Haystack was a former fishing settlement located on the northern portion of

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Placentia Bay Placentia Bay (french: Baie de Plaisance) is a body of water on the southeast coast of Newfoundland, Canada. It is formed by Burin Peninsula on the west and Avalon Peninsula on the east. Fishing grounds in the bay were used by native people long ...

of the island of

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

in the province of

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. People from the community freely chose to move to other places in the province during the resettlement program of the 1950s and 60s. Unlike most communities, residents were not paid to leave the community. The community takes its name from a natural protuberance approximately 50 feet in height located (47.633829, -54.062453) on the extreme end of the peninsula surrounding the natural harbour; called the haystack.

History

Prior to any settlement within Haystack, its close proximity to good fishing grounds it served as a seasonal base for fisherman. As the number of migratory fisherman grew it developed into a more permanent settlement which the first Newfoundland government census of 1836 showed a population along with Paddy Poor's Cove (renamed Spencers Cove) of 33 individuals. In the 1845 census Haystack was no longer combined with Spencers Cove which recorded 11 people from two (2) families. In the 1857 Newfoundland census five (5) families with thirty-seven people in all were recorded. The families were of English origin. Grants were issued as early as 1847 for Robert Coffin, Thomas Rendell and Thomas Bugden. The population had reached forty-nine in 1869 and by that time it had both a Church of England church and school. The population had peaked in 1921 with 148 inhabitants. ''

Lovell's Newfoundland Directory Lovell's Province of Newfoundland Directory for 1871 also known as ''Lovell's Newfoundland Directory'' is a collection of work by John Lovell of Montreal to capture the names and business men and other inhabitants in the cities, towns and villages t ...

'' (1871) notes some of the first inhabitants of haystack as Robert Coffin, planter, and James Allen, Thomas Drake, Samuel and Thomas Gilbert, Edward Hanna, John King, Joseph Upshall and Isaac Wakeley as fisherman. The population of Haystack declined in population due to many factors, among which was the isolation and the spread of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

which took its toll on many of the young of Haystack. By 1945 the population had shrunk to 97 and by 1953 there were just ten (10) families remaining, with 23 children attending school.

Resettlement

With the population declining and businesses relocating to larger centres on the mainland portion of the

Avalon Peninsula The Avalon Peninsula (french: Péninsule d'Avalon) is a large peninsula that makes up the southeast portion of the island of Newfoundland. It is in size. The peninsula is home to 270,348 people, about 52% of Newfoundland's population, according ...

, it had hastened the relocation of many of the remaining residents of Haystack. By September 1957 the remaining three (3) families left the once thriving community. While the remaining three (3) families left one resident, Frank Drake remained. After 12 years of being the lone resident of Haystack, in 1969 Frank had left haystack and moved to

Arnold's Cove Arnold's Cove ( 2016 Population 949) is a town on Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is in Division 1 on Placentia Bay. The name is found in population returns of 1836, and may have been ...

, his house was towed and still remains there. It is now formally called the Drake House and was designated a Registered Heritage Structure on March 27, 2003 by the

Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador The Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador (HFNL) or Heritage NL is a non-profit Crown corporation of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador established in 1984 by the Historic Resources Act. Its mandate is to stimulate an unde ...

. The property was designated as a representative example of those buildings that were floated out across Placentia Bay during the resettlement period. The building is listed on the

Canadian Register of Historic Places The Canadian Register of Historic Places (CRHP; french: Le Répertoire canadien des lieux patrimoniaux), also known as Canada's Historic Places, is an online directory of historic sites in Canada which have been formally recognized for their her ...

. The resettlement program of the Newfoundland government had played a major role in the resettlement of the residents of Harbour Buffett which led to the eventual decline and resettlement of Haystack.

History

Resettlement

References

Citations

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Online

See also