Lance Cove and Freshwater

by Charlie Bown

Lance Cove is a small settlement that runs into the sea, not like the Beach with its steep hill. The early settlers were the Pitts, Kents, Reeses and others. They bad a brick factory using local clay for this purpose. They also had a shipbuilding yard. The Kents were carpenters, the Reeses were mechanical minded people, and the Pitts made the bricks. Anyway, the Kents would build a wooden schooner, large or small, and the Reeses would see to the hardware such as anchors. When the steam engine was invented, the Reeses excelled in this trade.

It appears that there was no religion in Lance Cove as we know it today, so all the people were buried in what was called a “common” graveyard. These old English headstones date back to the 1800’s. One of these belonging to a Mr. Cooper is dated 1825. Today a trail leads down to this graveyard and people can visit and take pictures of some of our past.

During the second world war, Lance Cove was a beehive of activity when two ore carriers were torpedoed on a Sunday night in November, 1942. Today many people visit Lance Cove beach to swim out to these wrecks, which have plenty of sea life around their insides. Also a marina has been built, so that small crafts can anchor safely away from the heavy seas. Also a monument has been erected in memorial of those 69 men who lost their lives on that night.

Lance Cove is a very beautiful place to visit with its picnic tables and benches. Although a small community, its history can equal any large settlement in the world.

After we leave Lance Cove, we come to the small settlement of Freshwater. The Bickfords and the Parsons lived in this area of Bell Island, where they tilled the soil for centuries. When the mines opened in 1892, these men mostly worked in no. 4 mine, the closest mine to their community.

  There is a little journey you can take while you stop in Freshwater. There is a bed and breakfast on the side of the road, where you can drop in and see Mr. and Mrs. Parsons who will welcome you with a cup of tea or coffee and a lassie bun.

Beside this house is a creek that runs down to the sea. It is a beautiful spot to visit. As you walk down the side of the running brook, you see trees on both sides of you and then you cross a small bridge before going down a steep incline to the ocean.

Well, this little Cove is something else. It has high cliffs on both sides and beautiful flat rocks that extend out into the sea, so that you can walk out a fair distance without getting wet. Freshwater Cove on the upper part of Bell Island is truly one of the beauty spots you have to see.

Don’t forget to sample some of those lassie buns.