The Memory Store - Oral history recording booth meets fishing shed!

Remember those photo booths where you would sit with a friend, pose, and then leave with a few photos? The Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador is setting up something similar this weekend in Petty Harbour. The only difference is that they will be recording memories, instead of taking photos.

The foundation is setting up what they call “The Memory Store” - an oral history recording booth located in a fishing shed along the Petty Harbour waterfront. The recording booth is being set up as part of the Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove 6th Annual Arts and Heritage Festival, which runs Thursday August 14 - Sunday August 17. The Memory Store will be open from 11am to 4pm each day.

“The goal is to help preserve people’s memories of the community,” says folklorist Dale Jarvis. “The setup is pretty simple. You show up at the Memory Store either alone or with a relative or friend you want to talk with, we give you some sample questions, and you sit and have a chat.”

Afterwards, participants will be emailed a digital copy or mailed a CD of the interview. A copy of the interview will be given to the Petty Harbour Museum, while another copy will be placed on Memorial University’s Digital Archives Initiative for future generations to hear.

Jarvis says people should allow themselves about half an hour for the conversation and paperwork. The sessions and CDs are free for participants.

Look for the Memory Store banners and signs during the Arts and Heritage Festival. The Memory Store will be in the yellow shed, right on the harbourfront, three buildings up from the convenience store. Bring a friend or family member, drop by, say hello, and share your memories!

For more information, email ich@heritagefoundation.ca. 

Photo: Heritage intern Terra Barrett with The Memory Store sign. Look for both in Petty Harbour this weekend!

The Memory Store - Oral History Recording Booth

This week at the office we are gearing up for the Arts and Heritage Festival in Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove. As part of the festival the Heritage Foundation will have a Memory Store set up in a yellow shed across from the town hall, just three sheds up from the convenience store.

We'll have an oral history recording booth set up in the shed and we are looking for anyone with a connection to Petty Harbour who would be willing to share their memories. From recollections of the town’s social life to tales of the community concerts, if you have been involved in the community we would love to hear from you! We'll be encouraging people to bring a family member or friend in order to interview one another about your Petty Harbour memories.

You will receive a copy of your interview to keep and it will certainly make a great memento!

Hope to see you at the festival!

Campfire Tales at Lobster Cove Head

Come share your ghost and fairy stories or just sit at the fire and be spooked! Hosted at the Lobster Head light house shed party, by folklorist Lisa Wilson on behalf of the Registered Heritage District of Woody Point and Gros Morne Park Artist in Residence Michael Young

Stories start at Lobster Cove Head Sunday, August 10th at 8PM

The Cut Bellows - a story from Pinkston's Forge, Brigus

I mentioned in an earlier post that the ICH Office helped record an oral history of Pinkston's Forge in Brigus. In this section of the interview, John Pinkston talked about a cut made in the bellows, and if you look closely at the picture above, you can see the repair work he mentions.

John Charles Pinkston: There's one other instance. Back, I guess, in the 20s and 30s, well there was at one time, there was something like six forges in Brigus, right?

Dale Russell FitzPatrick: Yes.

John Charles Pinkston: And then there was three, but anyway at this particular time, I think there was two blacksmiths in Brigus, so there was Harris and Jackson's. And previous to that I think there was another one, James. Anyway, at this particular time there was two operating: there was grandfather's and Jackson's down in Jackson's Quay. One Saturday morning dad and grandfather came down, of course eight or ten horses lined up, and the window was broken in the forge. So they thought no more about that, so they opened up and got the horse in and grandfather start pumping the bellows. The bellows wasn't working. 

He looked in, there was a cut in the bellows about ten inches long. So grandfather told all the men, b’y, he said I can't do nothing for you because somebody cut the bellows. So they said all right Mr. Pinkston, we're not going down to Jackson's. We're going to wait for you to fix the-- So grandfather went over to-- who's the person that fixes shoes? Cobbler or leatherer. He went over and this fellow, I don't know what his name is-- Keene? Anyway, he came over and he sewed up the bellows. 

So two hours later, had the bellows going, all the men waited for him, and they didn't go down to Jackson. So rumour was that Jackson broke the window and cut the bellows. 

Dale Russell FitzPatrick: And of course people today can still see those stitches. 

John Charles Pinkston: You can still see them. 

Dale Russell FitzPatrick: And they've worked ever since, haven't they?

Muriel Pinkston Wells: Yes.

Dale Russell FitzPatrick: That's a wonderful story.

Photo-Post: A Great Day to Unveil

Marilyn Dawe, MHA Glenn Littlejohn, Eric Jerrett, Mayor Philip Wood, and Frank Crews unveil the Cable Avenue Registered Heritage District plaque.

Photo opportunity after the unveiling. Look at those nice smiles!

Myself, center, standing with some champions of heritage in the Bay Roberts area. Without the dedication of these women, commemorations and events like this would never be possible.

What an amazing turn-out--thanks to everyone who was in attendance, and to all who worked so hard to make our plaque event a success! 

To see some photographs and read about why the Cable Avenue Registered Heritage District was designated by the province please click here.

-Lisa

Petty Harbour Folk Beliefs - Whistling up the Wind

Petty Harbour

During my interviews in Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove I have come across several folk beliefs particularly beliefs about being on the water. From whistling up a wind to not being able to turn your boat against the sun there have been a number of interesting folk beliefs shared. 

As previously mentioned on the blog Petty Harbour resident Ann Payne described being warned not to cross the river at night when it was easiest to be fairy led. Ann and her mother Annie Lee explained a story about Ann’s uncle whose leg was broken by fairies and who was held in the water of the Petty Harbour river for four hours. Other members of the community have also mentioned fairy beliefs such as being warned to keep a piece of bread in their pocket for the fairies when walking through the woods.

Gertrude Walsh of Petty Harbour explained that if a bird pecked at the window it was an omen of a death to come. Another warning of upcoming death is three knocks at the window. Gertrude explained that she heard three knocks at a second floor window and when she woke the next morning she received a phone call that her brother had died in the night.

A couple of people have mentioned having to have the gang boards facing the right direction while in a fishing boat. Gordy Doyle explains this belief:

The boards, the pound boards that you have right? To cover up your fish, to put your fish in pounds according to the size of the boat. You would never have them up right? You would have them painted and the opposite side would be painted a different colour. You would never have them turned over in the boat. You just don’t do that. And I’m not superstitious at all but it’s just something that I don’t do and I if I see it turned over [I’ll say] “No b’ys turn the gang board back over”.

Gertrude and Jack Walsh

Another belief about being on the water was not cursing in a boat and not whistling in a boat. It has been said if you whistled in a boat you could whistle up a storm. Jack Walsh described why he will never forget why people are not allowed to whistle in a boat:

I can remember one time this man, and myself and his son we used to knock around together. So we were going out to the cod trap this evening in the boat. Two of us were sat down and we were only young, you know. Not old enough to go fishing or anything but just going for a run with the men and we were sat down in the boat and we were going along. It was a make and break motor then they called it and I don’t remember which one of us started to whistle and we knew nothing until down came the big stick and hit the boards between the two of us and he shouted don’t dare whistle in this boat he said, whistle up a storm.

Mike Hearn explained a number of folk beliefs including fishermen being sure to follow the sun with their boats rather than turn against the sun and people being wary of walking under a ladder as these actions would bring about bad luck. Mike explains what a fisherman’s beliefs about jinkers and what a jinker is:

If he had a small fish, a tomcod, one got left in the boat and all the fish is out of her. And he got up the next morning to go fishing and saw one of them there it would be a job to get him to go out. That was a jinker. They called leaving a fish in the boat like that a jinker. Bad, bad thing to do.

Mike also went on to explain he didn’t share this belief about jinkers and described an incident where his fishing crew had a jinker left in the boat for days and were hauling in loads of fish every day. They only noticed the jinker because of the smell but the crew joked that they should put one on the other side as they were getting such large loads of fish with the jinker in the boat.

Do you have any folk beliefs? Beliefs about being on the water? What are they? Share your stories below – we’d love to hear them!

Join us for a heritage district event!

Please join us for the Cable Avenue Registered Heritage District plaque ceremony in Bay Roberts!

This lovely historic street is receiving a commemorative plaque and all are welcome to join us.  Refreshments will follow the unveiling....we hope to see you there.

Where:  The Cable Station Building

When: Friday, August 1st, 2014

Time: 3:00 pm

Mobilizing Culture - The ICH Update for July 2014

In this edition of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Update for Newfoundland and Labrador: we outline our plans for the Petty Harbour Memory store, a public recording booth which will be set up to archive memories of growing up in Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove; the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador announces a $5000 grant for research on the historic fishery in the province; heritage intern Terra Barrett reports on community celebrations in Petty Harbour; Lisa Wilson gives an update on a recent tombstone rubbing workshop held in Cupids; Heather Igloliorte gives insight into two projects around mobilizing Inuit cultural heritage in Labrador; you all get an invite to the unveiling of the commemorative plaque for the Cable Avenue Registered Heritage District in Bay Roberts; and a reminder about our upcoming four-day "Fishing for Folklore" workshop in Petty Harbour, this September.

Download the newsletter in PDF and other formats from archive.org

photo: Grass basket, base 11.3 cm in diameter. Grass, red and black thread. Collected in Aillik Bay, near Tornavik, south of Hopedale. Received from F.G. Speck, July 4th, 1914. Collection of the Canadian Museum for Civilization.

Documenting Pinkston's Forge in Brigus

On Monday of this week, I travelled to Brigus to help the Brigus Historical Society with their work of documenting the history of Pinkston's Forge.

Pinkston's Forge has been a fixture of the community for a long time, and up to now has been in the hands of the Pinkston family. But maintaining a heritage building like the forge has been a challenge for the family, and the forge itself sits on a lovely piece of corner property. Recently, the family has decided they want to develop the property, but were concerned about the potential loss of the forge. So, the family has decided to turn the building over to the town, on the condition that it be moved.

Moving a heritage building from its original location is rarely the first choice for heritage conservationists, and moving an old forge will pose challenges for the historical society, but it will ensure that the building sees a new life, and hopefully, more educational opportunities.




Local heritage volunteers will be working on the documentation of the building and artefacts, and the ICH office has offered to help with collecting the associated oral histories of the building. On Monday, we helped with the first interview. The photo above shows (l-r) Muriel Pinkston-Wells and John Charles Pinkston, whose father and grandfather started the blacksmithing business, along with  local heritage consultant Dale Russell-Fitzpatrick, who conducted the oral history interview.

We’ll be posting more on the project as it unfolds.

If you have a memory of Pinkston's Forge, email me at ich@heritagefoundation.ca or comment below.

- Dale Jarvis