Volume 97 Number 2, 2004 Issue #413

While an exact date for the birth of Battle Harbour has not been established, it is known that the firm of John Slade & Company of Poole, England was using the place in 1771, and may have been doing so as early as 1750. At that time, being located on the Southeast coast of Labrador, Battle Harbour was the natural stopover for ships heading north “on the Labrador.” This convenient location made Battle Harbour the northern base of operations for Slade and other merchant firms from Newfoundland and Europe who were dealing in saltfish and seals, and Battle Harbour soon became the unofficial capital of Labrador. The population there grew rapidly in the early 1800s, with around 300 “livyers” and thousands of seasonal residents making the place home by the latter part of that century.

The activity attracted attention from important institutions as well. After a visit in 1848, Church of England Bishop Edward Feild, astonished at the more than 100 ships from all over the province that were moored in the tiny tickle and [his estimate of] 350 people living there, commissioned the building of a school and a church for the community. St. James the Apostle Church, designed by the noted ecclesiastical architect William Grey, was consecrated in 1857. It is the only surviving example of Grey’s work.

Dr. Wilfred Grenfell visited Battle Harbour in 1892 as part of the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen (later the International Grenfell Association). Concerned that such a large population had no medical facilities, Dr. Grenfell established his first hospital in a building donated by the local merchant. He also set up the Doctor’s Cottage (l.) in 1906 as a residence for the community’s physician. The hospital was the first one in the province outside of St. John’s.

Other institutions that came to Battle Harbour included the Newfoundland Ranger Force, and, after Confederation, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. As well, the Canadian Marconi Company built two wireless towers at Battle Harbour, the only telegraph station in Labrador to operate all year long. This station became a part of history in 1909, when the famed Arctic explorer, Robert E. Peary, having visited Battle Harbour on several of his northern expeditions, used it to wire his claim of reaching the North Pole to the New York Times. He then held two internationally-attended press conferences about the expedition in the loft of the salt store in the community. A conflicting claim by Frederick Cook to have reached the Pole first fueled a debate that held the front pages of newspapers worldwide for ten days.The issue has not yet been satisfactorily settled.

RCMP Detachment (top); Ranger Station (bottom)

Battle Harbour operated without significant change through the sale of the site to Baine Johnston and Company in 1871, and then to Earle Freighting Service Limited of Carbonear in 1955, although by this time the saltfish industry was slowing down. Some residents moved back to mainland communities like Mary’s Harbour, and, when a fire destroyed the hospital on Battle Island in 1930, it was rebuilt in Mary’s Harbour instead.

The remaining residents of Battle Harbour were eventually moved in the government relocation programs of the late 1960s and early 1970s, although many kept summer houses there, and their families still go there today. The Earles continued to operate the site in much the same manner as always until the cod moratorium and the final decline of the inshore fishery in 1990. At that time the family generously donated the site to the newly formed Battle Harbour Historic Trust.

The restoration of Battle Harbour by the Trust has been a painstaking endeavour, preserving over 20 historic buildings, wharves and walkways, and more than 500 artifacts to date, with the work ongoing.

Gordon Slade has seen every aspect of the development of Battle Harbour since the Trust became involved in 1990, and is very proud of the work done there. He describes the approach used as “minimal intervention,” meaning that wherever possible original materials were saved, and original plans were followed. Modern materials were only used when no viable alternative was available. When talking about renovation, this is not such a difficult task. However, in the restoration of a 200 year old building or wharf, the job takes on new dimensions.

“More often than not there are no blueprints or plans to follow,” he stressed, “only old photographs or written descriptions.” Historical architecture and archaeology experts have to be consulted on correct styles and materials before the actual work can begin. A cultural resources management expert was also engaged by the Trust to ensure the proper documentation and identification of historic artifacts for the interpretation center. As daunting as this might sound, the groundwork was eventually completed and the heritage carpentry could begin.

The first building to be restored was St. James the Apostle Church, which was finished in 1994. Other buildings that have since been preserved include the Ranger station and RCMP detachment, the merchant’s Big House or Staff House (now the Battle Harbour Inn), the Grenfell Doctor’s Cottage, the Cookhouse/Bunkhouse, the Spearing Cottage and the Isaac Smith House. As a note of interest, this house’s namesake was the first baby christened in the Church. The entire complex of the mercantile saltfish premises or “Room,” including the wharves and flakes, has also been restored. It is the only remaining complete Room in the province today.

Because of the tremendous effort of the Battle Harbour Historic Trust, spearheaded by its volunteer chair Gordon Slade, the site has been designated a National Historic Site and National Historic District by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, and recently joined L’Anse aux Meadows and the Historic Grenfell Properties at St. Anthony as an Atlantic Signature Attraction.

Battle Harbour received over 2,000 visitors this year, approximately 1,000 of whom stayed overnight. The number of visitors has increased steadily since the site’s official opening in 1997, most dramatically in the last three years since the extension of the road from Red Bay to Mary’s Harbour. During this time, Battle Harbour has developed into a microcosm of the harsh life that has formed the culture of this province, at the same time preserving the solitude and natural beauty of a community that was very nearly lost to the ravages of time.