Grates Cove, Newfoundland and Labrador
Encyclopedia
Grates Cove is the most northerly community on the Avalon Peninsula
, located on the tip of the Bay de Verde Peninsula
in Newfoundland and Labrador
, Canada
. Called "the Grates" by John Guy as early as 1612, the origin of the name is unknown.
and one family from Old Perlican
. It is believed that Grates Cove was visited by seasonal fisherman before this and some have expressed the belief that it was visited as early as 1497 by John Cabot
. This speculation has been fueled by the presence of a large rock high above the water on a cliff face located in Grates Cove. As Harold Horwood
states, "some of those who formerly examined it, including a curator of the Newfoundland Museum, professed to be able to read the names IO CABOTO, SANCIUS and SAINMALIA quite plainly."
that was lost near Grates Cove on the evening of December 20, 1944. All people on board were lost. The Mollies Captain was Ross Chaulk, who was 26 years old and unmarried. Lost with him were James Ellsworth, age 25, John Goodyear, age 61 also his two sons Reginald Goodyear, age 32 and Charles Goodyear, age 26, both of them were also unmarried. The last crew member was Otto Hicks of Musgrave Harbour
, who was a widower with one child. The cook, Charles Goodyear just 2 years earlier survived another near-miss shipwreck on the schooner L.C. Norman when it ran into the tip of Cape Bonavista. 13 crews of men from Grates Cove made trips to recover the bodies of the crew of The Mollie.
Avalon Peninsula
The Avalon Peninsula is a large peninsula that makes up the southeast portion of the island of Newfoundland.The peninsula is home to 257,223 people, which is approximately 51% of Newfoundland's population in 2009, and is the location of the provincial capital, St. John's. It is connected to the...
, located on the tip of the Bay de Verde Peninsula
Bay de Verde Peninsula
The Bay de Verde Peninsula is the largest peninsula that makes up part of the Avalon Peninsula, of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada...
in Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Called "the Grates" by John Guy as early as 1612, the origin of the name is unknown.
History
Grates Cove was first settled in 1790 by four families from Lower Island CoveLower Island Cove, Newfoundland and Labrador
Lower Island Cove is an incorporated town 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 cod moratorium.-History:...
and one family from Old Perlican
Old Perlican, Newfoundland and Labrador
Old Perlican is a fishing village on the Avalon Peninsula, Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada. Incorporated in 1971, it is one of the oldest fishing communities in Newfoundland, serving as the major fishing station in Trinity Bay for migratory fisherman from England in the 17th...
. It is believed that Grates Cove was visited by seasonal fisherman before this and some have expressed the belief that it was visited as early as 1497 by John Cabot
John Cabot
John Cabot was an Italian navigator and explorer whose 1497 discovery of parts of North America is commonly held to have been the first European encounter with the continent of North America since the Norse Vikings in the eleventh century...
. This speculation has been fueled by the presence of a large rock high above the water on a cliff face located in Grates Cove. As Harold Horwood
Harold Horwood
Harold Andrew Horwood, CM was a Newfoundland and Labrador novelist and non-fiction writer and onetime politician. He was a Member of the Order of Canada.-Early life:...
states, "some of those who formerly examined it, including a curator of the Newfoundland Museum, professed to be able to read the names IO CABOTO, SANCIUS and SAINMALIA quite plainly."
Timeline
- 1790 - Grates Cove is first settled by four families from Lower Island Cove and one family from Old Perlican.
- 1792 - John Hoskins Jr, comes to Grates Cove as a teacher and Methodist pastor.
- 1801 - First formal school is begun, with John Hoskins Jr as the class teacher.
- 1809 - First church is built by Methodists on land donated to the church by Thomas Cooper. William Ellis preaches the first sermon.
- 1836 - Census records a population of 439.
- 1846 - Grates Cove has two schools; one Roman Catholic and one Methodist.
- 1857 - Population rises to 577 residents. Census reported 47 fishing rooms, 86 nets, seines and traps, 86 boats, 426 kg of fish caught.
- 1861 - The Church of EnglandChurch of EnglandThe Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
church is built. - 1869 - 1874 - Roman Catholic ChurchRoman Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
is built. - 1872 - Road established between Grates Cove, Bay de Verde and Old Perlican.
- 1891 (January 24) - Branch of Society of United Fishermen is established.
- 1901 - Grates Cove is listing as having three schools, teaching all grades from one to eleven. A one-room Church of England school, a one-room Roman Catholic school and a two-room Methodist school.
- 1901 - 1935 - A number of cod-oil factories are established. The highest number of factories was 12 in 1921.
- 1911 - A new Roman Catholic Church is built and consecrated. Branch of the Fishermen's Protective Union is established. 165 acres (0.7 km²) of cultivated land are recorded being utilized for potatoes, turnips, and other vegetables.
- 1913 - Railway is extended to Grates Cove via Carbonear, Old Perlican, and Bay de Verde.
- 1921 - 772 people reside in the community (the greatest number of residents listed for Grates Cove). Society of United Fishermen reaches its highest membership (109 total).
- 1931 - A new United Church is built and open.
- 1937 - A new Anglican church is consecrated by Bishop White.
- 1945 - 480 residents are living in Grates Cove.
- 1950s - An amalgamation take place between the United Church schools and Anglican schools.
- 1960s (early) - A breakwater is constructed by the government at nearby Cooper's Point.
- 1961 (September) - Amalgamation is discontinued when the denominations do not agree on the building of one larger school.
- 1964 - United Church opens a two-room school and the Anglican Church builds a new school.
- 1964 - First road is rebuilt.
- 1966 - Population fell to 372 residents.
- 1967 - Grates Cove school system is completely reorganized. The Roman Catholic St. Joseph's Central High School is opened for Grades 7 - 11 in Bay de Verde. Accommodating all Roman Catholic students in the area as well as Protestants from Grates Cove and surrounding communities. The Anglican and Roman Catholic schools in Grates Cove are closed and the remaining students from Kindergarten to Grade 6 are taught in the two-room United Church school.
- 1973 - Tricon Elementary in nearby Bay de VerdeBay de Verde, Newfoundland and LabradorBay de Verde is an incorporated town in Conception Bay on the northern tip of the Bay de Verde Peninsula of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The first recorded inhabitants at Bay de Verde arrived in 1662. Bay de Verde became an incorporated town in 1950.-Geography:Bay de Verde is the northern...
open, and the two-room United Church school is closed. - 1976 - The population recorded at 249.
The shipwreck of The Mollie
The Mollie was a coasting schooner posted out of Carmanville, NewfoundlandCarmanville, Newfoundland and Labrador
Carmanville is a Canadian community in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.-History:Carmanville, on the northeastern coast of Newfoundland, was first settled by John Day, from Twillingate, and his family. The Day family trapped otter and fox and became friends with a family of Aboriginals...
that was lost near Grates Cove on the evening of December 20, 1944. All people on board were lost. The Mollies Captain was Ross Chaulk, who was 26 years old and unmarried. Lost with him were James Ellsworth, age 25, John Goodyear, age 61 also his two sons Reginald Goodyear, age 32 and Charles Goodyear, age 26, both of them were also unmarried. The last crew member was Otto Hicks of Musgrave Harbour
Musgrave Harbour, Newfoundland and Labrador
Musgrave Harbour is a Canadian town in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.-Geography:Located on the Kittiwake coast of the island of Newfoundland, the closest major centre is the town of Gander.-History:...
, who was a widower with one child. The cook, Charles Goodyear just 2 years earlier survived another near-miss shipwreck on the schooner L.C. Norman when it ran into the tip of Cape Bonavista. 13 crews of men from Grates Cove made trips to recover the bodies of the crew of The Mollie.
Towns and communities nearby
- Bay de VerdeBay de Verde, Newfoundland and LabradorBay de Verde is an incorporated town in Conception Bay on the northern tip of the Bay de Verde Peninsula of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The first recorded inhabitants at Bay de Verde arrived in 1662. Bay de Verde became an incorporated town in 1950.-Geography:Bay de Verde is the northern...
- Red Head CoveRed Head Cove, Newfoundland and LabradorRed Head Cove is a fishing village in Newfoundland and Labrador located near the tip of the Bay de Verde Peninsula separating Trinity Bay and Conception Bay, in a steep valley north of Bay de Verde. Red Head Cove is a fishing community. The cove provides very little shelter or level ground for...
- Daniel's CoveDaniel's Cove, Newfoundland and LabradorDaniel's Cove is a resettled fishing village on the northwest tip of the Bay de Verde Peninsula nestled in a picturesque valley halfway between Grates Cove and Old Perlican.-History:...
- Old PerlicanOld Perlican, Newfoundland and LabradorOld Perlican is a fishing village on the Avalon Peninsula, Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada. Incorporated in 1971, it is one of the oldest fishing communities in Newfoundland, serving as the major fishing station in Trinity Bay for migratory fisherman from England in the 17th...
- Low PointLow Point, Newfoundland and LabradorLow Point an unincorporated town in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada located on a spit of land overlooking a small bay called Bay de Verde Bight...
- Caplin CoveCaplin Cove, Conception Bay, Newfoundland and LabradorCaplin Cove is a small community on the north shore of Conception Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is surrounded on the north by Low Point near the end of the Bay de Verde Peninsula, and on the south by Lower Island Cove...
Attractions
- Cabot Rock MonumentCabot rock monumentLocated at Grates Cove, Newfoundland, Canada, stands Cabot Rock Monument, a monument to what is believed to be an inscription in a rock bearing the names of the John Cabot and his youngest son Sancius....
- Grates Cove Rock Walls
- Parks Canada Trail
- Grate’s Cove Lookout
External links
- Official town website
- http://home.cogeco.ca/~bensongrates3/Reprinted%20from%20the%20Encyclopedia%20of%20Newfoundland%20&%20Labrador.htmArticle reference from Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and LabradorEncyclopedia of Newfoundland and LabradorEncyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador is an Encyclopedia commissioned by Joey Smallwood to capture the people, places, events and history of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador...
] - The Grates Cove Tradition by Heritage Newfoundland and Labrador