Saturday, August 31, 2013

Job Posting - Educational Assistant at The Rooms

LOCATION: Education and Public Programming Unit, The Rooms Corporation of
Newfoundland and Labrador, 9 Bonaventure Avenue, St. John’s, NL

DUTIES: Expressions of interest are invited from qualified individuals for
the position of a part-time Educational Assistant to provide support to the
Program Coordinator in the delivery of the Chevron Open Minds at The Rooms
program. Functions will include the delivery of group tours and related
education programs and workshops, meeting and greeting of Open Minds school
groups, setting up of learning materials and classroom space and responding
to student, teacher and volunteer queries. The Educational Assistant will
assist in the development of new programs and the ongoing evaluation of
program effectiveness and efficiency. Reporting to the Manager of
Education and Public Programming Unit, the educational assistant will also
perform related work as required. Employment is 19 hours per week, from
mid-September to mid-June.

QUALIFICATIONS: The Educational Assistant must possess strong communication
and interpersonal skills and experience in the delivery of interpretation
and/or educational programs. Successful applicants must have good knowledge
of museum/art gallery/ archives operations, background knowledge of
Newfoundland and Labrador history and culture, and the ability to adapt and
deliver hands-on education programs to a range of groups. These
qualifications would normally be acquired through successful completion of
the Heritage Interpreter Certificate, MANL Certificate Course, supplemented
by completion of university courses in history, archaeology, art history,
archival studies, biology, education, geography, or folklore. Equivalent
combinations of education and experience may be considered.

SALARY: $23/hour

Please forward you resume to:
The Rooms, P.O. Box 1800, Stn. C, St. John’s, NL A1C 5P9
Attention: Gillian Davidge or email gilliandavidge@therooms.ca

DEADLINE FOR APPLCIATIONS: September 10, 2013

Friday, August 23, 2013

Structures on Bonavista Peninsula to receive heritage plaques



On Tuesday, August 27, at St. Luke’s Anglican Church in Old Bonaventure, the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador (HFNL), will unveil a series of plaques recognizing the designation of Registered Heritage Structures on the Bonavista Peninsula.

“Registered Heritage Structures are buildings which are representative of a special time and place,” says Frank Crews, Chairperson, HFNL. “Above all, a heritage structure of provincial significance must have significant historical interest and architectural design.”

The structures include Archibald Christian House (Trinity), Edwin and Priscilla Miller House (New Bonaventure), Evelley House (Trinity East), St. Luke’s Anglican Church (Old Bonaventure) and Monk’s House (King’s Cove).

Attending the ceremony is Trinity area MHA; Ross Wiseman, Municipality of Trinity Bight; along with officials from HFNL and the Trinity Historical Society Foundation and citizens from Trinity and surrounding communities.

“The designation of these buildings represents an important part of our province’s heritage,” explains Crews. “The preservation of the built heritage and culture of the peninsula has made it one of the most notable heritage regions in the province.”

Individuals interested in having a structure recognized as a Registered Heritage Structure can find more information online at www.heritagefoundation.ca or by calling 1-888-739-1892.

August 27, 2013
2:00 pm
St. Luke’s Anglican Church, Old Bonaventure.


The plaque ceremony will commence at 2pm, with refreshments afterwards. Join us and help celebrate the unique built heritage of the region. The event is free and open to the public.

Archibald Christian House 
http://www.heritagefoundation.ca/property-search/property-details-page.aspx?id=57

Edwin and Priscilla Miller House
http://www.heritagefoundation.ca/property-search/property-details-page.aspx?id=1677

Evelly House 
http://www.heritagefoundation.ca/property-search/property-details-page.aspx?id=138

St. Luke's Anglican Church 
http://www.heritagefoundation.ca/property-search/property-details-page.aspx?id=246

Monk's House
http://www.heritagefoundation.ca/property-search/property-details-page.aspx?id=289

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Archaeology and Wells

Archaeologists thrive on finding the refuse of the past. By uncovering the remnants of meals, household items, clothing and daily life, we can try and better understand the culture we are studying, which is done through document research, surveying, excavation, and analysis. For an archaeologist, the less disturbed a site is when we arrive to do an analysis, the better the information we can collect. Excavation is all about relationships: how the different artifacts relate to the site, and how they relate to each other. 



Water has always been an important resource, and any archaeological excavation will either find a place where water was found and collected nearby, or where a well was dug or a spring was used. As a historical archaeologist, I know several 16th and 17th century sites in Newfoundland had wells, or have documentation associated with them that comments on how clean and pure the local water was. Wells hold the opportunity to not only hide within them a rich collection of archaeological artifacts, but the majority also have these artifacts still layered in the order they were deposited, allowing the archaeologist to understand changes through time much more clearly.

Ferryland, Newfoundland has at least two wells associated with the site: one that dates to the late 17th century, and one that was uncovered a few field seasons ago. While only preliminary reports are available on the newest find, Dr. Barry Gaulton from the MUN Archaeology department, the lead archaeologist at Ferryland, was able to share details about the Ferryland well.

“It was stone lined, 25 feet deep, built upon a wooden curb (found at the base of the well), and dates to the late 17th century. An elderly man from the community (Wilfred Costello, now deceased) who told Jim [Tuck] in 1994 about the location of the well … Wilfred’s grandfather told him about the well when Wilfred was only a young boy. Even at this time (about 80 years ago) the well was no longer visible, and there was certainly no trace of it on the landscape in the 1990’s”.

Photo from the Colony of Avalon Foundation (website http://www.heritage.nf.ca/avalon/arch/planters_well-2.html)
Wilfred came to Jim Tuck, the then lead archaeologist on the site, with a story that he had been told by his grandfather of an abandoned well on the Downs; “how a young boy had accidentally [fallen] into this old abandoned well and drowned. The residents of Ferryland at the time (probably late 1800’s) retrieved the boy and filled in the well with large rocks so no one else would be hurt. The archaeological evidence certainly corroborates this story. The well was [rapidly] filled from top to bottom with rocks and some 19th century debris”.

The Ford’s well in Cupids, Newfoundland, was once a simple spring coming out of the rocks, but now is surrounded with a cement base and has a recycled stop sign fashioned as a cover. William Gilbert, the head archaeologist on the Cupids plantation, believed that the brewhouse of John Guy was in close proximity to it, and although past survey work did not reveal its location, it could still be hidden closer to the shore for future excavations to uncover. Future excavations could be dictated based on interpreting this spring as an important element of the early site layout.



There is also a wellhouse in behind the current Cupids archaeological dig, where the plantation house sits. It has been sealed for safety reasons, and has not been excavated yet, though Bill does hope he can get to it in the future. An untouched well is a great situation for refuse. For one, once a well has served its purpose and is no longer used, it is likely that a community will use it to get rid of garbage, and so many wells have layers of preserved refuse from past residents. Secondly, the layers are less disturbed than those on the surface, as the natural processes and human activity that affect surface artifacts do not affect the artifacts preserved in a well. Unfortunately, Bill has yet to find the time or the funding to schedule the well excavation, and so it remains untouched for the future.

Stories like how the location of the Ferryland well was found, or how interest was sparked in the Ford’s well in Cupids that lead archaeologists to a potential feature no longer visible on the ground surface really demonstrate how important and valuable oral histories can be as a contribution to archaeology. These passed on stories and legends show how both folklore and archaeology can work hand in hand to understand and preserve the past. It’s something that I love about archaeology; combining the past and the present together to gain a better understanding of the landscape, and incorporating the community and the local tradition into my analysis to find something not readily visible from the surface. Wells especially are a great resource, and one that can easily become hidden from the ground; sometimes these types of stories are the only way they can be found!

If you have any wells, springs or water memories that you would like to share, please reach out! You can email me at Sarah@heritagefoundation.ca, or call me at 739-1892 ext. 7

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Tuesday's Folklore Photo: Berry Combs

Update: I was informed that the item below is not a berry comb but actually a dory bailer, used to scoop out water from a boat. The bailer is also known as a a piggin, peggin, spudgel, spudget, spudgin or spudgy.  It looks a lot like a berry comb, but that's what I love about this job, you learn something new all the time! :D  

Around this time every year I love to go berry picking. I pick mostly blueberries and find something very satisfying about gathering my own food, especially when it's free. Don't get me wrong, I love a good strawberry U-Pick, but around here you don't have to go far to find a barren or boggy area full of blueberries. Berry picking can be hard on the back, so to make the work faster people have used berry combs, like the one pictured below.

Dory Bailer: Located in the Woody Island Museum
That berry comb above is actually missing the comb part, so I borrowed a picture of a complete one, featured below.This one is similar to the one used in Newfoundland, but was used by a man who lived on the southern shore of Lake Washington in Seattle.


Here are a few terms used in Newfoundland and Labrador related to berry picking:

berry box: wooden box used by pickers to carry harvest of partridge- and blueberries.
T 1-631 We used to go berry picking and take berry boxes, forty or fifty, a couple of us together. We'd fill them.

berry duff: a boiled or steamed pudding with wild berries as an ingredient.
1966 HORWOOD 19 Blueberry pudding, loaded with luscious fruit, boiled in a cloth, and popped open, fresh from the pot and dripping with purple juice, on the kitchen table. 

berry crop: the harvest of wild berries: 1976 Daily News 14 July, p. 2 Berry crops are blooming early this year and the director of the soils and crops division with the department of forestry and agriculture, is expecting a good season. 'Blueberries, partridge berries and bakeapples are already in bloom,' he said.
 
Va 94-36.1; Berry Picking: Women and Children Berry Picking on a Hill [193-]
Courtesy of The Rooms Provincial Archives  

berry ocky: home-made drink of wild berries, esp partridge berries, or jam and water; cp OCKY. 

berry ground: elevated, unwooded stretch of land or 'barren' producing wild berries. See also GROUND.

berry note: buyer's receipt issued to picker for quantity of berries received.
1972 MURRAY 261 Those who sold berries were given a 'berry note' indicating the amount of berries 'shipped' and the price per gallon. The value of the note had to be 'taken up' in goods in the store where the berries were shipped.
 
VA 15D-20.2. Man Berry-Picking, Portland Creek, NL [ca 1940-49]
Courtesy of The Rooms Provincial Archives. 
-Nicole

Monday, August 19, 2013

A Few Spots Left

It's not too late to register for our Headstone Rubbing Workshop! There are still a few spots left, and Wednesday is poised to be a lovely day to visit a local historic cemetery. 

Please email Lisa Wilson if you are interested: lisa@heritagefoundation.ca

Date: Wednesday, August 21, 2013 in St. John’s.    
Cost: $20.00 (includes materials)
Location: General Protestant Cemetery

We will be meeting at the Cemetery Gate on Topsail Rd. at 1:00 pm.
 


Wednesday, August 14, 2013

An afternoon well spent


On Friday, Sarah and I drove out to Carbonear for another well hunting expedition. There we met with Florence Button, who had kindly offered to show us around for the afternoon, and Jim Fitzpatrick, a local resident with knowledge of several water sources in the area. The four of us then headed to the tiny community of Flatrock, just east of Carbonear, where we were joined by Stan Deering. As a lifelong resident of the area, he was a fount of information about water, and much more.
Image painted by Stan Deering.
Stan showed us a variety of water sources. He took us to a shallow spring-fed well, with a metal liner, which once provided water to four homes. The houses are gone, but there is still water in the well. He also showed us two hand-dug, rock-lined wells: the first was 50-60 years old and has dried up and been filled in; the second was at least 75 years old and is still in use. Finally he showed us a spot on his property where water had been collecting naturally. He recently dug and lined a shallow basin to better contain it.

Shades of the Past Museum.
This last structure is a part of the ever-evolving museum that Stan runs with his wife, Loretta. Shades of the Past is a truly local museum (https://www.facebook.com/ShadesOfThePastMuseum). It houses a collection of photographs dating back to the early twentieth century, historical reconstructions of the surrounding area, drawn by Mr. Deering, and a wide selection of artifacts used for day-to-day life. There are several components to the museum apart from the dedicated photo gallery, rooms that have been lovingly put together as vignettes of a different time. We were lucky enough to have a tour of the museum, including a root cellar which Stan is currently in the process of building.

Stan Deering's root cellar.
After we parted ways with Stan, Jim took us over to the property in Carbonear where he grew up, the Fitzpatrick family home, which is now owned by Jim’s brother, Bernard, and his sister-in-law, Irene. The property was interesting for several reasons. We saw our second root cellar of the day, and it was a thing of beauty (in my view).



The well on the property was also lovely. Bernard constructed the current well house a couple of years ago. The well itself was much, much older than that. Jim and Bernard said that it was dug by their great grandfather or their great-great grandfather, and could have been there close to 200 years. It is fed by six underground springs and has never run dry. Neighbours used to come draw their water from the well in dry years. Bernard said that he has noticed a change in water flow in the past few years, which he believes to be a result of a subdivision that has been built up nearby. The well was also interesting to me in that it contained a trout. The well’s current resident – the in-house janitor, if you will – has been there for about ten years now. Sadly, he was a bit camera shy.


We had a wonderful and informative afternoon, thanks to the lovely individuals who shared their time and knowledge with us. Sarah and I both left feeling that we had barely scratched the surface and hoping to return to the Carbonear area very soon.

Sarah is still looking to hear from people about their wells, springs, and water memories.

If you have memories you’d like to share, she would love to speak with you. You can reach her at sarah@heritagefoundation.ca, or call 1 (709) 739-1892 ext. 7.

-Claire McDougall










Friday, August 9, 2013

Headstone Rubbing Workshop

Date: Wednesday, August 21, 2013 in St. John’s (weather permitting)
Date: Wednesday, September 11th, 2013 in Carbonear (weather permitting)
Time: 1pm-3pm
Cost: $20.00 (includes materials)

Headstone rubbings are made by using charcoal to transfer (or rub) text and images from the surface of a headstone onto a sheet of paper. This paper can then be stored to help preserve the genealogical information that is on the headstone.

Our Headstone Rubbing Workshop is for people who enjoy doing hands-on activities and are interested in genealogy, folklore, history, documentation, and archiving. 

Workshop Description:
The Headstone Rubbing Workshop will focus on the process of making rubbings without doing damage to historic headstones. It will also cover basic headstone preservation tips, reasons for documentation, other documentation techniques, and discussions on the symbolism that appear on headstones.

The St. John’s workshop will be held at the General Protestant Cemetery. The oldest headstone on the site dates from 1842, and it is in this older part of the cemetery that we will be creating our rubbings.

Our Carbonear workshop will likely be held at the Bethany United Cemetery, but we are still awaiting final confirmation. Once registered, we will contact you with the location of this particular workshop.

About Lisa: 
Lisa Wilson is the Heritage Outreach Officer for the HFNL and will be facilitating the Headstone Rubbing Workshop. She is a folklorist with a material culture background, who in past projects has used rubbing as a tool for recording information, particularly in cemeteries that have not been documented in this way. She also has experience with cemetery restoration and conservation, having lead a cemetery restoration project on Long Island in Placentia Bay in 2012.

At the end of the workshop, participants will be able to take home at least one headstone rubbing that they have made on their own.

All necessary materials will be provided, but participants should wear clothing they can get dirty, as using charcoal can be messy.

To register please contact:
Lisa Wilson at 709-739-1892 ext. 3, or lisa@heritagefoundation.ca
Space is limited for these workshops

Please Note: In case of bad weather the backup date for St. John’s is: August 28th, 2013.
For Carbonear the backup date will be Friday, September 13th.

Thursday, August 8, 2013

A day of water in Cupids, Newfoundland



Last week Dale, Claire, Nicole and myself travelled out to Cupids, Newfoundland to meet up with some friends and talk about water sources. We left Nicole for the morning at the Cupids Legacy Centre to teach her Pillow Top Workshop, and the rest of us met up with Peter Laracy, the General Manager of the Legacy Centre. He showed us around Cupids for the majority of the day, and we started our tour with his own well. His property has had a well on it since 1918, and the well went through several facelifts, first in 1965 and then in 1978. It is now expertly housed, and includes insulation and a pump for a year round water guarantee! Peter even invited me back at the end of the summer to help him clean his well - I can't wait!

We then went to meet Vernon 'Bucky' Whelan, and he had quite a few stories to share. Bucky first showed us an old spring that had been cemented in near his property. This spring has been around for as long as anyone in the community can remember, and in fact was once thought to have been a source of water for John Guy and a brewhouse in the seventeenth century. Bucky also showed us where a barrel well used to be on his property, and told us about a spring that filled near the back of his property and used to be used for horses. He also had some great memories to share, about how important water is, the cold and pure taste of springs, and carrying water with hoops in turns. It was a treat!



We next went to meet Christine Fowler, a relative of Peter, who had an amazing traditional, almost kitschy looking well house with some delicious well water hidden underneath. We've seen quite a few of these around Newfoundland as lawn art pieces, but this is the first well I've seen actually housed underneath one. I love the traditional, simple design to these wellhouses - these are what I think of when I think wells! We also went and saw her brother's well next door, which was one of the deepest I've seen so far (242 inches!) and more modern, with PVC lining and a metal pitched roof. Before leaving we got to pet his pony in the backyard - adorable.



We then went on a bit of a hike out into Greenland, where Peter knew of a long forgotten spring. Peter told us that there were once houses out in this area, but in the 1940's the last few households moved into where the modern town now is. This round well looks to be like a closed in spring, shallow and completely lined with rocks. It was great to see such a secluded spot for a well, and really made me think about how many more were hiding out in the Greenland woodlands.

On our way back to the Legacy Centre, Peter ran into his friend Ross Dawe, who had a great old car and three different water sources on his property, including two wells and one spring that he used in dry times. We also stopped and chatted with Lloyd Kane, who had an old well nestled behind a gorgeous honeysuckle tree that hadn't been used in decades. While the well was nothing spectacular, the tree hanging over it, nestled in a green backyard, really seemed almost magical.



Once back at the Legacy Centre, we said goodbye to Peter, grabbed Nicole, and went to the Cupids archaeological site to have a chat with William Gilbert, the lead archaeologist. He told us about an attempt at an archaeological dig near the spring we had been shown  earlier by Bucky, and that even though nothing was found, Bill still believes that the brewhouse that John Guy had in his colony was over there. He also showed us a well in the back of the Cupids plantation house that has yet to be excavated. There are busy up there on the dig in Cupids, so we were very thankful for the tour!

After a delicious lunch we headed out to see one final spring, out along the Bay Roberts heritage trail. This spring has been closed in with rocks, and is right off the trail path. While I probably wouldn't recommend drinking from it, it's a great spot for Fido to get a sip while out on the trails. As you can tell, it was a great spot with an incredible view.



We got to see a lot of wells, and talk to a lot of people - it really put a spring in my step!

I am still looking to hear from people about their wells, springs, and water memories: what does water mean to you, how have you sued it, and what do you remember about it? I would love to have a chat with you!

You can reach me at Sarah@heritagefoundation.ca, or call 1 (709) 739-1892 ext. 7

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Tuesday's Folklore Photo





IN MEMORY OF JOHN BUTT
WHO DIED HAPPY IN THE LORD
11th MAY 1842
AGED 58 YEARS

He was the first person buried in this cemetery on Sunday 15th
By Rev. J. Snowball
Who preached a sermon for the occasion the same evening.

"Be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cameth"
St. Matthew 24


This headstone is located in the old General Protestant Cemetery in St. John's. Later this month the HFNL will be holding a headstone rubbing workshop in this very cemetery, and discussing the different ways of preserving the information (genealogical details, epitaphs etc.) on historic headstones. Details about this workshop will be released in the next few days. Please stay tuned!!

-Lisa

Monday, August 5, 2013

A Grand Day for a Celebration

A crowd of Bay Roberts residents gather to celebrate Cable Avenue's 100th birthday.
Last Friday afternoon the HFNL with help from the Town of Bay Roberts and the Bay Roberts Heritage Committee held a public plaque presentation and cake cutting ceremony at the Western Union Cable Station.  It was a successful event as we officially recognized Cable Avenue as a Registered Heritage District while celebrating its 100th birthday. Past and current residents of the district gathered under the shade of the iconic chestnut trees to hear speeches and reminisce about life on the Avenue. The cake was unveiled and cut by Randy Collins, a long-time homeowner on the Avenue, and contributor to the "100 Years of Cable Avenue" display at the Road to Yesterday Museum.

Special thanks to Marilyn Dawe, Eric and Betty Jerrett (and the Bay Roberts Heritage Society Inc.), Mayor Phillip Wood, and M.H.A. Glenn Littlejohn for all of their support in the planning of this community event. 
Some current and former residents of Cable Avenue come together at the community celebration.


Glenn Littlejohn (centre) presents a Heritage Foundation plaque to Eric Jerrett (left) and Mayor Wood (right) on behalf of the province to commemorate the restoration of the Western Union Cable Station (ca. 1913).




-Lisa

Thursday, August 1, 2013

ICH office accepts The Scope's 2013 #PhotoChallengeNL


Recently, St. John's arts and culture newspaper The Scope challenged readers to participate in a photo project, taking a different photo or video every day for the month of August.  You can read more about the challenge here:


The Intangible Cultural Heritage office is onboard! And because we love a good folklore photo, we'll take the challenge to the next level: all our photos will follow the daily suggestions, AND be on a folklore/intangible cultural heritage theme. 

We'll be posting our folklore-themed photos on Instagram, with The Scope's suggested hashtag  #photochallengenl and our own #ich_nl (that's our Twitter handle, btw).