Fisherman’s Museum, Hibbs Hole Cove School and Porter House
This special cluster of three buildings in Hibbs Cove tells a tale of a fishing enterprise as old as the hills.
The Fisherman’s Museum is one of a cluster of three buildings in Hibbs Cove owned by the Fishermen’s Museum Board (FMB), which also includes the Hibbs Hole Cove School and the nearby Porter House. While each has a unique story to tell, collectively, the buildings along with other natural features and adjacent marine infrastructure in the area tell a unique story of fishing enterprise and families making a life for themselves on the edge of dramatic cliffs.
Fisherman’s Museum
So raved American artist George Noseworthy who in 1966 settled permanently with his wife in Hibbs Cove, living in the Porter House. The world of life and colour he had discovered not only inspired such enthusiastic journal entries, but also a wide-ranging collection of artworks depicting rural landscapes and lifestyles dating back to the 1700s, along with a local art movement in his newfound wonderland.
“The rugged coastline, colorful (sic) houses, boats, wharves, fish flakes, and the deep blue color (sic) of the ocean, blew me away. I felt as if I had fallen into another time, and I knew this was where I wanted to be.”
Noseworthy was passionate about encouraging youth in artistic endeavours, passing along his art skills to local children and helping to establish music and art centres. Indeed, it was Noseworthy who would become the founder of the Fisherman’s Museum and his presence is felt strongly there to this day in the shape of an urn containing his ashes is held in the museum, and his artwork and some from his students are displayed on the walls.
The museum consists of a wood-frame structure featuring a single-room museum with a mezzanine space accessed by a small stair. The building houses an impressive collection of artifacts from the traditional fishery, along with a number of model boats. Just a short time spent within its historic walls will bring to life centuries-old tales of taming the seas and cultivating the land of the Peninsula. Stand in awe at the thought of these durable little boats taking on the wild north Atlantic waves to bring home the catches that provided a life and livelihood for the residents of this rugged place.
Hibbs Hole Cove School
Hibbs Hole Cove School is another historical structure filled with the memories of Peninsula children receiving tutelage from its dedicated teachers. The building is a single-room wood-frame school house featuring a bank of “schoolhouse” windows that allowed natural light to brighten the teaching area when class was in session.
With a small, raised stage at one end, the school is set up in its historical configuration, with several historical displays retelling stories of school days gone by. While it is presented as it would have looked as a school classroom, the building has been used at times as a crafts room and even as a setting for a film.
Porter House
The traditional trifecta is completed by nearby Porter House — a recognized heritage structure. A historical wood-frame family home, the two-storey house has living, dining, and kitchen areas on the first floor and bedrooms on the second storey, accessed by a central stair. Many of the rooms in the house have been converted into display areas depicting scenes of rural life, nature, and featuring an array of cultural items. A room upstairs has a dedicated interpretation to George Noseworthy himself.
To visit the Hibbs Cove Cluster is to spend a little time traveling back through many decades, in the company of those that have called this place home.
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