1 | ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET
ARCHITECTURAL
INVENTORY:
The Heart’s Content Heritage District
Edited by: Katherine Harvey
Intangible Cultural Heritage Office
St. John’s, NL Canada A1C 5V5
Layout/design by Jessie Meyer
2017
Architectural Inventory:
The Heart’s Content Heritage District
EDITED BY:
Katherine Harvey
FIELD RESEARCH/PHOTOGRAPHY:
Katherine Harvey & Eddy O’Toole
4 | ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET
The Heart’s Content Heritage Inventory documents pre-Confederation (pre-
1949) heritage structures within and immediately adjacent to the Heart’s
Content Registered Heritage District. The district was designated in 2013 in
recognition of the significant existing cultural landscape that is a testament
to the history of the community as the site of the first trans-Atlantic cable
station. The inventory was conducted by the Heritage Foundation of
Newfoundland and Labrador.
Subsequent to changes made to the Foundation’s designation program
in 2017, the decision was made to undertake a pilot project in the Heart’s
Content Heritage District to see how these changes could best be
implemented. Whereas, previously the Foundation had only one category
for designation (Registered Heritage Structure), it was felt that this left
out much that was significant to our cultural landscapes. One of two new
categories created is “Registered Heritage Landmark” which will recognize
a relatively small number of the province’s most significant heritage
structures. The second category “Recognized Heritage Structures and
Features” is meant to be more inclusive and recognize some of those
structures and features which may be seen as less significant but which,
nonetheless, contribute to a heritage landscape. These include dwellings,
outbuildings, stages and stores, root cellars, fences and walls, cemeteries,
amongst others. The benefit of designating some of these structures
is they would then become eligible for funding under the Foundation’s
Restoration Grant Program.
It is hoped that this inventory will lead to a number of new heritage
designations in the community and support further measures to realize
the full potential of the Heritage District to enhance the community and to
support economic development.
Jerry Dick
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Introduction
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On June 27, 2017, my very first day with the Heritage Foundation of
Newfoundland and Labrador, Eddy O’Toole and I were dropped off in the
Heart’s Content Heritage District to survey already designated Registered
Heritage Structures. I had basic knowledge of vernacular architecture at that
point, and had never been to Heart’s Content.
Fast-forward two months, and I had made about a dozen trips to Heart’s
Content, conducted several interviews with locals, completed about twenty
architectural inventories of various historic properties and participated in Ted
Rowe’s walking tour of the town. The community was beginning to feel like a
second home to me.
From day one, the locals were welcoming and eager to help, and for that I am
grateful. This project would not have been possible without the cooperation of
the Heart’s Content Mizzen Heritage Society, and my informants: Monica Hindy,
Ed Matthews, Lloyd Smith, Howard Tavenor and Ted Rowe.
Undoubtedly, documenting the architectural features of historic buildings is
essential for preservation, but collecting the oral histories of these places
adds another layer of significance and value that can bring the buildings to life.
I tried to collect as many memories as possible of each place we documented.
The community has such a rich history, and each building pays tribute to
that uniqueness.
Katherine Harvey
Methodology
Heart’s Content is located in Trinity Bay on the Bay de Verde Peninsula of
Newfoundland and Labrador. The first mention of Heart’s Content is by John
Guy of Bristol, England in 1615. Heart’s Content was incorporated as a town
in 1967.
The significance of the Heart’s Content Heritage District dates in large
measure to 1866 when a transatlanticcommunications cable was successfully
landed in the community. Included in the district are staff houses built by the
Anglo-American Telegraph Company and Western Union Telegraph Company,
and buildings associated with the development of the community such as
Heyfield Memorial United Church, the Methodist School and the Society
of United Fishermen Hall. Other principal physical elements of the district
include cemeteries, a municipal park, a monument to the cable industry,
traditional pathways and ornamental trees purposely planted during the
construction of staff and cable company properties. The district is bounded by
Station Road on the northeast, by School Road on the east, by Long Lane on
the southeast and by the shoreline on the southwest, west and northwest.
Heart’s Content Heritage District
Heart’s Content Heritage District. Photo by Katherine Harvey. 2017.
a
b
c
d
e
f
J
Church Road
Main Road
Parish Hall Hill
School Road
Office Hill Road
Backway Road
Mizzen
Pond
(Bottom
Pond)
1
2
3
4
5
7 6
8
10 11
21 22
12
13
14
19
15
16
9
17
18
20
Trinity
Bay
0 50m 100m
North
a
b
c
d
e
f
Church Road
Main Road
Parish Hall Hill
School Road
Office Hill Road
Backway Road
Mizzen
Pond
(Bottom
Pond)
1
2
3
4
5
7 6
8
10 11
21 22
12
13
14
19
15
16
9
17
18
20
Trinity
Bay
0 50m 100m
North
Trinity
Bay
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Uncle Charlie Rowe’s House is located on Main
Road in Heart’s Content. It was constructed circa
1921, and has a steep gable roof and a large bay
window on the front facade. This was one of the
houses that was built for cable station staff in the
early twentieth century.
It was originally owned by Uncle Charlie Rowe who
was employed by the cable office. It is currently
used as a summer home.
Judy Arnott, the woman who lives next door,
explained that the previous owner of her house
believes Uncle Charlie Rowe’s House is haunted.
They used to sit outside on the back step and
watch the house, and they witnessed a variety of
paranormal activities.
HCI-001
Uncle Charlie Rowe’s House NUMBER ON MAP: #1
Front facade. Photo by Katherine Harvey. 2017.
Front facade. Photo by Michael Philpott. 2016.
ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET | 9
ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS
ALTERATIONS
(note any visible alterations to the structure)
Sliding glass door in rear
GENERAL ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
Building Name: Uncle Charlie Rowe’s House
Date Recorded: July 7, 2017
Recorded By: Eddy O’Toole
Street Address: Main Road
Postal Code: A0B 1Z0
Building Type: Single detached
Roof Type: Steep gable
Roofing Material: Asphalt
Dormer Position: None
Dormer Type: None
Exterior Sheathing: Vinyl
Type of Construction: Wood frame
Foundation Type: Below ground
Foundation Material: Concrete
Storeys: 2.5
Plan: Square
Main Door Shape: Single door + double sidelights and transom
Main Door Material: Solid wood
Door Trim/Decoration: Eared
Main Entrance Location: Left gable end
Stairs: Straight front
Porch Type: Stoop
Typical Window Shape: Rectangle
Typical Window Type: Single hung
Typical Panes: 2/2
Window Trim/Decoration: Plain lintel
Roof and Eaves Trim: Eave brackets
HCI-001
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Rabbit House is located on Main Road in
Heart’s Content. It was constructed circa 1920,
and has a mid pitch roof, narrow clapboarding
and triangular brackets. It was originally owned
by the Rabbit family. Mr. Rabbit worked in the
cable station in the early 1900s.
The house is currently owned by Ed and Judy
Arnott. The house has retained many of its
original features, particularly on the interior,
despite a near catastrophic fire that took place
some years ago.
“This house when we bought it, it was primarily
used as a summer home prior to that, although,
I think the owners did live here year-round for
some time. And just a couple of years prior to
us owning it, there had been a fire here. The
owners had a little dog, and [they] had a record
collection in the back room, and he was out and
apparently the dog’s tail tipped over a burning
candle or something. I think Bill and Lloyd
were out walking Lloyd’s dog and they saw
the smoke. There’s a volunteer fire department
here and they... I tell you they earned
kudos that night. We owe the volunteer fire
department this house. It would have burned to
the ground if they never got to it on time.”
Judy recalls a recurring - potentially
paranormal - knocking on her back door.
“Before we moved in, we spent a Christmas
here . . . and all the kids came home. And on
HCI-002
Rabbit House NUMBER ON MAP: #2
Front facade. Photo by Michael Philpott. 2016.
ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET | 11
one particular night, we were watching a movie on
TV, and late in the night we went to bed, and some
of the other kids went to bed, and my oldest girl
stayed up. She was the last one; she was going to
watch the rest of this movie. And she said the next
morning, 'Mom, you didn’t hear me knocking on
your bedroom door last night?'
And I said, ‘No, what did you want?’
And she said, 'Well I was calling out to you but I
was only saying (whispers) ‘Mom, mom, mom.’
I said, ‘What was it?’
She said, ‘Somebody knocked on the door last
night in the wee hours of the morning, and I was a
bit nervous about going to answer the back door.
So I went up to get you but I couldn’t wake you so I
got Kristen up (her sister).’
And she said Kristen came down, and she said
they were both still a bit nervous about going and
opening the back door. And she said the door, it
knocked again. And with that they flipped off the
lights, ran upstairs and went to bed. We thought,
who could it possibly be? We didn’t know anyone,
at that time, who would come visiting.
We never thought anything of it, and it was only
a matter of weeks later . . . somebody knocked on
the door in the middle of the night . . . So I left our
bedroom at the front of the house and walked to
the back bedroom. And the motion sensor light
was on. So there had been somebody there, and to
this day I couldn’t tell you who it was.”
Ed and Judy Arnott in their home. Photo by Lisa Wilson.
Right facade. Photo courtesy Baccalieu Trail Heritage
Corporation. 1994.
Front facade. Photo courtesy Baccalieu Trail Heritage
Corporation. 1994.
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ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS
ALTERATIONS
(note any visible alterations to the structure)
Large triangular eave brackets
Front veranda
Beams underside side eaves
HISTORICAL/INTANGIBLE VALUES
Original Owner: The Rabbits
Builder/Architect: The Rabbits
Rough date of construction: 1920s
Main Door Shape: Single door + double sidelights and transom
Main Door Material: Solid wood
Door Trim/Decoration: Eared
Main Entrance Location: Front facade
Stairs: Straight front
Porch Type: Covered
Typical Window Shape: Rectangle
Typical Window Type: Single hung
Typical Panes: 3/1
Window Trim/Decoration: Eared
Roof and Eaves Trim: Eave brackets
GENERAL ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
Building Name: Rabbit House
Date Recorded: July 7, 2017
Recorded By: Eddy O’Toole
Street Address: Main Road
Postal Code: A0B 1Z0
Building Type: Single detached
Roof Type: Mid-pitch gable
Roofing Material: Asphalt
Dormer Position: Cut through eave line
Dormer Type: Peak
Exterior Sheathing: Narrow clapboard
Type of Construction: Wood frame
Foundation Type: Below ground
Foundation Material: Concrete
Storeys: 1.5
Plan: Short facade
HCI-002
ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET | 13
Heyfield Memorial United Church is located on
Main Road in Heart’s Content. It is a vernacular
Gothic Revival church with a steeple and a steeply
pitched roof, which tapers to a hipped roof on the
rear facade.
Previous to the establishment of a cable station
in Heart’s Content, the community had a small
number of Methodists who met in their own
homes. Several of the Company’s employees were
Methodists, and by 1874 more than 20 Wesleyans
were recorded as living in Heart’s Content.
In 1877, the Methodist mission at Heart’s Content
got its first clergyman, Reverend Joseph Lister,
during whose one year term the church building
HCI-003
NUMBER ON MAP: #3
Heyfield Memorial United Church
Registered Heritage Structure
Front and right facade. Photo by Eddy O’Toole. 2017.
Front facade. Photo by Lisa Wilson. 2013.
14 | ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET
Under restoration. Photo by Michael Philpott. 2016.
Left facade. Photo courtesy Heart’s Content Mizzen
Heritage Society.
was planned and started under the supervision of
builder Robert Horwood of Carbonear. Construction
was completed the following year during the
ministry of Reverend Jesse Heyfield. The church
was dedicated on November 12, 1878 by Heyfield,
and he served at Heart’s Content until 1879, and
again from 1908 until his death in December 1910.
In 1975, upon the fiftieth anniversary of the
establishment of the United Church of Canada, the
Heart’s Content congregation named the church
Heyfield Memorial in his memory.
The Heyfield Memorial United Church was
designated a Registered Heritage Structure by
the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and
Labrador in 2011. It was recently restored and
operates as a regional arts centre.
ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET | 15
ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS
ALTERATIONS
(note any visible alterations to the structure)
Wheelchair ramps added
OTHER UNUSUAL OR
NOTABLE FINISHES
Stained glass windows
Angled clapboard
GENERAL ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
Building Name: Heyfield Memorial United Church Registered
Heritage Structure
Date Recorded: June 27, 2017
Recorded By: Katherine Harvey
Street Address: Main Road
Postal Code: A0B 1Z0
Building Type: Single detached
Roof Type: Steep gable (front); Hip (rear)
Roofing Material: Asphalt
Dormer Position: None
Dormer Type: None
Exterior Sheathing: Narrow clapboard
Type of Construction: Wood frame
Foundation Type: Above ground
Foundation Material: Concrete and stone + Stone wall
Storeys: 1
Plan: Short facade
Main Door Shape: Double door with arched transom
Main Door Material: Wood plank
Door Trim/Decoration: Plain lintel
Main Entrance Location: Right gable end
Stairs: None
Porch Type: Ramp + stoop
Typical Window Shape: Rectangle with triangular arch
Typical Window Type: Fixed
Typical Panes: 4/9
Window Trim/Decoration: Moulded flat
Roof and Eaves Trim: None
Significant Features: Steeply pitched roof; tower with spire; original dimen-sions
and height; materials, size, style, and placement of original windows
and doors; pointed arch windows with textured and mauve-coloured stained
glass; and decorative tin applied to ceilings and walls
HCI-003
16 | ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET
Oates House is located on Main Road in Heart’s
Content. It is an early 1900s saltbox-style house.
It was owned by Uncle Tommy Oates who worked
in the cable office. His two daughters, Ethel and
Helen, lived here after his death, and remained
until they moved into a retirement home.
Helen and Ethel trained at the London Royal
Academy of Music. The trunk that they travelled
with is now on display at the Heart’s Content
Mizzen Heritage Museum. The girls taught piano
lessons from this house when they returned to
Heart’s Content. Helen taught in St. John’s, while
Ethel remained at home to care for her aging
parents. Monica Hindy recalls.
HCI-004
Oates House NUMBER ON MAP: #4
Front and right facade. Photo courtesy Baccalieu Trail Heritage Corporation. 1994.
Front and right facade. Photo by Eddy O’Toole. 2017.
ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET | 17
“My daughter, Bethany, took music lessons
from them, she went up there for two years .
. . Ethel had a ruler, if she missed a note she
would click her on the finger with the ruler.”
Ethel also played the piano every Sunday at
mass at the Heyfield Memorial United Church.
Monica Hindy shared another memory of this
house from her childhood.
“We used to take milk down there as children .
. . my mother and father kept cows so we used
to deliver milk to their house back then. Before
we went to school we’d have to go to several
houses . . . early in the morning they’d milk the
cows, and in the afternoon they’d milk them
again and we’d go to so many more houses.”
Rear and left facade. Photo by Eddy O’Toole. 2017.
18 | ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET
ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS
ALTERATIONS
(note any visible alterations to the structure)
Vinyl windows & steel doors
GENERAL ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
Building Name: Oates House
Date Recorded: June 27, 2017
Recorded By: Katherine Harvey
Street Address: Main Road
Postal Code: A0B 1Z0
Building Type: Single detached
Roof Type: Single front peak
Roofing Material: Asphalt
Dormer Position: None
Dormer Type: None
Exterior Sheathing: Narrow clapboard
Type of Construction: Wood frame
Foundation Type: Below ground
Foundation Material: Concrete
Storeys: 2.5
Plan: Square
Main Door Shape: Single door + double sidelight
Main Door Material: Modern metal
Door Trim/Decoration: Eared
Main Entrance Location: Right gable end
Stairs: Straight front
Porch Type: Stoop
Typical Window Shape: Rectangle
Typical Window Type: Single hung
Typical Panes: 1/1
Window Trim/Decoration: Eared
Roof and Eaves Trim: None
HCI-004
ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET | 19
Society of United Fishermen Lodge SUF #1 is
located on Main Road in Heart’s Content. It is
a simple mansard roof with some decorative
elements. Directly above the main door is an
arched sign with the organization’s triangular
shaped logo and motto. The triangular shape
was chosen to represent Newfoundland’s
approximate shape. Within the triangle
appears the Maltese Cross, representing the
eight Beatitudes, which members are taught
to learn and observe. The motto adopted
for the society was Love, Purity and Fidelity
represented by the colors red, white and blue.
These colors are reflected on the exterior trim
with white being the predominant color.
The Society of United Fishermen Lodge SUF
#1 was the first SUF lodge that was built in
Newfoundland in 1869. Founded in 1862 by
Rev. George Gardener, a Church of England
clergyman, this mutual benefit society and
fraternal order building was constructed as a
meeting hall for members.
The Society of United Fishermen Lodge SUF #1
provided fellowship and established a mutual
support system for its members at a time when
there were few services available to fishermen
and their families. The building was designed
by the SUF founder, Rev. George Gardner, and
was constructed by members offering free
HCI-005
NUMBER ON MAP: #5
Society of United Fishermen Lodge
SUF #1 Registered Heritage Structure
Front and right facade. Photo by Eddy O’Toole. 2017.
20 | ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET
Left and rear facade. Photo by Eddy O’Toole. 2017.
labour and materials. The duties of the officers
involved providing community aid in the forms
of attending to the sick and bringing water and
wood to those who needed it. They provided
money and support to families for funerals of
deceased members. This was made available
through the collection of annual fees. The
SUF also involved itself in projects to benefit
individual communities through fundraising
and charity work.
Ted Rowe recalls the SUF lodge at Christmas time.
“There were two main Christmas times: the
fishermen always had theirs on New Year’s
day, and the Orangemen always had theirs
ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET | 21
Left facade, under restoration. Photo courtesy Baccalieu Trail Heritage Corporation. 1994.
on Old Christmas Day, on January 6th. The
Orangemen’s Hall is where the Masonic Hall
is now, just up the road from the Fishermen’s
Hall, and I have good memories of both of
them. But mostly the Fishermen’s Hall because
that’s pretty much intact inside the way it was
back then. They had a fishermen’s band – for
awhile there were two bands, and then they
combined and had a combined fishermen’s and
Orangemen’s brass band for marching. They
would be on the stage and the band would play
Christmas carols while they were serving the
supper and then afterwards they would clear
back the tables and there would be a dance.
An accordion player, a fiddler, for a traditional
dance. I have a lot of good memories of going
up there when I was very young.”
The Society of United Fishermen Lodge SUF #1
was designated a Registered Heritage Structure
by the Heritage Foundation, and underwent
major interior and exterior renovations in 1994.
22 | ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET
ALTERATIONS
(note any visible alterations to the structure)
Sign installed
OTHER UNUSUAL OR
NOTABLE FINISHES
SUF sign/arch above main entrance
Triangular window on upper
front facade
ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS
GENERAL ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
Building Name: Society of United Fishermen Lodge SUF #1
Registered Heritage Structure
Date Recorded: June 27, 2017
Recorded By: Katherine Harvey
Street Address: Main Road
Postal Code: A0B 1Z0
Building Type: Single detached
Roof Type: Mansard
Roofing Material: Wood shingle
Dormer Position: None
Dormer Type: None
Exterior Sheathing: Narrow clapboard
Type of Construction: Wood frame
Foundation Type: Below ground
Foundation Material: Stone pile
Storeys: 1.5
Plan: Rectangular; short facade
Main Door Shape: Double doors with triangular arch
Main Door Material: Wood plank
Door Trim/Decoration: Plain flat
Main Entrance Location: Front facade
Stairs: None
Porch Type: None
Typical Window Shape: Rectangle with triangular arch
Typical Window Type: Fixed
Typical Panes: 3/10
Window Trim/Decoration: Moulded flat
Roof and Eaves Trim: None
Significant Features: Mansard roof; wooden shingles; narrow wooden clap-board;
gothic windows; triangular window; signage with emblem and logo;
and simple, unadorned building.
HCI-005
ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET | 23
HCI-006
NUMBER ON MAP: #6
Front and left facade. Photo by Eddy O’Toole. 2017.
Methodist Schoolhouse
The Methodist Schoolhouse is located on
Alex Rowe’s Lane in Heart’s Content. The
first Methodist “school” was started by the
congregation in 1891. They housed twenty-three
students in the basement of their church. In 1917,
the government allocated $1,500 to build a new
school for the twenty-eight methodist students
in the community. By 1923, the one-room school
house was functional. In 1933, the school was
amalgamated under the Board of Education.
Monica Hindy recalls attending as a child.
“There was a little blackboard in the back and a
calendar, and every morning you’d have to know
what way the wind was blowing. If it was raining
you’d draw a little umbrella and whatever way the
wind was blowing. As a child I didn’t know so my
time came in the morning to go out and find what
way the wind was blowing, too shy to tell [my
teacher] I couldn’t do it . . . I went out and put my
handkerchief up and of course I don’t know if the
wind was blowing that morning . . . I was hoping
someone would go by that I could ask (laughs).”
When the schoolhouse closed, the Masonic
Order began leasing the building in 1942. In
1969, the Orangemen decided the building they
were using was too large for their purposes, and
so traded places with the Masons. When the
Loyal Orangemen’s Association was shut down
in the community, the building became the
property of the Heart’s Content Mizzen Heritage
Society. It now houses the Heart’s Content
Mizzen Heritage Museum.
24 | ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET
Rear of building. Photo by Eddy O’Toole. 2017.
Historical photo of schoolhouse. Photo courtesy Heart’s Content Mizzen
Heritage Museum.
Interior of building. Photo by Lisa Wilson. 2012.
ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET | 25
ALTERATIONS
(note any visible alterations to the structure)
Steel rear door
OTHER UNUSUAL OR
NOTABLE FINISHES
Large projecting eaves with
underside beams
Cottage roof with tall windows
ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS
GENERAL ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
Building Name: Methodist Schoolhouse
Date Recorded: June 26, 2017
Recorded By: Eddy O’Toole
Street Address: Alex Rowe's Lane
Postal Code: A0B 1Z0
Building Type: Single detached
Roof Type: Hip
Roofing Material: Asphalt
Dormer Position: None
Dormer Type: None
Exterior Sheathing: Narrow clapboard
Type of Construction: Wood frame
Foundation Type: Above ground
Foundation Material: Concrete
Storeys: 1
Plan: Rectangular; short facade
Main Door Shape: Rectangle panelled
Main Door Material: Modern metal
Door Trim/Decoration: Moulded flat
Main Entrance Location: Rear facade
Stairs: None
Porch Type: None
Typical Window Shape: Tall rectangle
Typical Window Type: Single hung
Typical Panes: 4/4
Window Trim/Decoration: Eared
Roof and Eaves Trim: None
HCI-006
26 | ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET
Front and right facade. Photo by Michael Philpott. 2016.
Uncle Will Mallon’s House is located on
Main Road in Heart’s Content. It is an early
twentieth-century, double front peak house
with pedimented bay windows.
It was once owned by Uncle Will Mallon who
was from Bay Roberts. He moved to Heart’s
Content to work in the cable office. This house
is currently under renovation to become a Bed
and Breakfast.
HCI-007
Uncle Will Mallon’s House NUMBER ON MAP: #7
Front facade. Photo by Eddy O’Toole. 2017.
Left facade. Photo by Eddy O’Toole. 2017.
ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET | 27
ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS
GENERAL ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
Building Name: Uncle Will Mallon’s House
Date Recorded: July 7, 2017
Recorded By: Eddy O’Toole
Street Address: Main Road
Postal Code: A0B 1Z0
Building Type: Single detached
Roof Type: Double front peak
Roofing Material: Asphalt
Dormer Position: None
Dormer Type: None
Exterior Sheathing: Narrow clapboard
Type of Construction: Wood frame
Foundation Type: Below ground
Foundation Material: Concrete
Storeys: 2.5
Plan: Square
Main Door Shape: Rectangle
Main Door Material: Wood plank
Door Trim/Decoration: Eared
Main Entrance Location: Front facade
Stairs: Covered
Porch Type: Stoop
Typical Window Shape: Rectangle
Typical Window Type: Single hung
Typical Panes: 2/2
Window Trim/Decoration: Plain flat
Roof and Eaves Trim: Eave brackets
ALTERATIONS
(note any visible alterations to the structure)
Vinyl windows and steel doors
on rear (non-historic fenestration)
Vinyl windows on left side
OTHER UNUSUAL OR
NOTABLE FINISHES
Pedimented double bays
HCI-007
28 | ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET
HCI-008
The Orangemen’s Lodge NUMBER ON MAP: #8
Front and right facade. Photo by Eddy O’Toole. 2017.
The Orangemen’s Lodge is located on Main
Road in Heart’s Content. It is a two-storey
wooden hall on a concrete foundation with
a hip roof and a two-storey hip-roofed
front portion.
The Loyal Orange Association erected this
building in 1880 after the associated arrived
in Newfoundland in 1870. The upper level was
renovated and leased by the Masonic Order in
1921. The Orangemen took over the Methodist
Schoolhouse in 1941, and moved locations in
1969 as they realized the space was too large
for their declining membership, while the
masons remained at this location.
The lodge had many functions according to
locals who remember spending time there when
they were growing up in the community. Ted
Rowe recalls weekly movie nights at the lodge.
“In the 1950s they would have movies every
Friday night in Heart’s Content. There was a
movie man that came from New Harbour up
the shore. And they would show the movies
in the basement of the Orange Hall, and it was
almost all men, accept teenage girls would go.
But once you became married certainly, and
once you got to a certain age, I’m thinking over
twenty, women wouldn’t go to the movies.
I don’t know why, it was just a thing, only men
ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET | 29
Front facade. Photo by Eddy O’Toole. 2017.
went to the movies.”
Tiernan Rogerson and Art Cumby explain.
“It was a building used for meetings, bingo,
dances, and suppers to raise money to keep
it going. It was made of all Protestants. If you
were Catholic, and swore allegiance to the
Queen, you could join. Sadly they couldn’t
raise enough money, so now the Orangemen’s
building is sometimes used as a craft centre.
[Art’s] great grandfather, Fred Cumby, was
waked in the Orangemen’s Lodge in 1989.
There was no funeral home in Heart’s Content
and he refused to be waked anywhere but in
the community he was born and raised in."
30 | ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET
ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS
ALTERATIONS
(note any visible alterations to the structure)
Altered main entrance
Vinyl window in left side of front bay
Originally had a steep gable roof
GENERAL ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
Building Name: The Orangemen’s Lodge
Date Recorded: July 7, 2017
Recorded By: Eddy O’Toole
Street Address: Main Road
Postal Code: A0B 1Z0
Building Type: Single detached
Roof Type: Hip
Roofing Material: Asphalt
Dormer Position: None
Dormer Type: None
Exterior Sheathing: Vinyl
Type of Construction: Wood frame
Foundation Type: Above ground
Foundation Material: Concrete
Storeys: 2
Plan: Rectangular; short facade
Main Door Shape: Single door (originally double door) +
large arch decoration
Main Door Material: Modern metal
Door Trim/Decoration: Arched window originally above main door
Main Entrance Location: Front facade
Stairs: None
Porch Type: None
Typical Window Shape: Rectangle/front window round-arched
Typical Window Type: Single hung
Typical Panes: 4/4
Window Trim/Decoration: None
Roof and Eaves Trim: None
HCI-008
ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET | 31
Allison Moore’s House is located
on Main Road in Heart’s Content. It
is an early twentieth-century style
house with a hip roof, dual dormers
and a large bay window. It was
originally owned by Allison Moore.
Lloyd Smith relays his memory of
this house.
“They had a shop between that
house and the high road. They sold
clothing and groceries . . . They closed
that shop in the 50s. As a youngster I
was buying stuff for 10 cents . . . That
shop is torn down now.”
HCI-009
Allison Moore’s House NUMBER ON MAP: #9
Front facade. Photo by Eddy O’Toole. 2017.
Rear facade. Photo by Eddy O’Toole. 2017.
32 | ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET
ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS
ALTERATIONS
(note any visible alterations to the structure)
Vinyl windows
GENERAL ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
Building Name: Allison Moore’s House
Date Recorded: June 28, 2017
Recorded By: Katherine Harvey
Street Address: Main Road
Postal Code: A0B 1Z0
Building Type: Single detached
Roof Type: Hip
Roofing Material: Asphalt
Dormer Position: Cut though eave line
Dormer Type: Shed
Exterior Sheathing: Narrow clapboard
Type of Construction: Wood frame
Foundation Type: Below ground
Foundation Material: Concrete
Storeys: 1.5
Plan: Square
Main Door Shape: Rectangle with transom
Main Door Material: Modern metal with glass
Door Trim/Decoration: Moulded flat
Main Entrance Location: Front facade
Stairs: Straight front
Porch Type: Covered
Typical Window Shape: Rectangle
Typical Window Type: Single hung
Typical Panes: 2/2
Window Trim/Decoration: Plain flat
Roof and Eaves Trim: None
HCI-009
ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET | 33
HCI-010
Marcus Farnham’s House NUMBER ON MAP: #10
Front facade. Photo by Eddy O’Toole. 2017.
Marcus Farnham’s house pictured on far left. Photo courtesy Heart’s Content Mizzen Heritage Society.
34 | ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET
Marcus Farnham’s House is located on Main
Road in Heart’s Content. It was constructed circa
1921 for staff of the cable station. It is a two-and-a-
half storey home with a steep gable roof.
It was owned by Marcus Farnham who worked
in the cable station. His son, Wallace, also worked
in the cable station. This style was typical of the
other staff houses built during this period.
Rear facade. Photo by Eddy O’Toole. 2017.
ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET | 35
ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS
GENERAL ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
Building Name: Marcus Farnham’s House
Date Recorded: July 7, 2017
Recorded By: Eddy O’Toole
Street Address: Main Road
Postal Code: A0B 1Z0
Building Type: Single detached
Roof Type: Steep gable
Roofing Material: Asphalt
Dormer Position: None
Dormer Type: None
Exterior Sheathing: Vinyl
Type of Construction: Wood frame
Foundation Type: Below ground
Foundation Material: Concrete
Storeys: 2.5
Plan: Rectangular; short facade
Main Door Shape: Single door + sidelight on right
Main Door Material: Modern metal
Door Trim/Decoration: None
Main Entrance Location: Right gable end
Stairs: Straight side
Porch Type: Stoop
Typical Window Shape: Rectangle
Typical Window Type: Casement
Typical Panes: Picture
Window Trim/Decoration: None
Roof and Eaves Trim: None
ALTERATIONS
(note any visible alterations to the structure)
Large porch added to front facade
HCI-010
36 | ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET
HCI-011
Western Union Staff Houses NUMBER ON MAP: #11
Rear facade. Photo by Lisa Wilson. 2013.
The Western Union Staff Houses are located on
Office Hill Road in Heart’s Content. They are side-by-
side, one and a half story, Southcott style
duplexes. The cable industry was booming in the
early twentieth-century as a result of World War
I, and so these houses were built in July of 1918 to
accommodate growing staff at the cable station.
There was a shortage of construction workers at
the time, and so these duplexes took over a year
to complete.
When men would go and work in the cable
station, their wives were often left alone for
a period of time. Monica Hindy remembers
keeping a friend company in these houses while
her husband was at work.
“I used to go up and sleep in the nights with
her for company when [her husband], Claude,
was working nighttime. They didn’t have any
children . . . I’d spend a week, sleeping in a
different bed from her, just for company, and
being in the house with her. I guess maybe she
was lonely.”
ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET | 37
Front facade. Photo by Lisa Wilson. 2013.
Front facade. Photo courtesy Heart’s Content Mizzen Heritage Society.
38 | ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET
ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS
ALTERATIONS
(note any visible alterations to the structure)
All original materials removed with the exception of wooden front door.
GENERAL ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
Building Name: Western Union Staff Houses
Date Recorded: July 26, 2017
Recorded By: Eddy O’Toole
Street Address: Office Hill Road
Postal Code: A0B 1Z0
Building Type: Duplex related
Roof Type: Mansard
Roofing Material: Asphalt
Dormer Position: Above eave line
Dormer Type: Shed
Exterior Sheathing: Vinyl
Type of Construction: Wood frame
Foundation Type: Underground
Foundation Material: Concrete
Storeys: 1.5
Plan: Rectangular; short facade
Main Door Shape: Rectangle panelled
Main Door Material: Solid wood
Door Trim/Decoration: Plain flat
Main Entrance Location: Front facade
Stairs: Straight front
Porch Type: None
Typical Window Shape: Double Vinyl
Typical Window Type: Single hung
Typical Panes: 1/1
Window Trim/Decoration: Plain flat
Roof and Eaves Trim: None
HCI-011
ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET | 39
Heart’s Content Cable Station is located on Main
Road in Heart’s Content. It is one of several
buildings constructed by the Anglo-American
Telegraph Company in the town throughout the
nineteenth and twentieth-centuries to support
the operation of the transatlantic cable. It was
erected in 1876, and still contains much of the
original equipment, layout and hardware which
were in use at the site up to the time of its closure.
Constructed in 1876 by John Southcott, a
prominent St. John’s architect, the Heart’s
Content Cable Station functioned as the main
cable station used by the Anglo-American
Telegraph Company and later, Western Union.
In 1918, in response to increased traffic, the
building was renovated, and an extension was
added onto the original structure. The exterior
of the 1876 section still retains its distinctly
Gothic bargeboard which reflected the popular
features of English gatehouses and stables
of the time. This style of architecture, and
its accompanying decorative features, were
unusual for nineteenth-century industrial
buildings constructed in the outports of
Newfoundland and Labrador.
While there remains no equipment from the
early period, the 1876 section does retain
much of the original layout and the distinctive
wainscoting. The interior layout, which
is primarily intact, also reflects the close
HCI-012
Heart’s Content Cable Station NUMBER ON MAP: #12
Provincial Historic Site
Original building and extension. Photo by Michael Philpott. 2016.
40 | ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET
Front facade. Photo courtesy Baccalieu Trail Heritage Corporation. 1994.
relationship between the social and work world
of the staff with space for the library made
available in the original 1876 section of
the building.
With the extension in 1918, a whole new section,
reflecting the changing technology, was added
to the structure. In addition, a second washroom
for the female staff, the only tangible evidence
of a female presence and role in the history of
the site, was also added. This section still retains
much of the equipment, lighting and hardware
used by the company for its operations up to the
time the site closed in the 1960s.
Many members of the community remember
working at the cable station. It has since been
designated a Provincial Historic Site, and now
function as a museum. Georgina Balsom recounts
a day when she was working at the museum.
“You get all kinds of people, all walks of life
comes in. You don’t know who you’re going to
get. This couple came out and they said, ‘you
know you have a ghost here?’
And I said, ‘Is that right?’
‘Oh yes, you do have a ghost.’
And I said ‘Where did you see this ghost?’
And they said, ‘Right there in the stairs as
you’re going to go up to the second part of the
building, there’s a ghost standing right there,
by the rails at the steps.’
I said, ‘Okay.’
ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET | 41
‘But it’s nothing to worry about.’
I said, ‘Is it a man or is it a woman?’
‘Oh it’s a man, but you have nothing to fear
from him because he’s friendly.’
I said, ‘Okay, as long as he’s friendly, that’s
okay with me.’”
Bob Balsom also worked at the museum.
He recalls a story of romance at the station.
“Yeah, there was an interesting story. This
young man and his fiancé, we didn’t know
they were about to get married or anything,
but we had an area there where you could
tap messages on a key, back and forth on
a large table. And anyway, he went and
tapped a message because, you know, they
could interpret the message because we had
the Morse Code there on both ends of the
table that you could read and do the dashes
and dots and so on. Anyway he tapped out a
message, ‘Will you marry me?’ and she was
on the other end. She started yelling and
crying. So, you know, of course she said yes,
and they wrote that on our guestbook as
they went out.”
Front facade of old cable station. Photo courtesy Heart’s Content
Mizzen Heritage Society.
Man with horse and cart in front of cable station. Photo courtesy
Heart’s Content Mizzen Heritage Society.
42 | ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET
ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS
GENERAL ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
Building Name: Heart’s Content Cable Station Provincial
Historic Site
Date Recorded: September 12, 2017
Recorded By: Katherine Harvey
Street Address: Main Road
Postal Code: A0B 1Z0
Building Type: Single detached
Roof Type: Steep gable
Roofing Material: Slate
Dormer Position: None
Dormer Type: None
Exterior Sheathing: Brick
Type of Construction: Undetermined
Foundation Type: Below ground
Foundation Material: Undetermined
Storeys: 1.5
Plan: Rectangular; long facade
Main Door Shape: Rectangle
Main Door Material: Modern metal
Door Trim/Decoration: Shaped
Main Entrance Location: Front facade
Stairs: Straight front
Porch Type: None
Typical Window Shape: Square and rectangle
Typical Window Type: Single hung
Typical Panes: 2/2
Window Trim/Decoration: Shaped
Roof and Eaves Trim: Bargeboard
Significant Features: Gothic bargeboard; 2 chimneys with ornate brickwork;
2/2 sashes in windows; red brick exterior walls with white accents over the
windows and doors; white quoins; slate roof; skylights; and finial
ALTERATIONS
(note any visible alterations to the structure)
Addition on rear of building made in 1918
HCI-012
ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET | 43
HCI-013
Uncle Cyril & Dot Farnham’s House NUMBER ON MAP: #13
Front facade. Photo by Eddy O’Toole. 2017.
Farnham House is on the far right. Photo courtesy Heart’s Content Mizzen
Heritage Society.
Uncle Cyril and Dot Farnham’s House is
located on Main Road in Heart’s Content.
It was built circa 1921, and has a steep
gable roof and bay window. It was built
by the Western Union Cable Company
for staff housing.
It was originally owned by Uncle Cyril
Farnham, who worked in the cable station,
and his wife, Dot.
44 | ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET
Rear facade. Photo by Eddy O’Toole. 2017.
ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET | 45
ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS
GENERAL ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
Building Name: Uncle Cyril and Dot Farnham’s House
Date Recorded: July 7, 2017
Recorded By: Eddy O’Toole
Street Address: Main Road
Postal Code: A0B 1Z0
Building Type: Single detached
Roof Type: Steep gable
Roofing Material: Asphalt
Dormer Position: None
Dormer Type: None
Exterior Sheathing: Vinyl
Type of Construction: Wood frame
Foundation Type: Below ground
Foundation Material: Concrete
Storeys: 2.5
Plan: Rectangular; short facade
Main Door Shape: Rectangle
Main Door Material: Modern metal with glass
Door Trim/Decoration: Plain flat
Main Entrance Location: Front facade
Stairs: None
Porch Type: Covered
Typical Window Shape: Rectangle
Typical Window Type: Single hung
Typical Panes: 1/1
Window Trim/Decoration: Eared
Roof and Eaves Trim: Eave brackets
ALTERATIONS
(note any visible alterations to the structure)
Vinyl windows, siding, and steel door
HCI-013
46 | ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET
Old Jack's Shop is located on Main Road in Heart’s
Content. It is a one-and-a-half storey structure with
a steep gable roof. It was constructed circa 1900, and
has historically been used as a commercial building.
It was built by William Hopkins, and initially used
as a grocery store. It was sold in the early 1900s
and became a drug store. The structure was sold in
1955 and converted once again into a grocery store.
Joan Smith recounts the many transformation of
this building.
“When I was a small child that was a pharmacy,
and it had been a pharmacy for many years. I don’t
think it was a pharmacy originally, I think it might
have been a grocery store in the beginning. It
HCI-014
NUMBER ON MAP: #14
Front and left facade. Photo by Eddy O’Toole. 2017.
Rear facade. Photo by Eddy O’Toole. 2017.
Old Jack’s Shop
ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET | 47
was actually built for the Hopkins family, by
the Hopkins family, and they were the original
owners of the house that we bought too.
Anyway, Mom, she had the head for business,
she had the education. [In the past] things
were still rationed, and with all these kinds and
these borders, there was never enough sugar.
The food then arrived by truck, of course is
still does but now there’s only one or two basic
firms, but then every company had a little small
truck on the go. Often they would get to Heart’s
Content by lunchtime or in the evening, or they
would be on their way back to St. John’s in the
evening, and they would book and spend the
night. They said to mom at one time ‘You know,
if you had a little shop it would be easier for
you to get sugar.’ So she started this little shop
with $50.00. Our house was a double house,
and my brother owned the other end but never
lived in it. He’d gone to Montreal, and it was
empty. So in the front living room of that house
she started a little grocery store. $50.00! And
she kept it there for about two years, so that
would have been up to ‘47, ‘48... I would say in
‘49 she bought this place right across the road.
It was for sale at the time, and she bought that
and moved her store over, enlarged it, and kept
it running for many years. When she gave it up,
she gave it to my brother Jack.”
Interior of shop. Photo by Lisa Wilson. 2012.
48 | ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET
ALTERATIONS
(note any visible alterations to the structure)
Steel door and pressure treated stairs on right side
ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS
GENERAL ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
Building Name: Old Jack’s Shop
Date Recorded: July 26, 2017
Recorded By: Eddy O’Toole
Street Address: Main Road
Postal Code: A0B 1Z0
Building Type: Single detached
Roof Type: Steep gable
Roofing Material: Asphalt
Dormer Position: None
Dormer Type: None
Exterior Sheathing: Narrow clapboard
Type of Construction: Wood frame
Foundation Type: Below ground
Foundation Material: Concrete and stone
Storeys: 1.5
Plan: Rectangular; short facade
Main Door Shape: Rectangle
Main Door Material: Wood plank
Door Trim/Decoration: Flat hood
Main Entrance Location: Front facade
Stairs: None
Porch Type: None
Typical Window Shape: Wide rectangle
Typical Window Type: Fixed
Typical Panes: 6 pane
Window Trim/Decoration: Plain flat
Roof and Eaves Trim: None
HCI-014
ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET | 49
George and Emma Moore’s House
is located on Main Road in Heart’s
Content. It is a third-generation
style house with a steep gable
roof and decorative clapboarding.
It was built circa 1900, and was
originally owned by George and
Emma Moore.
HCI-015
NUMBER ON MAP: #15
Front and right facade. Photo by Eddy O’Toole. 2017.
Rear facade. Photo by Eddy O’Toole. 2017.
George & Emma Moore’s House
50 | ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET
ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS
GENERAL ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
Building Name: George & Emma Moore’s House
Date Recorded: July 7, 2017
Recorded By: Katherine Harvey
Street Address: Main Road
Postal Code: A0B 1Z0
Building Type: Single detached
Roof Type: Steep gable
Roofing Material: Asphalt
Dormer Position: None
Dormer Type: None
Exterior Sheathing: Narrow clapboard
Type of Construction: Wood frame
Foundation Type: Below ground
Foundation Material: Concrete
Storeys: 2.5
Plan: Rectangular; long facade
Main Door Shape: Rectangle
Main Door Material: Metal w/glass
Door Trim/Decoration: Moulded flat
Main Entrance Location: Front facade
Stairs: None
Porch Type: None
Typical Window Shape: Rectangle
Typical Window Type: Single hung
Typical Panes: 1/1
Window Trim/Decoration: Moulded flat
Roof and Eaves Trim: None
ALTERATIONS
(note any visible alterations to the structure)
Vinyl windows
OTHER UNUSUAL OR
NOTABLE FINISHES
Diagonal clapboarding +
trim boards
Protruding porch on front facade
HCI-015
ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET | 51
Western Union Operator's House is located on Main Road
in Heart’s Content. It is a two-and-a-half storey house
with Victorian style influences. It was built circa 1921,
and was home to Edgar (Ed), who was an operator at the
Heart’s Content cable station, and his wife, Sadie Hopkins.
Monica Hindy shares a memory of Mr. Hopkins.
“Mr. Ed Hopkins, he worked in the cable office. He was
crippled for years, he was in a wheelchair. I remember
him as a child sitting out on the back. When we’d
go down for water, we’d always wave to him, and he
waved back from his wheelchair.”
The Western Union Telegraph company was
the successor to the Anglo-American Telegraph
Company – which had successfully landed the first
HCI-016
Western Union Operator’s House NUMBER ON MAP: #16
Registered Heritage Structure
Front facade. Photo by Eddy O’Toole. 2017
January 1959. Photo courtesy Heart’s Content
Mizzen Heritage Society.
52 | ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET
transatlantic telegraph cable linking Europe
and North America in Heart’s Content in
1866. The community quickly became a
communications hub - transmitting and
relaying messages across the North Atlantic.
Western Union Telegraph Company took
control of cable operations in 1912. The small
outport saw an influx of trained operators from
England and Canada, and at peak operation
over two hundred people were employed by
the cable companies. In the years following
World War One, cable traffic slowed down and
automated equipment was being introduced.
By the 1950s telephones had almost made
telegraphs obsolete. The station closed in
1965, after a century of providing a vital
communication link between continents.
Western Union Operator's House is associated
with the firm of Saunders and Howell. Heart’s
Content saw a construction boom when the
Western Union Telegraph Company took over
Front facade as vinyl siding was being removed. Photo by Michael Philpott. 2015
ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET | 53
operations at the cable station in 1912. Noted
Carbonear firm, Saunders and Howell, built
many of the houses needed to accommodate
employees. These professionally built
houses introduced new housing styles to the
community, and are important components of
the community’s built heritage.
Western Union Operator's House is one of
several similar houses built by the firm that were
influenced by Victorian design elements. These
elements include the steep gable roof, returned
eaves, bracketing, the two-storey bay window
topped by a pediment and the open front porch.
Western Union Operator’s House was designated
a Registered Heritage Structure by the Heritage
Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador in
2015 and restored by its current owners.
Front and left facade before vinyl siding was removed. Photo by
Michael Philpott. 2015.
Rear facade. Photo by Eddy O’Toole. 2017
54 | ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET
Main Door Shape: Typical panelled + screen door
Main Door Material: Solid wood
Door Trim/Decoration: Decorated flat
Main Entrance Location: Front facade
Stairs: None
Porch Type: Covered
Typical Window Shape: Rectangle
Typical Window Type: Single hung
Typical Panes: 1/1; 2/2
Window Trim/Decoration: Plain flat
Roof and Eaves Trim: Eave brackets
Significant Features: Number of storeys; steep gable roof; chimney number, style
and placement; return on the eaves; narrow wooden clapboard; wooden corner
boards; bracketing; two-storey bay topped with pediment, size, style, trim and
placement of wooden windows; size, style, trim and placement of wooden storm
windows; size, style, trim and placement of exterior wooden doors; wooden
transom windows above front door; size, style, trim and placement of porch on
front façade; and dimension, location and orientation of building.
ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS
ALTERATIONS
(note any visible alterations to the structure)
Deck on rear
Over-decoration of front porch
OTHER UNUSUAL OR
NOTABLE FINISHES
Pedimented bay window
Rear porch
Front stained glass windows
GENERAL ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
Building Name: Western Union Operator’s House Registered
Heritage Structure
Date Recorded: June 27, 2017
Recorded By: Katherine Harvey
Street Address: 187 Main Road
Postal Code: A0B 1Z0
Building Type: Single detached
Roof Type: Steep gable
Roofing Material: Asphalt
Dormer Position: None
Dormer Type: None
Exterior Sheathing: Narrow clapboard
Type of Construction: Wood frame
Foundation Type: Below ground
Foundation Material: Concrete
Storeys: 2.5
Plan: Rectangular; short facade
HCI-016
ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET | 55
HCI-017
Front facade. Photo by Eddy O’Toole. 2017.
Rear facade. Photo by Eddy O’Toole. 2017.
Underhay Bungalow
Underhay Bungalow is located on
Main Road in Heart’s Content. It is
one of a number of cottage-style
bungalows that were built circa
1920. It was likely constructed by
the Carbonear architectural firm,
Saunders and Howell.
56 | ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET
ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS
GENERAL ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
Building Name: Underhay Bungalow
Date Recorded: July 7, 2017
Recorded By: Eddy O’Toole
Street Address: 184 Main Road
Postal Code: A0B 1Z0
Building Type: Single detached
Roof Type: Hip
Roofing Material: Asphalt
Dormer Position: Above eave line
Dormer Type: Hip
Exterior Sheathing: Vinyl
Type of Construction: Wood frame
Foundation Type: Below ground
Foundation Material: Concrete
Storeys: 1.5
Plan: Square
Main Door Shape: Single door + double sidelight
Main Door Material: Modern
Door Trim/Decoration: None
Main Entrance Location: Front facade
Stairs: Straight front
Porch Type: Stoop
Typical Window Shape: Rectangle with diamond motif
Typical Window Type: Fixed
Typical Panes: 9/1
Window Trim/Decoration: Shelf
Roof and Eaves Trim: None
ALTERATIONS
(note any visible alterations to the structure)
Vinyl dormer
Steel front door
OTHER UNUSUAL OR
NOTABLE FINISHES
Diamond shaped, triple window
arrangement
Large eave overhang
HCI-017
ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET | 57
HCI-018
Front and left facade. Photo by Eddy O’Toole. 2017.
Front facade. Photo by Eddy O’Toole. 2017.
Stenneford Bungalow
Stenneford Bungalow is located on
Main Road in Heart’s Content. It is
one of a number of cottage-style
bungalows that were built circa
1920. It was likely constructed by
the Carbonear architectural firm,
Saunders and Howell.
58 | ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET
ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS
GENERAL ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
Building Name: Stenneford Bungalow
Date Recorded: July 7, 2017
Recorded By: Eddy O’Toole
Street Address: 180 Main Road
Postal Code: A0B 1Z0
Building Type: Single detached
Roof Type: Hip
Roofing Material: Asphalt
Dormer Position: Above eave line
Dormer Type: Hip
Exterior Sheathing: Vinyl
Type of Construction: Wood frame
Foundation Type: Below ground
Foundation Material: Concrete
Storeys: 1.5
Plan: Square
Main Door Shape: Single door + double sidelight
Main Door Material: Modern
Door Trim/Decoration: None
Main Entrance Location: Front facade
Stairs: Straight front
Porch Type: Stoop
Typical Window Shape: Rectangle
Typical Window Type: Single hung
Typical Panes: 3/1
Window Trim/Decoration: Plain flat
Roof and Eaves Trim: Spire
ALTERATIONS
(note any visible alterations to the structure)
Rear/side porch
Vinyl dormer window + steel door
OTHER UNUSUAL OR
NOTABLE FINISHES
Large eave overhang
HCI-018
ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET | 59
HCI-019
Billy Palmer’s House NUMBER ON MAP: #19
Front facade. Photo by Eddy O’Toole. 2017.
Billy Palmer’s House is located on Parish Hall
Hill in Heart’s Content. It was erected circa 1921,
and has a steep gable roof and bay window on
the front façade.
It was once owned by the well-known
Newfoundland artist, Billy Palmer. He worked
at the cable station but he had an incredible
talent for painting. Lloyd Smith and Monica
Hindy remember Mr. Palmer.
“We used to delivery groceries to him, but his
wife died before I can remember . . . he spent
his time painting. I used to watch him painting,
and mow his grass with a push mower. He
lived alone for a long time. He used to sit in his
garden, he kept busy.”
Painting by Billy Palmer. Photo courtesy Town of Heart’s Content.
60 | ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET
Rear facade. Photo by Eddy O’Toole. 2017.
ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET | 61
ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS
GENERAL ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
Building Name: Billy Palmer House
Date Recorded: July 7, 2017
Recorded By: Katherine Harvey
Street Address: Parish Hall Hill
Postal Code: A0B 1Z0
Building Type: Single detached
Roof Type: Steep gable
Roofing Material: Asphalt
Dormer Position: Flush with eave line
Dormer Type: Peak
Exterior Sheathing: Narrow clapboard
Type of Construction: Wood frame
Foundation Type: Below ground
Foundation Material: Concrete
Storeys: 2.5
Plan: Rectangular; short facade
Main Door Shape: Rectangle
Main Door Material: Solid wood
Door Trim/Decoration: Shelf
Main Entrance Location: Left gable end
Stairs: None
Porch Type: None
Typical Window Shape: Rectangle
Typical Window Type: Single hung
Typical Panes: 2/2
Window Trim/Decoration: Plain flat
Roof and Eaves Trim: None
ALTERATIONS
(note any visible alterations to the structure)
Porch added onto rear
HCI-019
62 | ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET
HCI-020
Harold & Carrie Martin’s House NUMBER ON MAP: #20
Front facade. Photo by Eddy O’Toole. 2017.
Biscuit boxes line the walls of the Hunter’s laundry room. Photo courtesy Wendy Hunter. 2017.
ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET | 63
Harold and Carrie Martin’s House is located on
Martin’s Lane in Heart’s Content. It was built in
the early 1900s, and was originally owned by
Harold and Carrie Martin.
Monica Hindy explained that they ran a shop
when she was a little girl.
“He took over the old business from his father,
Harold, and his business was groceries. It was
right by the little store, Jack’s Store . . . it was
a big old fashioned house, and the store was
built together. So Old Adam Martin, I don’t
remember him, but that’s who had it. Then
Harold took it over after I guess the father died.”
The house is currently owned by Keith and
Wendy Hunter who use it as a summer home.
When you enter the house through the back
door there is a laundry room to your immediate
right, and the walls are lined with old biscuit
boxes from the shop.
Rear facade. Photo by Eddy O’Toole. 2017.
64 | ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET
ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS
GENERAL ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
Building Name: Harold & Carrie Martin’s House
Date Recorded: July 26, 2017
Recorded By: Eddy O’Toole
Street Address: Martin’s Lane
Postal Code: A0B 1Z0
Building Type: Single detached
Roof Type: Low pitch
Roofing Material: Asphalt
Dormer Position: None
Dormer Type: None
Exterior Sheathing: Vinyl
Type of Construction: Wood frame
Foundation Type: Above ground
Foundation Material: Concrete
Storeys: 2
Plan: Rectangular; short facade
Main Door Shape: Rectangle Panelled
Main Door Material: Solid wood
Door Trim/Decoration: Pain flat
Main Entrance Location: Front facade
Stairs: Straight side
Porch Type: Enclosed
Typical Window Shape: Rectangle
Typical Window Type: Single hung
Typical Panes: 2/2
Window Trim/Decoration: Plain flat
Roof and Eaves Trim: None
ALTERATIONS
(note any visible alterations to the structure)
Addition to right side with steel door
HCI-020
ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET | 65
The Anglo-American House is located on Parish
Hall Hill in Heart’s Content. Construction began on
this house, and several other cable staff properties,
in 1881. The slew of houses that were built at
this time were finished by 1882, except for this
house. It took a little longer to complete due to
the fact that Ezra Weedon, the first cable station
superintendent, was handicapped, and required
special alterations to be made to the house. Ed
Matthews, the current owner of the house, explains.
“There was a whole slew of them built at the same
time. You can appreciate, everything was done
by hand then. No backhoes or bulldozers, and I’m
sure it took a long time to build all those homes.
Not one year. But the best proof I have – a couple
of years ago I was working upstairs and I found
HCI-021
NUMBER ON MAP: #21
Front facade. Photo by Eddy O’Toole. 2017.
Ed Matthews outside his house in Heart’s Content. Photo
by Katherine Harvey. 2017.
The Anglo-American House
66 | ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET
Historical drawing front facade. Courtesy Heart’s Content Mizzen Heritage Society.
a nickel that could only have been lost during
construction, and it was 1896. I was selling all
my silver a couple of years ago, and I sold it
with that.”
This house was built in the Second Empire
Style for which the architect, John Southcott,
was most famous. It is a two-story house with
a mansard roof. Its grandiose architecture is
exemplified by its high ceilings, large hallways,
intricately-carved eaves brackets and sun room.
The property has undergone various minor
renovations over the years; however, for the
most part it remains in its original condition.
The house was owned by the Anglo-American
Cable Company, and the cable station’s
superintendents were stationed here until Ed
Matthews purchased the house in the 1970s.
His children grew up in this house, and Lloyd
Smith, Ed’s neighbour, recalls a story of their
childhood.
“Ed Matthews, when he bought it, his sons used
to play hockey upstairs in the hall because the
hall was so huge.”
ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET | 67
ALTERATIONS
(note any visible alterations to the structure)
Original veranda altered with
right corner being enclosed for
a porch
Dormer window size and roof
shape altered
OTHER UNUSUAL OR
NOTABLE FINISHES
Wrap around front veranda,
original rear porch and wooden
detail, ash pit in rear
ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS
GENERAL ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
Building Name: Anglo-American House
Date Recorded: July 26, 2017
Recorded By: Eddy O’Toole
Street Address: Parish Hall Hill
Postal Code: A0B 1Z0
Building Type: Single detached
Roof Type: Mansard
Roofing Material: Asphalt
Dormer Position: Above eave line
Dormer Type: Peak
Exterior Sheathing: Vinyl and some clapboard
Type of Construction: Wood frame
Foundation Type: Below ground
Foundation Material: Concrete and brick
Storeys: 1.5
Plan: Rectangular; short facade
Main Door Shape: Rectangle panelled
Main Door Material: Modern material (rear is solid wood)
Door Trim/Decoration: Plain flat
Main Entrance Location: Front facade
Stairs: Straight front and straight side
Porch Type: Covered
Typical Window Shape: Rectangle
Typical Window Type: Single hung
Typical Panes: 1/1
Window Trim/Decoration: Moulded flat
Roof and Eaves Trim: Eaves brackets and eave line scalloping
HCI-021
68 | ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET
The Cable Staff Houses are located on Parish
Hall Hill in Heart’s Content. They are two-stories
with mansard roves, eaves brackets and dormer
windows built in the Second Empire Style.
Cable Staff House #1 and #2 were built by the
Anglo-American Cable Company in 1882 to
accommodate employees of the cable station in
Heart's Content, NL.
The Cable Staff Houses are a landmark in the
community of Heart’s Content. Built on the
highest hill, their location is a testament to
the influence of the Cable Company in Heart’s
Content. The Cable Staff Houses are two of the
largest and most elaborate buildings in Heart’s
Content which stand in stark contrast to the
HCI-022
NUMBER ON MAP: #22
Front facade. Photo by Eddy O’Toole. 2017.
Cable Staff House #1 & #2
Registered Heritage Structures
Front facade. Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador.
1995.
ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET | 69
typical fishermen’s houses throughout the
community. Howard Tavenor remarks.
“The only time you got to go in one of those
places was if mother was babysitting, or doing
the laundry.”
The Cable Staff Houses are significant due to
their association with the Anglo-American
Cable Company. The Cable Company, formerly
the New York, Newfoundland, London
Company was granted a 50 year monopoly on
telecommunications in Newfoundland by the
government in 1854. The first cable was landed
in Heart’s Content in 1866, and immediately
revolutionized communication. In 1888, the
company saw the need to build accommodations
for the staff of the Cable Station.
The Cable Staff Houses were designated
Registered Heritage Structures by the
Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland
and Labrador in 1995 and subsequently
restored.
Rear facade. Photo by Eddy O’Toole. 2017.
Left: Anglo-American House, Right: Cable Staff Houses. Courtesy
Heart’s Content Mizzen Heritage Society.
70 | ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET
ALTERATIONS
(note any visible alterations to the structure)
Vinyl windows in foundation
OTHER UNUSUAL OR
NOTABLE FINISHES
Bonnetted dormers
ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS
GENERAL ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
Building Name: Cable Staff House #1 Registered
Heritage Structure
Date Recorded: June 27, 2017
Recorded By: Katherine Harvey
Street Address: Parish Hall Hill
Postal Code: A0B 1Z0
Building Type: Duplex related
Roof Type: Mansard
Roofing Material: Asphalt
Dormer Position: Above eave line
Dormer Type: Modified Semicircular
Exterior Sheathing: Narrow clapboard
Type of Construction: Wood frame
Foundation Type: Below ground
Foundation Material: Concrete
Storeys: 1.5
Plan: Rectangular; short facade
Main Door Shape: Rectangle panelled + screen door
Main Door Material: Solid wood
Door Trim/Decoration: Moulded flat
Main Entrance Location: Left gable end
Stairs: Straight front
Porch Type: Stoop
Typical Window Shape: Tall rectangle
Typical Window Type: Single hung
Typical Panes: 2/2
Window Trim/Decoration: Plain flat
Roof and Eaves Trim: Eaves bracket
Significant Features: Mansard roof; eaves brackets; dormer windows; window
style and placement; dormer style; and window trim.
HCI-022-01
ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET | 71
ALTERATIONS
(note any visible alterations to the structure)
Vinyl windows in foundation
OTHER UNUSUAL OR
NOTABLE FINISHES
Bonnetted dormers
ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS
GENERAL ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
Building Name: Cable Staff House #1 Registered
Heritage Structure
Date Recorded: June 27, 2017
Recorded By: Katherine Harvey
Street Address: Parish Hall Hill
Postal Code: A0B 1Z0
Building Type: Duplex related
Roof Type: Mansard
Roofing Material: Asphalt
Dormer Position: Above eave line
Dormer Type: Modified Semicircular
Exterior Sheathing: Narrow clapboard
Type of Construction: Wood frame
Foundation Type: Below ground
Foundation Material: Concrete
Storeys: 1.5
Plan: Rectangular; short facade
Main Door Shape: Rectangle panelled + screen door
Main Door Material: Solid wood
Door Trim/Decoration: Moulded flat
Main Entrance Location: Right gable end
Stairs: Straight front
Porch Type: Stoop
Typical Window Shape: Tall rectangle
Typical Window Type: Single hung
Typical Panes: 2/2
Window Trim/Decoration: Plain flat
Roof and Eaves Trim: Eaves bracket
Significant Features: Mansard roof; eaves brackets; dormer windows; window
style and placement; dormer style; and window trim.
HCI-022-02
72 | ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET
Heyfield Memorial United Church Cemetery
is located on Main Road in the grassy
churchyard. It contains approximately fifty
gravemarkers constructed in column or
tablet forms that are made of white and
grey marble. They date from the late 1870s
through the mid-1930s.
Markers commemorating Reverend Jesse
Heyfield and S.S. Stentaford are amongst
them. Other surnames include Ainley,
Bonner, Gardner, Haddon, Hopkins,
Howell, Janes, Lever, Matthews, Oates,
Ollerhead, Pugh, Rabbitts, Robbins, Rowe
and Thompson.
LETTER ON MAP: A
View of cemetery from across the road. Photo by Katherine Harvey. 2017.
Headstones. Photo by Lisa Wilson. 2013.
Heyfield Memorial United Cemetery
Municipal Heritage Site
ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET | 73
The Anglican Cemetery is located on Main
Road in Heart’s Content. It served as the burial
grounds for the Anglican Church, which was
tragically destroyed by fire in May of 1989.
Ted Rowe explains why he believes certain
families are buried in this cemetery.
“[The cemetery] has a lot of headstones in it
with the names of people who were company
employees, and the names of children of people
who were company employees. And people say
that is where they buried their own because they
didn’t want to bury them where other people
were being buried. You might think that if you
saw it, but there are local people buried in here
as well. I think the reason why there are so many
company employees and children of company
employees in here is because they were using
that part of the cemetery during one of the
diphtheria outbreaks, so a lot of children died.
You see a lot of children buried in that section
of the cemetery because it just happened to be
used at that time.”
LETTER ON MAP: B
Anglican Cemetery. Photo by Katherine Harvey. 2017.
Anglican Cemetery
Rectory (c. 1890-1954) and St. Mary’s Church (1884-1989). Photo
courtesy Heart’s Content Mizzen Heritage Society.
74 | ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET
LETTER ON MAP: C
Stone Wall. Photo by Katherine Harvey. 2017.
Stone Wall
This stone wall is located on Main Road of
Heart’s Content, adjacent to the Anglican
Cemetery. Ted Rowe explains.
“My guess is that the wall was built in 1868,
when the land was prepared for building
Cable Terrace, the cable company staff house
which was located where the Royal Bank is
now. Construction on the building started in
1868 and it opened in 1869. The elevation of
the churchyard was higher than the building,
suggesting that a wall was in place.”
ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET | 75
The Anglo-American Coal Shed is located
on Main Road in Heart’s Content.
Lloyd Smith and Monica Hindy explain
how the coal shed was used in the past:
“The coal boats used to come into that
wharf . . . they came from North Sydney
by ship, and they stored coal in that
building. They delivered the coal to their
company men for their houses. They
had coal furnaces in a lot of their houses,
that’s what they burned.”
LETTER ON MAP: D
Front facade. Photo by Eddy O’Toole. 2017.
Left facade. Photo by Eddy O’Toole. 2017.
Anglo-American Coal Shed
76 | ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET
ALTERATIONS
(note any visible alterations to the structure)
Vinyl siding
ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS
GENERAL ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
Building Name: Anglo-American Coal Shed
Date Recorded: June 26, 2017
Recorded By: Eddy O’Toole
Street Address: Heart’s Content
Postal Code: A0B 1Z0
Building Type: Single detached
Roof Type: Single slope
Roofing Material: Asphalt
Dormer Position: None
Dormer Type: None
Exterior Sheathing: Vinyl
Type of Construction: Wood frame
Foundation Type: Above ground
Foundation Material: Concrete
Storeys: 1
Plan: Rectangular; short facade
Main Door Shape: Double plank door
Main Door Material: Wood plank
Door Trim/Decoration: None
Main Entrance Location: Front facade
Stairs: None
Porch Type: None
Typical Window Shape: Long rectangle
Typical Window Type: Casement
Typical Panes: Picture
Window Trim/Decoration: Plain flat
Roof and Eaves Trim: None
D
ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET | 77
LETTER ON MAP: E
One of the water pumps on Main Road. Photo by Katherine Harvey. 2017.
Water Pump
Before running water was accessible in every
home in Heart’s Content, these water pumps
were used by members of the community to
acquire drinking water. Those who worked
in the cable station had running water in
their company homes, while the rest of the
community did not. Those who were not
employed by the cable company were required
to pay to have pumps installed in their homes,
and this was an issue of great contention.
Two of these water pumps remain on Main
Road in Heart’s Content to serve as a reminder
of the past, and they remain functional for
members of the community.
78 | ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET
LETTER ON MAP: F
Ash box. Photo by Katherine Harvey. 2017.
Ash Box
This Ash Box is located on Parish Hall Hill in
Heart’s Content alongside the Anglo-American
House. It was likely built around the same time
as the house, circa late 1800s or early 1900s.
Ed Matthews explains what they were used
for in the past, and what he uses it for in the
present day.
“When they were burning coal all those years,
when they’d take the ashes out, they’d put it
in the little brick house. Then every year they
would take them out, I guess with horse and
cart, and carry away the ashes, and probably
spread it over their potato grounds. I kept it
there. The wife usually she puts flowers [in it]
but this year it was so bad we let it go to nature.”
ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET | 79
The Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador
The Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador is
a nonprofit organization which was established in 1984 to
stimulate an understanding of and an appreciation for the
architectural heritage of the province. The Foundation, an
invaluable source of information for historic restoration,
supports and contributes to the preservation and restoration of
buildings of architectural or historical significance. The Heritage
Foundation also has an educational role and undertakes or
sponsors events, publications and other projects designed to
promote the value of our built heritage. The Heritage Foundation
is also involved in work designed to safeguard and sustain the
intangible cultural heritage of Newfoundland and Labrador for
present and future generations everywhere, as a vital part of
the identities of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, and as a
valuable collection of unique knowledge and customs. This is
achieved through policies that celebrate, record, disseminate, and
promote our living heritage.
For more information on the Heritage Foundation of
Newfoundland and Labrador, contact the office at:
Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador
1 Springdale Street
St. John’s, NL A1C 5V5
Phone: (709) 739-1892
Fax: (709) 739-5413
Website: www.heritagefoundation.ca
80 | ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY BOOKLET
Heritage Foundation of
Newfoundland and Labrador
1 Springdale Street
St. John’s, NL A1C 5V5
Phone: (709) 739-1892
Fax: (709) 739-5413
Website: www.heritagefoundation.ca
[ ISBN - 978-1-988899-01-5 ] 2017
