List of National Historic Sites of Canada in Newfoundland and Labrador

This is a list of National Historic Sites (French: Lieux historiques nationaux) in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. There are 47 National Historic Sites designated in Newfoundland and Labrador, 10 of which are administered by Parks Canada (identified below by the beaver icon ).[1][2] Most National Historic Sites not administered by Parks Canada are the property of municipal governments, religious congregations, community groups, individuals or companies and may not be open to the public.[3] National Historic Sites not administered by Parks Canada are not included in Parks Canada entry passes.[4]

The first National Historic Sites to be designated in the province were Fort Amherst, Fort Townshend and Signal Hill in 1951.[5]

The Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial, a National Historic Site commemorating Dominion of Newfoundland forces killed during World War I, is located in France.

Numerous National Historic Events also occurred across Newfoundland & Labrador, and are identified at places associated with them, using the same style of federal plaque which marks National Historic Sites. Several National Historic Persons are commemorated throughout the province in the same way. The markers do not indicate which designation—a Site, Event, or Person—a subject has been given.

This list uses names designated by the national Historic Sites and Monuments Board, which may differ from other names for these sites.

National Historic Sites

Site[1]Date(s)DesignatedLocationDescriptionImage
Basilica of St. John the Baptist[6]1855 (completed)1983St. John's
47°34′2″N 52°42′36″W / 47.56722°N 52.71000°W / 47.56722; -52.71000 (Basilica of St. John the Baptist)
Stone cathedral, constructed in the Lombard Romanesque Revival style, which has played an important role in the province's religious, political and social history
Battle Harbour Historic District[7]1770s (established)1996Battle Harbour
52°16′0″N 55°35′13″W / 52.26667°N 55.58694°W / 52.26667; -55.58694 (Battle Harbour Historic District)
A noted example of a traditional outport fishing community; the buildings, structures and open spaces evoke the fishing outports of the 19th and early 20th-century
Boyd's Cove Beothuk[8]3000 BCE (c.) (human occupation)1995Boyd's Cove
49°27′26″N 54°38′12″W / 49.45722°N 54.63667°W / 49.45722; -54.63667 (Boyd's Cove Beothuk)
A major archaeological site which has substantially increased the knowledge of the early history and demise of the Beothuk people
Cable Building[9]1913 (completed)2008Bay Roberts
47°35′47″N 53°15′16″W / 47.59639°N 53.25444°W / 47.59639; -53.25444 (Cable Building)
Newfoundland was a major telecommunications hub at the beginning of the 20th century as it offered the shortest link between North America and Europe; the building was the main relay for the transatlantic network of the Western Union Telegraph Company
Cape Pine Lighthouse[10]1851 (completed)1974Cape Pine
46°37′2″N 53°31′56″W / 46.61722°N 53.53222°W / 46.61722; -53.53222 (Cape Pine Lighthouse)
First of a series of prefabricated iron lighthouses erected in Newfoundland in the 19th century, for transport to and erection at rugged sites; the first landfall light built on the dangerous south coast of the Avalon Peninsula to guide shipping through the Cabot Strait
Cape Race Lighthouse[11]1907 (completed)1975Cape Race
46°39′31″N 53°4′25″W / 46.65861°N 53.07361°W / 46.65861; -53.07361 (Cape Race Lighthouse)
At the time of this lighthouse's construction, it was the most important light on the dangerous southern shore of the Avalon Peninsula and it housed one of the most powerful lighting apparatuses in the world
Cape Spear Lighthouse [12]1835 (completed)1962Cape Spear
47°31′20″N 52°37′36″W / 47.52222°N 52.62667°W / 47.52222; -52.62667 (Cape Spear Lighthouse)
The oldest surviving lighthouse in Newfoundland, constructed on the easternmost point in North America; built in 1835 by the Colony of Newfoundland to signal the approach to St. John's harbour
Castle Hill [13]1692 (established)1968Placentia
47°15′3.88″N 53°58′17.31″W / 47.2510778°N 53.9714750°W / 47.2510778; -53.9714750 (Castle Hill)
The remains of French and British fortifications overlooking the town; the defences played an important role in both local defence and the larger military interests of France and Britain in Atlantic Canada
Christ Church / Quidi Vidi Church[14]1842 (completed)1966St. John's
47°34′58″N 52°40′43″W / 47.582791°N 52.678558°W / 47.582791; -52.678558 (Christ Church / Quidi Vidi Church)
A modest, wood church, located on a steep hill overlooking the harbour of the former village of Quidi Vidi; representative of the rapidly disappearing architecture of 19th-century outports
Colony of Avalon[15]1621 (established)1953Ferryland
47°1′22″N 52°52′49″W / 47.02278°N 52.88028°W / 47.02278; -52.88028 (Colony of Avalon)
Serving as an important fishing and commercial station in the 17th century, it was abandoned after its burning and expulsion of its inhabitants by the French in 1696; despite so, it is the best preserved early English settlement in Canada
Crow's Nest Officers' Club[16][17]1942 (established)2011St. John's
47°34′4″N 52°42′12″W / 47.56778°N 52.70333°W / 47.56778; -52.70333 (Crow's Nest Officers' Club)
Opened as a seagoing officer's club during the Second World War, the club served men from Allied navies and allowed the men from each vessel to decorate a section of wall as a memento to their ship; the club, along with its military memorabilia and artwork, remains a memorial to the naval war efforts
Fleur de Lys Soapstone Quarries[18]400 CE (c.)1982Fleur de Lys
47°1′22″N 52°52′49″W / 47.02278°N 52.88028°W / 47.02278; -52.88028 (Fleur de Lys Soapstone Quarries)
Soapstone was an important raw material for many aboriginal societies in Newfoundland, primarily used here for bowls and oil lamps; this archaeological site preserves considerable evidence about resource extraction techniques in Dorset culture
Former Bank of British North America[19]1850 (completed)1990St. John's
47°33′56.76″N 52°42′24.17″W / 47.5657667°N 52.7067139°W / 47.5657667; -52.7067139 (Former Bank of British North America)
A three-and-a-half-storey brick building with mansard roof and Italianate features which housed many of Newfoundland's major banks from 1849 to 1985; closely associated with the evolution of banking in Newfoundland
Former Carbonear Railway Station (Newfoundland Railway)[20]1918 (completed)1988Carbonear
47°44′15″N 53°13′47″W / 47.73750°N 53.22972°W / 47.73750; -53.22972 (Former Carbonear Railway Station (Newfoundland Railway))
A one-storey, wood-frame building with a hip roof and overhanging eaves; representative of the stations on the Newfoundland Railway and typical architecture of early-20th-century, rural railway stations across Canada
Former Newfoundland Railway Headquarters[21]19031988St. John's
47°33′16.21″N 52°42′49.13″W / 47.5545028°N 52.7136472°W / 47.5545028; -52.7136472 (Former Newfoundland Railway Headquarters)
A two-and-a-half-storey stone building with both Second Empire and Château design elements; commemorates the important role played by the Newfoundland Railway in the social, economic and political history of the province
Fort Amherst[22]1777 (established)1951St. John's
47°33′49″N 52°40′50″W / 47.56361°N 52.68056°W / 47.56361; -52.68056 (Fort Amherst)
The site of British fortification built to guard the mouth of St. John's harbour, of which there are no visible remains; named after William Amherst who recaptured St. John's from the French in 1762
Fort Townshend[23]1773 (established)1951St. John's
47°33′58″N 52°42′44″W / 47.56611°N 52.71222°W / 47.56611; -52.71222 (Fort Townshend)
An archaeological site at the former location of a British fort that served as the headquarters of the Newfoundland garrison from 1779 until 1871; the site is now occupied by The Rooms
Fort William[24]1697 (established)1952St. John's
47°34′15″N 52°42′2″W / 47.57083°N 52.70056°W / 47.57083; -52.70056 (Fort William)
The site of a fort which served as the original headquarters of the British garrison in Newfoundland, and which was attacked three times by the French; the fort represented the first official military presence in St. John's, although it was supplanted by Fort Townshend in the 1770s, and demolished in 1881
Government House[25]1831 (completed)1982St. John's
47°33′49″N 52°40′50″W / 47.56361°N 52.68056°W / 47.56361; -52.68056 (Government House)
A Palladian-style mansion originally built for Thomas Cochrane, the first civil governor of the Newfoundland Colony; its construction marked the transition of the colony from a naval to civilian government, and the house has served as the official residence of Newfoundland's governors and lieutenant governors ever since
Harbour Grace Court House[26]1830 (completed)1966Harbour Grace
47°41′44″N 53°12′45″W / 47.69556°N 53.21250°W / 47.69556; -53.21250 (Harbour Grace Court House)
A two-storey stone building characterized by a split staircase on the front facade; the oldest surviving public building in the province
Hawthorne Cottage [27]1830 (completed)1978Brigus
47°32′6.54″N 53°12′35.53″W / 47.5351500°N 53.2098694°W / 47.5351500; -53.2098694 (Hawthorne Cottage)
A Picturesque cottage with a wrap-around verandah and a home of Arctic-explorer Robert Bartlett
Hebron Mission[28]1829 (established)1976Hebron
58°11′58″N 62°37′33″W / 58.19944°N 62.62583°W / 58.19944; -62.62583 (Hebron Mission)
A complex of linked buildings, including a church, mission house, and store, all in a Germanic-influenced architectural style; a Moravian centre of religious instruction to the local Inuit, which also served commercial and medical purposes
Hopedale Mission [29]1782 (established)1970Hopedale
55°27′30.83″N 60°12′45.21″W / 55.4585639°N 60.2125583°W / 55.4585639; -60.2125583 (Hopedale Mission)
A complex of large, wooden buildings constructed by the Moravian Church; commemorates the interaction between Labrador Inuit and missionaries, and representative of Moravian Mission architecture in Labrador
Indian Point[30]1978Beothuk Lake
48°47′44″N 56°34′38″W / 48.79556°N 56.57722°W / 48.79556; -56.57722 (Indian Point)
A well documented Beothuk site, it is a camp where they wintered in well-built, multi-sided mamateeks and hunted the native caribou; occupied for many generations, it was abandoned sometime around 1820
Kitjigattalik - Ramah Chert Quarries [31]3000 BCE to 1400 AD2015Torngat Mountains National Park
58°58′36″N 63°11′09″W / 58.976564°N 63.185867°W / 58.976564; -63.185867 (Kitjigattalik—Ramah)
Quarry of unique chert widely traded in eastern America, active from 5,000 to 600 years ago; has been linked to Late Archaic burial complexes and belief systems; was also the basis of long-distance exchange between eastern Canada and New England
L'Anse Amour[32]6100 BCE (c.)1978L'Anse Amour
51°28′49″N 56°51′59″W / 51.48028°N 56.86639°W / 51.48028; -56.86639 (L'Anse Amour)
One of the largest and longest used Aboriginal habitation sites in Labrador; earliest known funeral monument in the New World
L'Anse aux Meadows * [33]1000 CE (c.)1968St. Anthony
51°35′43″N 55°31′59.47″W / 51.59528°N 55.5331861°W / 51.59528; -55.5331861 (L'Anse aux Meadows)
The first known settlement established by Vikings in North America, containing the earliest evidence of Europeans in Canada; a World Heritage Site
Mallard Cottage[34]1820 (c.) (completed)1983St. John's
47°34′54″N 52°40′42″W / 47.58167°N 52.67833°W / 47.58167; -52.67833 (Mallard Cottage)
A wood-frame house with hip roof and central chimney, typical of the vernacular housing built by Irish immigrants in the first half of the 19th century
Murray Premises[35]1849 (completed)1976St. John's
47°33′41″N 52°42′34″W / 47.561401°N 52.709531°W / 47.561401; -52.709531 (Murray Premises)
A complex of three former warehouses; commemorative of the offices and warehouses which once lined St. John's harbour and of the city's long tradition of sea-based trade
Newfoundland National War Memorial[36]1924August 21, 2019St. John's
47°34′04″N 52°42′14″W / 47.567660°N 52.703769°W / 47.567660; -52.703769 (Newfoundland National War Memorial)
Imposing, heroic memorial to Newfoundland's sacrifice during the World War I and subsequent conflicts; location of where Sir Humphrey Gilbert claimed Newfoundland for England in 1583
Okak[37]5550 BCE (c.) (first human occupation)1978Okak
51°35′43″N 55°31′59.47″W / 51.59528°N 55.5331861°W / 51.59528; -55.5331861 (Okak)
Sixty archaeological sites, dating from 5550 BCE onwards, representative of habitation from Maritime Archaic to Labrador Inuit; location of the second oldest Moravian mission in Labrador, founded in 1776 and abandoned in 1919
Port au Choix [38]1970Port au Choix
50°42′14.54″N 57°23′24.01″W / 50.7040389°N 57.3900028°W / 50.7040389; -57.3900028 (Port au Choix)
Two exceptional rare and rich pre-contact archaeological sites, one a Maritime Archaic cemetery and the other a Paleo-Eskimo habitation site
Port Union Historic District[39]1916 (established)1999Trinity Bay North
48°29′51″N 53°4′56″W / 48.49750°N 53.08222°W / 48.49750; -53.08222 (Port Union Historic District)
The only town in Canada founded by a union; built by the Fishermen's Protective Union along an empty stretch of shoreline, the town was noted for its commercial success in the face of fierce competition from commercial merchants
Red Bay * [40]1550 (whaling port established) (c.)1979Red Bay
51°43′31.34″N 56°25′59.39″W / 51.7253722°N 56.4331639°W / 51.7253722; -56.4331639 (Red Bay)
A World Heritage Site and the site of one of the largest whaling ports used between 1550 and 1620 by Basque whaling expeditions from France and Spain; well-preserved evidence of the 16th-century whaling activities remain on the site, both on land and submerged in the harbour
Rennie's Mill Road Historic District[41]1846 (established)1987St. John's
47°34′16″N 52°42′34″W / 47.57111°N 52.70944°W / 47.57111; -52.70944 (Rennie's Mill Road Historic District)
Originally a suburb of large, wooden houses mainly from the late 19th to the early 20th centuries; a remarkably homogeneous grouping of upper middle class residences, associated with prominent Newfoundlanders of the period
Ryan Premises [42]1857 (established)1987Bonavista
48°38′52.31″N 53°6′45.7″W / 48.6478639°N 53.112694°W / 48.6478639; -53.112694 (Ryan Premises)
A cultural landscape comprising residential and commercial structures typical of a 19th-century Newfoundland mercantile outport, still located in their original setting by the sea
St. John the Baptist Anglican Cathedral[43]1850 (completed)1979St. John's
47°33′55″N 52°42′30″W / 47.56528°N 52.70833°W / 47.56528; -52.70833 (St. John the Baptist Anglican Cathedral)
A magnificent stone cathedral designed by George Gilbert Scott for Canada's oldest Anglican parish; a nationally significant example of Gothic Revival architecture, and one that conforms to the tenets of the Cambridge Camden Society
St. John's Court House[44]1904 (completed)1981St. John's
47°33′53″N 52°42′26″W / 47.56472°N 52.70722°W / 47.56472; -52.70722 (St. John's Court House)
A granite and sandstone Romanesque Revival-style courthouse; the most elaborate courthouse in the province and representative of the judicial system in Newfoundland
St. John's Ecclesiastical District[45]2008St. John's
47°34′4″N 52°42′41″W / 47.56778°N 52.71139°W / 47.56778; -52.71139 (St. John's Ecclesiastical District)
Buildings and landscape features associated with the Roman Catholic, Anglican, United (formerly Methodist) and Presbyterian denominations; representative of the involvement of Christian institutions in the history and political life of St. John's and the province
St. John's WWII Coastal Defences (Atlantic Bulwark)[46]1939 (established)1993St. John's
47°33′49″N 52°40′47″W / 47.56361°N 52.67972°W / 47.56361; -52.67972 (St. John's WWII Coastal Defences)
St. John's served as the main North American base for trans-Atlantic escorts during the Second World War; Canadian and American gun batteries and Canadian air force squadrons protected St. John's harbour
St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church[47]1881 (completed), 1914 (spire)1990St. John's
47°33′13″N 52°43′1″W / 47.55361°N 52.71694°W / 47.55361; -52.71694 (St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church)
A noted example of Gothic Revival architecture in Canada; the design reflects the strong links between Ireland and Newfoundland, as well as the influence of Victorian design on colonial churches
St. Thomas Rectory / Commissariat House and Garden[48]1821 (completed)1968St. John's
47°34′21″N 52°42′9″W / 47.57250°N 52.70250°W / 47.57250; -52.70250 (St. Thomas Rectory / Commissariat House and Garden)
A wooden building constructed by the Corps of Royal Engineers for the British military garrison; after 1870, it served as the rectory for the Old Garrison Church
Signal Hill [49]1660 (military role established)1951St. John's
47°34′10.06″N 52°40′56.19″W / 47.5694611°N 52.6822750°W / 47.5694611; -52.6822750 (Signal Hill)
A landmark promontory that frames the entrance to St. John's Harbour, identifiable by the profile of Cabot Tower; site played important roles in Canada's defence and communications histories
Tilting[50]1730 (established)2003Tilting
49°42′13″N 54°3′38.27″W / 49.70361°N 54.0606306°W / 49.70361; -54.0606306 (Tilting)
An outport fishing community on Fogo Island; illustrative of the adaptation of Irish settlement patterns to Newfoundland, and a rare surviving example of mid-18th century landscape components
Walled Landscape of Grates Cove[51]1790 (established)1995Grates Cove
48°10′0″N 52°56′22″W / 48.16667°N 52.93944°W / 48.16667; -52.93944 (Walled Landscape of Grates Cove)
A 60.7-hectare (150-acre) grassy landscape located on a windswept headland; small fertile gardens, demarcated by stone walls, represent a rare surviving example of a communal system of land and community organization unique to Newfoundland
Water Street Historic District[52]1847 (commencement of reconstruction after the Great Fire)1987St. John's
47°33′43.9″N 52°42′34.14″W / 47.562194°N 52.7094833°W / 47.562194; -52.7094833 (Water Street Historic District)
Twenty 19th-century mercantile buildings on Water Street near the harbour; representative of the business establishments associated with the Newfoundland fisheries and the Atlantic trade
Winterholme[53]1907 (completed)1991St. John's
47°34′20″N 52°42′39″W / 47.57222°N 52.71083°W / 47.57222; -52.71083 (Winterholme)
A home originally built for local businessman Marmaduke Winter; a noted example of a conservative approach to the Queen Anne Revival style in Canadian domestic architecture

See also

References