This Saturday was an Doors Open Day in St. Johns, with local museums and building opening their doors to the public for free. It was a great opportunity to check out some small museums, and explore some buildings that we otherwise wouldn't have access.
First on our list was the Anglican Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. Founded in 1699, it is the oldest Anglican Parish in Canada. The present form of the cathedral was designed by the Victorian architect Sir George Gilbert Scott in the mid 1800s. The cathedral was extensively damaged in the fire of 1892, but was quickly rebuilt in the following years. It is a very beautiful church, and a helpful guide pointed out a few interesting details and explained some of the history.
After the cathedral we walked to the Central Fire Station where we checked out their small museum and took a closer look inside a few of the fire engines. The museum gave a brief history of the St. John's Fire Department, and exhibited some equipment used by fire fighters throughout the years, including a horse drawn fire engine.
Down in the garage we got to play around in the fire engines, old and new, though Luke was disappointed not to get one of the red firemen's hats that all the other kids had on.
Next on our list was the James J. O'Mara Pharmacy Museum, a circa 1900 restored pharmacy. It was really interesting to see what healthcare was like at the beginning of last century, and to see how something as everyday as a pharmacy has changed so radically. Lots of medications from the time were on display, and volunteers were on hand to provide info and give demonstrations.
Our last stop was the Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove Museum, a neat little museum that told the history of the three communities through a collection of small exhibits. Each exhibit focused on a topic such as military, dairy farming, sporting achievements (good rowers apparently), home life and religion, and they were divided up into little row houses, complete with colourful siding. There were lots of interesting bits and pieces in the museum, include a very concise memoir of the Second Word War written by a veteran for his 9 year granddaughter.
And here are a few more pics from our Doors Open Saturday!
