the historic places and living heritage of the province.

Listing on Heritage NL's register of heritage buildings:

https://heritagenl.ca/heritage-property/gale-carding-mill-registered-heritage-structure

Living Heritage Podcast Ep234 Mentor-Apprentice Program: Spruce Root Basketry with Danny White and Arlene White

Danny and Arlene collecting spruce roots.
Photo courtesy of Danny White and Arlene White.

In this episode we talk with mentor Danny White, and apprentice Arlene White who are two participants of Heritage NL’s Mentor-Apprentice Program.

Danny demonstrating how to make the basket mould.
Photo courtesy of Danny White and Arlene White.

Danny learned the teachings, stories, and process of basket making starting at the age of 12 from his father, Anthony White. Anthony was considered a master basket maker. Danny has taught courses and held exhibitions at Pow Wows, schools, and colleges. His work has been documented in newspapers, magazines, and videos.

Arlene White with the frame of her spruce root basket.
Photo courtesy of Danny White and Arlene White.

Arlene completed a course with Master Basket Maker Dan White in 2018. She has an understanding of how to dig spruce roots, and how to harvest some of the material. She has made two baskets but is interested in taking her knowledge to the next level in order to keep the skills alive, and pass it on to the next generation to ensure the tradition continues for years to come.

Living Heritage Podcast Ep233 Mentor-Apprentice Program: Weaving with Morgaine Parnham and Sylvie Mitford

Sylvie's loom set up for overshot weaving. Photo courtesy of Sylvie Mitford.

In this episode we talk with mentor Morgaine Parnham, and apprentice Sylvie Mitford who are two participants of Heritage NL’s Mentor-Apprentice Program.

Morgaine has been a practicing craftsperson for over 10 years. She graduated from the College of the North Atlantic Craft and apparel design program in 2012 majoring in Print and Dye, Surface Embellishment and Weaving. After graduation Morgaine held a studio at Quidi Vidi Village Artisan Studios. Later she moved to Bonavista to open her own craft shop and weaving studio. Aside from formal training Morgaine learned a lot from her mother who has been informally teaching Morgaine since she was a child. Morgaine has experience teaching group workshops to both adults and children.

Sylvie posing with her finished woven bedspread. Photo courtesy of Sylvie Mitford.

Sylvie has been interested in weaving since she was a teenager, and has moved from a simple handmade loom to a floor loom. She has woven scarves, wraps, blankets, tea towels and yardage. Sylvie is a knitter and sewer and also has an interest in natural dying. She wants to learn more advanced weaving techniques and weave structures, and also learn how to spin, and make use of the local wool from the sheep in Bonavista.

One of Sylvie's finished products! Photo courtesy of Sylvie Mitford.

Living Heritage Podcast Ep232 Mentor-Apprentice Program: Letterpress Printing with Marnie Parsons and Abby Hann

Abby showing off her work outside Marnie's press and shop, Running the Goat.
Photo submitted by Marnie Parsons and Abby Hann.

In this episode we talk with mentor Marnie Parsons, and apprentice Abby Hann who are two participants of Heritage NL’s Mentor-Apprentice Program.

Abby preparing her ink for printing. Photo submitted by Marnie Parsons and Abby Hann.

Marnie first learned letterpress printing from Tara Bryan, who invited her to her studio in the summer of 2000. After working for several years in Tara’s shop, Marnie set up her own letterpress studio in her home in St. John’s. She then moved her shop to Tors Cove in 2013, where it remains. The shop is open to visitors throughout the year.

Abby getting ready to set the type. Photo submitted by Marnie Parsons and Abby Hann.

Abby graduated with a Bachelor of Fine arts from NSCAD University in Halifax in 2020. During her degree she focused on printmaking, primarily using the relief technique. Since then, Abby has maintained a prolific printmaking practice from her home studio and small printing press. Abby has participated in artist residencies in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and South Africa, while exhibiting prints in multiple solo and group exhibitions.

Check out the episode here: