Robert Brown Store
This two-storey, steeply roofed fish store sits on a property perhaps once known as "Old Room," which was occupied by the Brown family of Bonavista since the early nineteenth century. Sources suggest that it was built by William Brown at around 1851, in the area of Bonavista historically known as Canaille. Then William's foreign-going sea captain son, Captain Robert Brown, owned the property for more than fifty years.
When the Bonavista Historical Society took ownership of the strucure and moved it to save it from being torn down, the fish store was in fairly poor condition. Its restoration included building a stone foundation, repairing or replacing windows and doors, replacing clapboard and installing new wooden roofing shingles. The project was completed in September of 2008.
"This property is restored to its original character," says Gordon Bradley of the Bonavista Historical Society. "It sits on the Canaille shoreline and is very important to the landscape. Back a few years ago, it was slated for demolition by its former owner. The BHS is pleased with the work completed."
Robert Brown Store is one of only a couple of historic two-storey fish stores of this type remaining in Bonavista, whose shoreline was once busy with dozens of such structures.
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George Hicks Fishing Property
This two-storey fish store with a low gabled roof was erected by farmer, boatbuilder and lobster fisherman George Hicks of Bonavista, likely some time in the early 1900s. He used it to store lobster pots and other fishing gear.
George's store is adjoined at the rear by a more steeply-gabled structure, built circa 1942 by his son, Maxwell Hicks (died circa 2002). Maxwell Hicks eventually used both stores for boatbuilding, while larger boats were constructed outside on the grounds of the premises. Maxwell constructed a boat of his own at this property in 1951.
The Bonavista Historic Townscape Foundation (BHTF) received support from the Fisheries Heritage Preservation Program in 2007 to restore the George Hicks Fishing Property off Rolling Cove Road. The BHTF reported that "approximately seventy percent of the foundation sills were rotten and floor boards were sunk into the ground." As well, the building was twisted out of square, the clapboard needed replacing, the roof needed to be re-felted, and much of the building required new sheathing because of extensive rot. The BHTF's restoration efforts addressed these issues, and they finished the previously rather forlorn store with several coats of fresh paint.
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Maxwell Hicks Property
The two-storey fish store at the front of the Maxwell Hicks Property was erected by farmer, boatbuilder and lobster fisherman George Hicks of Bonavista, likely some time in the early 1900s. George Hicks used it to store lobster pots and other fishing gear.
George's store is adjoined by a younger, more steeply-gabled structure, built circa 1942 by his son, Maxwell Hicks (died circa 2002). This newer store sits closer to the waterside, and was framed in with lumber cut at a saw mail owned by Alfred Stead at Parson's Siding.
Maxwell Hicks eventually used both stores for boatbuilding, while larger boats were constructed outside on the grounds of the premises. Maxwell constructed a boat of his own at this property in 1951.
The Bonavista Historic Townscape Foundation (BHTF) received support from the Fisheries Heritage Preservation Program in 2007 to restore the store built by Maxwell Hicks. Melissa Boyce of the BHTF says, "Before work commenced on this structure, it was in very desparate need of preservation work."
The restoration workers encountered quite severely rotted wood in some places, so that the structure had to be secured from the outside before removing rotted floorboards. The effort also included repairing the stone foundation, replacing asphalt roofing shingles with cedar shingles, re-nailing existing shingles on the structure's north side, replacing skirting and clapboard, and painting.
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