You don’t have to look very hard in any of the communities that make up Newfoundland and Labrador for history.
Each has a plethora of back-stories that tell of life from a host of generations.
Located on the Irish Loop, Renews-Cappahayden is one of those communities. Located just over an hour’s drive from St. John’s on what locals call the Southern Shore, the community has plenty to offer for tourists or even life-long residents of the province.
The Renews-Cappahayden Heritage Museum at the Regina Mundi Complex offers a look at the area’s colourful history. The museum is in what used to be the community school.
It’s been in operation more than 15 years. A push to re-establish it and highlight the rich history of the community is underway.
The museum has hired a curator — Susan Guiney is ready to lead visitors through the facility and share that history.
“They have done different things here over the years,’’ Guiney said.
“The highlight in the past has been the Florizel wreck, but there are a host of things we are offering here that tell of life in and around Renews that are exciting,’’ she added.
She said the discovery of the carvings, the stories that had their origins in and around Renews-Cappahayden and the strong ties with the people who have visited or established homes in the area, have all played a part in this history.
“We want people to be able to learn as much about this community as possible. We think that what we have available here will allow that to happen,’’ Guiney said.
The area is known for a number of significant events in its history, most notably the Florizel wreck off the shores of neighbouring community Cappahayden.
This wreck is depicted by several paintings done in the Regina Mundi museum and also on the poster board history loaned to the museum this year by Admiralty House in Mount Pearl.
“I was contacted by Admiralty House about them sharing the display with us. We were more than happy to have it here,’’ Loyola Hearn, who is from Renews and is a former MP, minister of Fisheries and Oceans (2006-08) and served as Canada’s ambassador to Ireland.
Hearn is a major promoter of the history of the area and took time to guide this reporter and a tourist through separate tours of the museum.
Part of that tour showcased the latest historical find in the community.
Just recently, carvings were discovered on a rock on “The Mount” area just a short distance down the road from the Regina Mundi Complex. The carvings appear to be medieval Latin and could date somewhere around 500 AD.
Work is underway to investigate their origin and to confirm if they were done in that time period.
If so, the author could well be St. Brendan the Navigator, an Irish saint while on his Stepping Stone route of North America.
“We have had a bunch of people looking at these things to see what they are … how old they are,” Hearn said.
“They are not easy to find and right now we don’t know much about them,’’ he added pointing out the markings on the stone that experts trying to date in an attempt to authenticate them.
Elaborate portraits
Paintings on the walls of the museum highlight the community’s lifeblood, the fishing industry, the tale of Renews-born hero, Capt. William Jackman, who saved 27 lives from a shipwreck off the coast of Labrador, the history of a site located behind the Grotto where masses were once held for the Catholics, usually performed by a priest smuggled into the community after nightfall, the story of the Masterless Men, indentured Irish servants —basically slaves —who jumped ship and hid in the area above Renews called the Butterpots and started their lives as free men.
There is also a depiction of the Mayflower, which is said to have stopped in Renews for water loaded with pilgrims on its way to historic Plymouth Rock, Mass., an attack on Renews by the French as they attempted to drive the English out of North America, and the history surrounding the religious community including the Grotto located behind the Holy Apostles Catholic church adjacent to the museum.
Next to the Grotto is a special memorial of three angels sitting above a tranquil pond, erected in memory of Allison Maher, a Renews resident and one of the 17 people who died in the Cougar Flight 491 crash on March 12, 2009.
How it all started
Renews–Cappahayden once existed as two independent villages with a strong history in fishing as they were both first settled by migratory fishermen and then by colonists. They amalgamated in the mid-1960s
The rugged coastline there may not have been a welcome sight for ancient mariners, but from the comfort and safety of the shore the spectacular views of whales, seabirds, icebergs and towering cliffs are abundant.
There’s a host of things to do and see in the Renews–Cappahayden area with a focus on the environment, the East Coast Trail, and historic sites including the wreck of the Florizel which commemorated its 100th anniversary this year. The Spirit of Newfoundland will perform a tribute to The Mamas and Papas at the Regina Mundi Complex on Aug. 15.
Mass will be held at the Grotto at 5 p.m. and the hall will be open afterwards in preparation for the performance.
The complex is open for visitors on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1-4 p.m. and Fridays from 1-5 p.m. from July through September.
There is no charge to visit the museum, but donations are appreciated.
