Handful of CBS’s most interesting places awarded heritage grants

By Craig Westcott / June 2, 2023

Six of Conception Bay South’s most cherished and historic properties are getting donations from the Town under its Heritage Grant Program.

Councillor-at-Large Paul Connors, who chairs the economic development and tourism committee, made the motion to pay out the $14,500 worth of grants.

Miller House at 2342 Topsail Road in Topsail is getting $3,727. According to Heritage Newfoundland and Labrador, the two-storey home was built in the late 1880s.

St. John the Evangelist Church on Church Terrace in Topsail, is getting $1,723. The church was built in 1860-61 and served as the spiritual home for the area’s Anglican families until 1974. It is still used for flower services and other special occasions. It was once used as a setting for the CBC series Pigeon Inlet.

St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Upper Gullies is getting $2,000. The cornerstone for the picturesque building was laid in 1905 and the church was consecrated just over four years later. It is still used for services today.

All Saints Parish Cemetery is getting $2,000. The cemetery, which sits on a hill in Foxtrap overlooking the bay, is one of the oldest in town and features some of the earliest gravestones and family names on this side of Conception Bay.

Topsail United Church is getting $3,000. Though the once famous ‘Church by the Side of the Road’ is long gone and replaced, the old wrought iron gate to the cemetery, which contains the graves of many of Topsail’s first settlers, remains and is a recognized heritage site.

Prince of Orange Lodge No. 23, Middle Bight Road, Kelligrews is getting $2,050. The Lodge was built in the early 1870s and opened for meetings in 1875. That meant Orangemen from the Kelligrews and Foxtrap area no longer had to walk or row to Portugal Cove to attend meetings. Since it opened, the Lodge has hosted everything from election rallies and wedding receptions to Church services and even a recruitment office.