Home
Our Fisheries Heritage
Poor Jack
Preservation Program
Restoration Projects
Restoration Tips
Stage of the Year
Links
Downloads
Contact Us
Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador
The Newman Building
1 Springdale Street
PO Box 5171
St. John's, NL
Canada, A1C 5V5
  Restoration Projects: Show All Communities 

  Restoration Projects: Croque
 
Croque Waterfront Project
 
Croque Waterfront Project team (click to enlarge):
 
From l to r, front row:  Joan Hurley, Betty Flynn, Maude Flynn, & Bridge Reardon.
From l to r, back row:  Francis Kearney, Cyril Reardon, Dwayne Alyward, Ed Whiteway.  Missing from photo: Anthony Sexton, Colleen McLean
 
 

Kearney Stage

 

The community of Croque on the former French Shore is home to many fisheries buildings reminiscent of the 18th century French occupation.  Kearney Stage is one of these.  Built about 1930-40 the building is no longer used as a fisheries building.  Because of this it began to deteriorate quickly.  Owner Tony Kearney recognized the need to keep the building and began his restoration project with a grant from the Fisheries Heritage Preservation Program in 2004.

 

At the time of application Kearney Stage required repairs to the foundation, roof, eaves, bridges, windows, clapboard and cribbing.  Kearney set about to fix up the old stage so it could be more useful as a structure to store fishing gear.  Floor joists and beams were replaced, while flashings and siding were removed and replaced with new ones.  The "aim of the work was to stabilize the foundations and roofs of these buildings" and Kearney succeeded.

 

A technical issue that came up was the tipping of the buildings that had occurred due to years of sea ice movement.  A primary goal of the project was to level the buildings while replacing all rotten wood.  This was accomplished through experience and teamwork.

 

A unique aspect of this stage is its location next to an 18th century French cemetery.  The proximity of the building suggests its dual purpose as a fisheries building and as a sentry to the graveyard.  The cemetery sits on a grassy hill with red fisheries buildings lining the shore behind it. 
 
 
Click to enlarge

Before
Click to enlarge

After



Croque Waterfront Properties
Croque Waterfront Prperties
 
The Croque Waterfront was constructed in 1959 by local fishermen who moved into Croque Harbour from Kearney's Cove.  The move was made, in part, because they could access fishing grounds quicker from there in their faster fishing boats, and because the harbour provided better shelter from weather.

 

The buildings were once a hub of activity, with freight boats frequenting the harbour.  They were also used as a gathering place for fishermen, as fisheries buildings so often were in most outports. In 2004 The French Shore Historical Society applied to the Heritage Foundation's Fisheries Preservation Program (FHPP) for funding to help restore the waterfront.

 

The sheds were constructed to store salt fish, but once the salt fishery died out the fishermen used the old sheds to store their fishing gear.  They are also used to store other items owned by the fishermen, such as snow machines, and one of the buildings is still being used for fisheries purposes. 

 

The sheds were all constructed of local lumber cut by the local fishermen, but due to the closure of the fishery, the sheds were not repaired each year, as they traditionally had been.  The loss of these buildings would not only signify a drastic change on the waterfront, but would also signify a great social loss.  At the time of the application many of the sheds required replacement of shores, wood cladding and stage heads.  They also needed painting and roof and window repairs.

 

Colleen McLean, Coordinator for the French Shore Historical Society, said of the project, "The Fisheries Heritage Preservation Program is a shining light for the Croque Waterfront Properties.  This program will enable the owners of these properties to make essential repairs that will allow the properties to remain standing for a while longer."  The project has enabled the community to regain stability in the structures, while expanding the potential growth of tourism in the area.

 
Click to enlarge

Before
Click to enlarge

After





Page: 1 of 1