John Collins, a seventeenth century apologist for the salt fish trade, pointed out in 1682 that the "sort of Cod that is caught near the shore, and on the Coast of Newfoundland and dryed, is called Poor-Jack." So common was this type of fish that Shakespeare in The Tempest could use it to describe one of his characters: "A fish: he smells like a fish: a very ancient and fishlike smell; a kind of not-of-the-newest Poor-John." Probably at the same time that Shakespeare's play was being performed on the stage of the Globe, dramas of different sorts were being acted out on hundreds of stages in the New World. While Poor-Jack, the salt cod fish, could be used as a simile on Shakespeare's stage, he was being born on the stages of Newfoundland's coasts, turned from a living animal into food for much of Europe. This essay is concerned with Poor-Jack's stage, a "stage" being the name for the particular kind of Newfoundland outbuilding where fish have been processed. My findings, however, must be considered as nothing more than preliminary, for there is still a tremendous amount of research--both ethnographic and archival--necessary before a more complete picture emerges. Indeed, while the fish stage could be considered the most important architectural form in Newfoundland's long history, it has essentially been neglected in studies of the local landscape.
Fisheries architecture in Newfoundland involves a complex of structures of which the stage is the most important building. However, adjacent to that structure there were a series of platforms, known as flakes, for drying the fish; these drying racks were an important component of the entire processing endeavour. The stage is unique among British and North American outbuildings because unlike the typical uses of agricultural structures, both the slaughter and the processing of a harvested animal takes place within this space. While barns and stables were intended for year-round housing of live animals, the stage would be used only for several months during the summer, and not as a shelter for livestock. Flakes would also have a limited seasonal use--primarily when fish were being made. Yet, there are similarities between the agricultural world of making hay and the maritime world of making fish--the drying of a once living substance. The uniqueness of the fish making process had to do with the fact that an actual building was needed for initial processing before the product was brought out to dry. The particular method of curing fish in Newfoundland (and Atlantic Canada)--soaking in brine and sun-drying on stretches of coastline--led to the development of this specific architectural form that is most likely unique to the region.
When looking at the fish stage as a unique architectural form, the central question becomes: what determined the shape and layout of this structure? What factors led to the development of this outbuilding, a structure that was as central to Newfoundland's landscape as the barn was in the more typical North American setting? In part, it seems that the agricultural world shaped the fish stage, although the structure was also influenced by New World technologies and designs. At the same time, work patterns relating to fish processing differed greatly from those needed in agricultural work, and also influenced the development of the stage and its ancillary structures. Answering some of these questions will provide an understanding of the building-type that has been as important to Newfoundland as the dwelling house. First, let us turn to the important question of the development of form, a development that can be explained by discussing the actual building units adapted for this structure.
