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Bay Robert's - History Timeline

1675 – Arthur Varder, his wife and mother and the widow of Joan Clay are listed as planters.

1677 - Census mentions that planters Varder and Clay are keeping thirty-four head of cattle, twenty-two sheep and nine hogs.

1729 – Newfoundland was divided into Judicial districts; Bay Roberts was included in the Carbonear Judicial District.

1800’s (early) – The power of settling trivial disputes is given to three of the oldest and most respected residents, and stocks are set up.

1810 – Robert Pack starts a business and is the first recorded merchant. Mr. Fryer joins Mr. Pack a short time later.

1816 – James Hickson, a resident missionary, is appointed by the Wesleyans to Bay Roberts and Spaniard’s Bay.

1818 – First Church of England Mission is established.

1820 – The first schooner (about 60 tons with a crew of 20 men) is used.

1827 – Stocks set up in early 1800’s are removed.

1832 – First Church of England Church is constructed.

1845 – Newfoundland is divided into educational districts and boards; Bay Roberts is placed under the Board at Harbour Grace.

1850 - A Shipyard is opened by C.A. Dawe.

1860 – During Christmas time, Isaac Mercer is killed by mummers; a reward is offered for the discovery of the murderers and three men are arrested but afterwards released.

1864 – Charles and Azariah Dawe form a business in Port de Grave but move to Bay Roberts shortly afterwards because of better business opportunities.

1872 – Two schools are opened; Church of England and Methodist.

1872 (April 28) – The Huntsman of Bay Roberts is lost in the Strait of Belle Isle, with 44 men, most of whom are from the town, including Captain R. Dawe.

1874 (April 2) – Captain I. Bartlett and 21 men are killed during the boiler explosion on the Tigress. (Most of the men are from Bay Roberts).

1877 – Rev. J. Lister, first resident minister is appointed; prior to this the minister had visited from Port de Grave.

1881 (September 7) – First court session is held at Bay Roberts.

1887 – First Salvation Army Corps in Newfoundland is at Bay Roberts.

1900’s (early) – Captain A. Dawe, Lewis Dawe and W.H. Greenland begin to send their ships across the Atlantic to Spain and Portugal full of fish, they return with stores of salt.

1905 – 1906 – The Court house is moved to the Crossroads and located in a building which housed the telegraph office, lockup, customs office and police residence.

1906 – The Outlook, a newspaper is founded.

1909 – The firm of Charles Dawe is dissolved because of his death.

1909 – The Outlook is sold to C.E. Russell, who published it under the name Bay Roberts Guardian until 1949.

1913 – A new Court house building is constructed.

1913 – Bank of Nova Scotia opens in Bay Roberts.

1915 – A movie house is opened on the second floor of Thompson’s Drug Store; where movies where shown until the late 1950’s.

1921- 1944 – Students attend St. Matthew’s School.

1944 – The Anglican school and United Church school come together under the combined school system.

1948 – The Amalgamated school is built.

1949 – William Dawe and sons Limited plant is destroyed by fire; it is one of the largest wood-working firms in Newfoundland employing almost 150 men.

1959 – The association for the Help of Retarded Children establishes a school.

1964 – Ascension Collegiate is built in Bay Roberts to accommodate all the Anglican students from Upper Island Cove to Brigus.

1964 – Bank of Montreal opens in Bay Roberts.

1965 – Bay Roberts has 10 wholesale concerns, 7 schools, 8 churches, banks, supermarkets and insurance offices.

1965 – Bay Roberts is the largest salt-fish producing center in Newfoundland with two large fish plants along its harbour front. Bay Roberts fisheries are handling about 60,000 quintals of fish a year for export to European, Brazilian and Caribbean markets. Keefe’s Poultry Farm is daily producing 1,000 eggs and has more than 20,000 heads of poultry.

1965 – The boundaries of the municipality of Bay Roberts are extended to include Coley’s Point, most of Country Road and most of Shearstown.

1969 – Royal Commission on Education and Youth is implemented to accommodate all the Protestant students.

1970’s – About 50 crews from the general area leave for Labrador each summer on CN boats and a few in Bay Roberts East still carried on a local fishery.