New Harbour, Newfoundland and Labrador
Encyclopedia
New Harbour, Newfoundland and Labrador, is a Community on the East shore of Trinity Bay
Trinity Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador
Trinity Bay is a large bay on the northeastern coast of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.Major fishing communities include Trinity and Heart's Content.-Industry:...

, located along Provincial Route 80; Route 80's intersection with Route 73 is inside New Harbour,in the Canadian
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...

 province of 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...

. The population is about 1500.

In the past, it was a Major Ship Building Center. Schooners were built at Cat Cove,by the Newhook Family ShipBuilders. This Family descends from Charles W. Newhook (1751-99), Master ShipBuilder, who moved from Dorset, England, in 1777, to work at the Benjamin Lester Premises in Trinity. The ShipBuilding Industry harvested MastWood from the White Pine Forests, in the New Harbour Area. The forests became destroyed by the passing Coal-Fired Trains igniting Forest Fires along the way. The RailRoad Track served to provide for the transportation of Paper from the Grand Falls Mill to Hearts Content, for shipping to foreign markets. The Burnt Over land is now covered with much smaller Forests and BlueBerry Areas. While no longer a major Ship Building Center, New Harbour is home to 2 Fish Processing Plants.

Education

In the days of Church Operated Education, New Hr had several schools: St.Augustines Elementary and St Georges High were built by the Anglican Church. The United Church had a school near its church building. The Salvation Army built both Woodland Elementary and Woodland High.

Business

New Hr. has had and has a variety of businesses. These include STORES of Charles Newhook, Ralph Higdon (later Wade Day), Fred Woodman, Ernest Payne Woodman, George Woodman, Neal Woodman, Charles Cranford, Rita Smith, Andrew Allen George, Leonard George, Edgar Higdon, Bob Higdon, ?Pollett, Neamiah Pinsent, ?Hillier and ?Cranford (Cat Cove). There had been a FURNITURE-MAKING OPERATION, in Cat Cove. MINK RANCHES were operated by Andrew Higdon and Corbett Pitcher; Andrew operated a BARBOUR SHOP also; Andrew's wife raised Rabbits. A Thorne ran a Shoe Repair Shop. Leander George operated an OSTRICH/EMU RANCH. Ron Higdon and Fred Woodman built FISH PLANTS. SNACK BARS were operated by Dora Hillier, Charles Thorne, Ed George and Violet Newhook. Charles Thorne ran an Auto Body Shop. Ted Newhook ran a LIVESTOCK OPERATION/SLAUGHTERHOUSE/HAY FARM/BUTCHER SHOP/DRY CLEANING SERVICE. HAIR SALONS are operated by Beverly Higdon and by ?Smith. Evelyn Vokey has a BARBOUR SHOP. Brothers Don and Harry Williams run Backhoe services. Mervin Higdon operated a HATCHERY. There's an ART STUDIO on Higdon's Hill. The AUTO SCRAPYARD is about to be replaced by an AUTO RECYCLING OPERATION. Careen Woodman operated New Harbour's only SUPERMARKET. Herb Williams ran a SERVICE STATION, across the road from the CRANFORD HOTEL/BEER PARLOUR. H&B operates a HYDRO LINE SERVICE/GARAGE OPERATION. A Pitcher fellow operates a WORM BAIT SHOP. John Cranford raises HENS and other LIVESTOCK. Warren and Florence Sellars operated a BAR. Gordon Hefford operates a MOBILE CRANE SERVICE. Hobb Thorne operates a TOPSOIL PIT, near the Newhook STORAGE facility. George Harnum and Austin Pitcher run BAKERIES. Next to Harnum's Bakery is a CUSTOM CLOTHING OPERATION. Wendell Woodman is a HOUSE CONTRACTOR. Gerald Goosney operated an AUTO REPAIR SHOP. ?Hillier operated a small CLOTHING STORE. Dr. Bonisteel operates a MEDICAL CLINIC in the Country Pride PHARMACY Building; Harnums run a GIFT SHOP/DINER there also. The former Ralph Higdon Store Site is now the site of a SENIORS' RESIDENCE; another SENIORS' RESIDENCE is near H&B Motors.

History

The earliest settlement, by Europeans, in New Hr, are a few people who lived on the West side, near Squish Pond/Squish Mish, during the mid 1700s. Various families settled in New Hr., each in its own Room; (a Room is a few acres of land where sons, grandsons etc all built their homes). For example, Thornes' Room fronts on the Pond; generations of Thornes have built homes on the nearby lands. Earlier family names include Williams, Newhook, Higdon, Woodman, Pollett, Cranford, Hillier, Hefford, George, Thorne. The people of New Hr. have made livings from industries such as Fishing, ShipBuilding, the Pothead Drive, Hunting, Mink Ranching, Farming and from Working Seasonally, in distant places. Most of today's Industry includes Fish Processing and Services.

Contamination at landfill site

A concern in New Harbour since the late 20th century is contamination with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) on the landfill
Landfill
A landfill site , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...

 site on the New Harbour barrens. These are located inside and perhaps in part near to New Harbour. This issue leads to other concerns, namely public health, environmental health and animals' health. People have been taking items such as copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...

,oil and perhaps and others for reuse from the exposed PCB-containing transformer
Transformer
A transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy from one circuit to another through inductively coupled conductors—the transformer's coils. A varying current in the first or primary winding creates a varying magnetic flux in the transformer's core and thus a varying magnetic field...

s casings at the landfill
Landfill
A landfill site , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...

 — at the time unaware of the dangers of the PCBs. A main trigger or cause for the problem was that in 1994, the PCB containing transformer casings were stored in Makinsons, Newfoundland and Labrador
Makinsons, Newfoundland and Labrador
Makinsons is a settlement in Newfoundland and Labrador....

. They were allegedly,and very probably inadequately cleaned/treated for the PCBs, but still transported to the New Harbour barrens landfill
Landfill
A landfill site , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...

. This has triggered the above mentioned concern, and some actual harm for the health of the surrounding environment and life. Some state that the New Harbour landfill have mutant rats the size of dogs. However, some evidence has come to light, that PCBs and of course PCB-containing transformers were transported to the landfill site, likely illegally. This may include and be backed up by the fact that the number of transformer casings found at the landfill after 1994 exceeds by far the numbers transported from Makinson's to the landfill in 1994. So more casings were obviously put there, likely before 1994. Efforts are being made by residents to have the PCBs cleaned from the landfill, but may be fully unsuccessful at times,at least in response of investigation and cleanup,but replies are coming back to those who send request. In a recent year, a significant 24 percent increase was noted in environmental petitions from the last year,probably in part concerning this problem,but other very unrelated increasing concerns are a part of this petition increase as well.

Indian and Inuit artifacts

At excavations like Anderson's Cove in New Harbour, evidence points to it being home to the Dorset culture
Dorset culture
The Dorset culture was a Paleo-Eskimo culture that preceded the Inuit culture in Arctic North America. It has been defined as having four phases, with distinct technology related to the people's hunting and tool making...

, maritime archaic Indians and the Beothuk
Beothuk
The Beothuk were one of the aboriginal peoples in Canada. They lived on the island of Newfoundland at the time of European contact in the 15th and 16th centuries...

people some thousands of years ago.

St.Augustines's church

Local church in New Harbour is St.Augustine's.
It was constructed after the first church St. George's blew down in the 1880s.
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