Designated in 2013 as a Distinctive Cultural Tradition and Practice.
Nominator: Kevin Aucoin, Agricultural History Society of Newfoundland and Labrador
Roots cellars are free standing structures built above ground, or wholly or partly buried in the ground. They are used for storing vegetables over the winter. While root cellars are not unique to this province, they are especially prevalent on the Island. The little doors in hillsides are a familiar sight. A well-maintained root cellar kept a crop of summer root vegetables from freezing or rotting over the winter. They were a crucial part of the subsistence lifestyle that allowed fishing families to settle along this province’s rugged coastline.
LINKS
Exploring Our Roots: A Heritage Inventory of Newfoundland’s Root Cellars
Architectural History of the Crocker Root Cellar, Bradley’s Cove
Root Cellar Traditions – Memorial University
Tom Porter Root Cellar Municipal Heritage Site, Elliston
George Pearce Root Cellar Municipal Heritage Site, Elliston
Jim Goodland Upstairs Root Cellar Municipal Heritage Site, Elliston
Dan Goodland Downstairs Root Cellar Municipal Heritage Site, Elliston
Newman and Company Root Cellar Municipal Heritage Site, Harbour Breton
The Memory Store: “The root cellar – that is built heritage…” (Video)
The Memory Store: “Babies came from here but you dug them with a silver shovel…” (Video)
The Memory Store: “The root cellar capital of the world…” (Video)
The Memory Store: “All the doors face east…” (Video)
Conche, 1932. From The Rooms Archives.
Twillingate, 1936. From The Rooms Archives.
Bay Bulls, 1942. From The Rooms Archives.
Ladle Cove, 2011. Heritage NL photo.
Admiral’s Cove, 2011. Heritage NL photo.
Harbour Grace, 2011. Heritage NL photo.
Cape Broyle, 2011. Heritage NL photo.
Ship Harbour, 2011. Heritage NL photo.
Brigus, 2011. Heritage NL photo.
Twillingate, 2011. Heritage NL photo.
Cellar interior, 2011. Heritage NL photo.
