Tour recounts story of heroic Carbonear postmistress
By Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Olivia Bradbury
A postmistress who died saving others from a fire in 1904 is the subject of a new heritage walk in Carbonear this summer.
The story of Miss Tryphoena Nicholl is fairly well known in Carbonear, but probably unknown to the rest of the island.
Nicholl was born on March 5, 1843. From an early age she worked as an assistant to her father, Nicholas, the postmaster. When he died at the age of 77, Tryphoena was appointed postmistress, a position she held 27 years.
Nicholl never married and had no children.
“I guess her job was her life,” said Carbonear Heritage Society chairman Keith Thomas.
Following her death, an issue of the Free Press described Nicholl as generous and selfless. “She was not one of those who are always ready to join in the pleasures of prosperity, whilst refusing to weep with those who weep,” it read.
Nicholl’s selfless nature was punctuated by the sacrifice she made on Saturday, June 25, 1904 when a fire started in the basement kitchen of the post office. Nicholl, who lived in the building, awoke to the sounds of the fire, and could easily have escaped to the street. However, there were two occupants on the top floor: a maid and Rev. Dr. Levi Curtis. Nicholl went upstairs and woke the sleeping inhabitants, who were able to escape through windows. Nicholl was unable to escape, and her remains were later discovered in the building. She was 61 years old at the time of her death.
A new post office was built after the fire. The women of Carbonear collected funds to erect a monument in Nicholl’s honour in front of the building. Made of granite, the monument included a fountain where people could bring their horses for a drink. It was an expensive undertaking.
“So obviously her deeds were well-recognized and well-respected in the town at that particular time to be able to raise that amount of money to create a monument,” said Thomas.
Curtis, the man whose life was saved by Nicholl’s actions, would go on to found Memorial University of Newfoundland. Thomas said it begs the question as to whether Memorial University would exist without Nicholl’s sacrifice.
The Miss Tryphoena Nicholl Tour was researched by historian Bert Parsons and written by Loretta Oates. Actors play the roles of historic figures including Nicholl herself, her parents, her niece, Curtis, the maid, and local police officers. The next editions of the tour will run August 7, and August 21,from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. each night. A donation of $5 will be accepted from participants.
The tour begins at Bethany United Church Cemetery with a visit to the Nicholl family gravesite. It then moves to the Old Carbonear Post Office on Water Street, which is now a museum and registered heritage structure.
“Weather permitting, we’ll congregate around the monument that’s there,” said Thomas. Participants will be responsible for arranging their own transport from the cemetery to the Post Office. The tour will continue inside the old Post Office, where Nicholl will share her story. The museum will remain open for guests to learn more Carbonear’s history.
Thomas said the Heritage Society’s concern is making sure Carbonear history is kept alive. “It’s okay to write it down, but it’s a lot easier if you tell people about it and they’ll spread the word themselves and pass it on to their kids,” he added.
People can follow the Carbonear Heritage Society’s Facebook page for posts about the town’s history. The society asks anyone with questions about the tour to call (709) 589-6892.