Some Old White Guy Lived There: Rethinking Existing Narratives and Searching for Herstory

Thursday, March 26, 7:30-9 p.m.

A-1043; online

By Andrea O’Brien

Heritage NL (Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador) is a not-for-profit Crown agency of the provincial Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation. Established by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador in 1984, Heritage NL has a mandate to help preserve the rich heritage of Newfoundland and Labrador. In the beginning, this mandate was largely met by designating spaces which were built by the elite – including grand ecclesiastical buildings, merchant houses, fraternal lodges, and government institutions. Over time it was recognized that many spaces integral to the province’s history were not being recognized. This led to the designation of more modest buildings and some that recognized underrepresented parts of the province’s past.

Yet the stories told about these places and the names assigned to them were still those of the male white owners, architects, and builders. The plaques placed on the exteriors extolled their accomplishments while ignoring the stories of the females who lived and worked with them. Over the past few years Heritage NL has introduced a new plaque design. This presents an opportunity to reexplore buildings and the lives lived within them. We are discovering that untold stories are often more captivating than the known, male centric narratives. Improved archival access and a refocusing on oral histories is uncovering the stories of the unnamed women who lived in heritage homes, women who ran businesses alongside their male family members, women who worked at merchant premises, women who contributed to the building and maintenance of community spaces, women who were forces for change, women who weren’t afraid to break societal norms.

To date Heritage NL has designated 350 Registered Heritage Structures. One by one we are determined to tell the stories of the others who lived in, worked in, and used these buildings – with hopes that this rethinking of accepted narratives will lead to the telling of even more diverse stories.

This lecture is in-person and will also be streamed online. Parking is available in Lot 15B.

For more information and to access the online link, please visit: www.nlhistory.ca

Presented by N.L. Historical Society

Event Listing 2026-03-26 19:30:00 2026-03-26 21:00:00 America/St_Johns Some Old White Guy Lived There: Rethinking Existing Narratives and Searching for Herstory By Andrea O’Brien Heritage NL (Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador) is a not-for-profit Crown agency of the provincial Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation. Established by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador in 1984, Heritage NL has a mandate to help preserve the rich heritage of Newfoundland and Labrador. In the beginning, this mandate was largely met by designating spaces which were built by the elite – including grand ecclesiastical buildings, merchant houses, fraternal lodges, and government institutions. Over time it was recognized that many spaces integral to the province’s history were not being recognized. This led to the designation of more modest buildings and some that recognized underrepresented parts of the province’s past. Yet the stories told about these places and the names assigned to them were still those of the male white owners, architects, and builders. The plaques placed on the exteriors extolled their accomplishments while ignoring the stories of the females who lived and worked with them. Over the past few years Heritage NL has introduced a new plaque design. This presents an opportunity to reexplore buildings and the lives lived within them. We are discovering that untold stories are often more captivating than the known, male centric narratives. Improved archival access and a refocusing on oral histories is uncovering the stories of the unnamed women who lived in heritage homes, women who ran businesses alongside their male family members, women who worked at merchant premises, women who contributed to the building and maintenance of community spaces, women who were forces for change, women who weren’t afraid to break societal norms. To date Heritage NL has designated 350 Registered Heritage Structures. One by one we are determined to tell the stories of the others who lived in, worked in, and used these buildings – with hopes that this rethinking of accepted narratives will lead to the telling of even more diverse stories. This lecture is in-person and will also be streamed online. Parking is available in Lot 15B. For more information and to access the online link, please visit: www.nlhistory.ca A-1043; online N.L. Historical Society