Lower Island Cove
Lower Island Cove is a community located on the Bay de Verde Peninsula on the north shore of Conception Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is a fishing community that has seen a decrease in residents since the collapse of the cod fishery.
History
Legend says that a treasure was buried by the pirates at Flambro Head.
Lower Island Cove was once a thriving economic centre. Located on the northern entrance to Conception Bay, it once boasted three cod liver factories. And, before 1992, it had a thriving local fish plant. Photos at the Flambro Head Museum and Cafe attest to so many fish flakes at the turn of 1900 that hardly a spot of green grass was found in the settlement.
Timeline
- 1600s – European migratory fishermen visit the area.
- 1760s - Lawrence Coughlan is stationed at Harbour Grace and is the first known missionary to visit Lower Island Cove.
- 1780 – Wesleyans construct a church.
- 1796 – The community is first referred to as Lower Island Cove instead of just Island Cove to differentiate it from Upper Island Cove near Bay Roberts.
- 1836 – The population is 551.
- 1944 – Salvation Army establishes itself in the community.
- 1990 – The community's boundaries are extended about 3 km along the highway from Redlands to Flambro Head.
Local attractions
Three local attractions are the Flambro Head Museum and Cafe, the Lower Island Cove Regatta and the Old Methodist Church Cemetery.
Operated by the Flambo Head Heritage Society, the Museum hosts a 1/2km walking trail, a coffee shop, a playground complete with picnic tables. The original building housed the "Lower Island Cove" telephone exchange. Today with help from Government, the site the Museum displays local artifacts, photos donated by residents, including "tools and implements depicting the early lifestyles of our area".[1]
The annual Lower Island Cove Regatta once competed for calendar dates with the Royal St. John's regatta. In the 1970s, the LIC Regatta faded away. However, in the 1980s, the Association for Youth and Leisure (AYLA) revived the regatta, which is now held during the second weekend of August. In 2008 the regatta at Lower Island Cove stopped due to no people to row. The AYLA now holds a "Fun Day", which consists of Games Of Chance Food and family fun, something similar to the Regatta but without the boat races.[2]
In the Old Methodist Church Cemetery, a memorial stands to local 13 men who drowned on the schooner "Six Brothers", which left Lower Island Cove for Trinity Bay on May 25, 1883, never to return. The memorial is a reminder of the large number of men along the shore who have lost their lives to the sea.[2]
Local industry
In 2006, a Christmas tree farm was established. Since the closure of the Cod Fishery in 1992, while there has been some fish plant employment, there remains very little industry. Subsequently, the farm started out with 600 Fraser and Balsam Fir seedlings (9"-12" 2006) from Quebec, where the industry is quite lucrative. Nonetheless, the provincial government's Wooddale Tree Nursery, in Grand Falls, Newfoundland, began growing Fraser, Balsam and Bracken fir to provide future stock. Yearly, a large quantity of Christmas trees are imported to Newfoundland from nearby Nova Scotia. Christmas tree farming, therefore, marks a new industry for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as hope for the settlement.
Towns and communities nearby
- Bay de Verde
- Old Perlican
- Caplin Cove
- Job's Cove
- Burnt Point
- Gull Island
- Northern Bay
See also
References
External links
Coordinates: 48°00′02″N 52°58′47″W / 48.00056°N 52.97972°W