The Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove Museum

You are all invited to the opening of our new exhibit, The Sikh Society of Newfoundland. Please join us at 7pm on August 31, 2016 to look at the history of Sikhism in Newfoundland. For more information, please email lbmcocmuseum@gmail.com, call 726-5272, or find the event on facebook . All are welcome! Hope to see you there!

Have you read A Stroke in Time by Gerard Doran? Published by Flanker Press in 2015, this historical fiction looks at the 1901 Outer Cove Fishermen's Crew who rowed 9:13 4/5 in the championship race in that year's Regatta. It is a wonderful reimagining of that historic race, looking at the work in getting a crew together, the struggles to fit rowing into a busy fishing schedule, and the hard work and dedication that rowers continue to commit when striving for those new records on Quidi Vidi Lake. Perhaps one of the best parts of the book is just the day-to-day life in Outer Cove. The story starts, end, and every now and then touches on the price of fish and the ability to get a good price from the merchants. It discusses the difficulty in getting a berth on a sealing ship, and the poverty that used to be common in St. John's. It also looks at Dan McCathy's struggle, wondering if he should follow his fiancée to Boston where he could also work without worrying ab...

In June, a visitor to the museum asked about the historical significance of the Grotto located at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Outer Cove.  A picture of the Grotto located in the museum taken by Garland Studio [011.6.1] The Grotto is located a little to the side of the church, and contain a statue of the Virgin Mary with a little girl and the pedestal reads: THIS PEDESTAL HAS BEEN ERRECTED TO THE MEMORY OF MAURICE O'BRINE MICHAEL O'BRINE JAMES O'BRINE DAVID O'BRINE MAURICE O'BRINE JR. The Grotto at St. Francis of Assisi Church. Photo by Lisa M. Daly. According to Mrs. Mary Boland in an April 200 interview, Aunt Marg O'Brien lost four sons in World War II. Mike O'Brien was in the Merchant Marines; David was the youngest and was torpedoed while in the army; Jim was serving with the United States and Maurice also died. Aunt Marg was given the title of The Most Bereaved Mother. More information can be found in downtown St. J...

As it's Regatta Day tomorrow, another Royal St. John's Regatta post is in order. There are so many amazing Outer Cove teams to profile that we could not just pick one. Although it's very tempting to focus only on the 1901 and 1982 crew, we also have those who went to the Canada Games, the 1989 juvenile team, the 1991 Smith Stockley-Outer Cove team, or the current Outer Cove team who will be competing tomorrow (weather permitting). Instead, we decided to look at another museum artifact that is always part of the Regatta: a Regatta Ribbon donated by Michelle Hickey. 1993 Regatta Ribbon in the museum collection [997.15.4] This particular ribbon is from 1993 and would have been worn by a member of the Regatta committee. The ribbon is traditionally done in the colours of the old Newfoundland flag. This one is a little faded, but the colours are pink, white and green. The style of the ribbon changes year after year, but the colours are typically represented. If you look ...

Red Cliff photo by the Conservation Corps Green Team 2007 Construction at the American Air Force Radar Station at Red Cliff started in 1951, and the base was operational from 1954 until 1962. The facility was one of a number of radar stations throughout North America and Greenland which were called the Pine Tree Line. The purpose of the Pine Tree Line was to act as a defence system against enemy aircraft. Gander, Goose Bay and Argentia were all part of this defence system. Their goal was to protect North America from potential invasion, and day-to-day operations at Red Cliff involved contacting and identifying all incoming aircraft to Newfoundland airspace, directing said aircraft to Gander or Torbay, facilitating distress calls and aiding the Coast Guard search and rescue efforts, and being at the ready in case of unidentified aircraft needing to be escorted or intercepted. Red Cliff photo by the Conservation Corps Green Team 2007 Red Cliff was a semi-remote...

Looking through the Sports section of the museum, the dominant theme is of course the 1901 Outer Cove Crew. But Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove has a long history with the Royal St. John's Regatta that goes well beyond the championship races of 1901 and 1982. 1926 Regatta Silver Cup [999.1.1] One item that catches the eye among the Regatta programs is a silver cup. This cup reads: ST. JOHN'S REGATTA 1926 PRESENTED BY HIS EXCELLENCY SIR WILLIAM ALLARDYCE K.C.M.G. Sir William Lamond Allardyce was the governor of Newfoundland from 1922-1928. According to the program for the day, Allardyce was offering the Governor's Cup for the quickest time of the day, which came with a bonus of $20. Lady Allardyce, Hon. W.J. Higgins and Governor Allardyce at the Regatta during Sir Douglas Haig's visit, 1942. Maritime History Archives [ PF 315.318] This cup was won by the Outer Cove crew in the Star of the Sea with a time in the championship race of 9:41:00....

A little while ago we posted an article on the museum facebook page from Decks Awash that talked about the dairying business in Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove. While we may all be focused on #CapelinRoll2016 and waiting for those little fish to roll on to the beach at Middle Cove, it is important to know that there is more to the area than just the fishery. Capelin would often be caught in large quantities to be used as fertilizer for local farms and gardens. From This Way to The Grotto... 1984. This week we turn to the agricultural history of Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove. A tour of Marine Drive and Outer Cove Road shows the farming history of the area, with many residents using fishing to supplement their livelihoods, and hoping every spring that they can get their small farms established before the fishing season started. Seed sower [007.1.10] One tool used in farming was the seed sower. There are two different styles of sower at the museum, a simple one and a m...