Long Beach Storyboard

In Search of Timber

Founding Families

George Shirley Vey, Ted Vey, and George Vey

Fishermen travelled back and forth across Trinity Bay from Grates Cove to South West Arm in search of timber as early as the 1840s or 50s. It wasn’t until about 1865 that a few families took up permanent residence in Long Beach. When the 1873 Voter’s Lists were recorded, the community had three founding families – Elias and Lucinda (Stoyles) Avery; George and Sarah Selena (Rose) Barfoot [Barfitt]; and, James and Lavinia (Stoyles) Vise [Vey]. Some descendants of these families continue to make Long Beach their home.

Bountiful Sea

Long Beach relied heavily on the Labrador fishery, as the community was located some distance from the fishing grounds. There were as many as seven schooners leaving for Labrador from Long Beach.

In 1935, the fishery was still the main economic activity for the population of 132 (24 families). A total of four vessels went to Labrador and there were 17 inshore motorboats. The community had 23 houses (with one vacant) and six barns.

Artisans & Labour

William and Lloyd Vey

Many of the men of Long Beach were skilled boat builders. Wooden schooners were being built in Long Beach in the late 1800s and early 1900s. As well, many smaller boats were built every winter either for personal use or to sell in the spring. Some men were known to build a boat every winter.

While Long Beach was a major fishing community, it was also heavily involved in logging. The water powered sawmills operated in Long Beach on each of its brooks for many years. In 1911 there were five water powered sawmills recorded in this small community. In more recent years, there were as many as seven sawmills operated in and around the community.

Matriarchs of the Community

Aunt Fanny Vey

While the men and boys fished in Labrador during the summer months, the women of the community were kept very busy. They raised the children, took care of the livestock, and grew vegetables and picked berries to see the family through the winter. At the same time, the women dealt with all emergencies, including health, ran local businesses such as the post office, maintained family property, and ran family enterprises such as retail stores.

Long Beach had one well known midwife – Charlotte Fanny (King) Vey (1882-1959). With six months of training from the Grace Hospital in St. John’s, Aunt Fanny, as she was known, became a midwife/district nurse in Southwest Arm in the early 1930s. Her bag was always packed, and she was ready to go on a minute’s notice, day or night, when she was needed.

Community Hub

St. Mark’s Anglican School, c1954

In the 1800s the Anglican congregation of Long Beach worshiped at a church chapel and school on the hill between the present church and the old Anglican cemetery. The first recorded service in Long Beach was a Sacrament of Holy Matrimony held on October 6, 1884. In the 1890s the first church of St. Mark’s was built by the men of the congregation who gave a great deal of free labour.

Long Beach was an Anglican community in the early days, except for the family of Elias Avery. Around 1900 a Methodist school chapel was built and in 1925, the first Methodist schoolhouse was built.

Caplin

Caplin has always played an important role in the history of Long Beach. At one time it was a way to supplement the family income as well as a way for young children to earn a few dollars. Today, the annual caplin roll continues to bring many visitors to Long Beach. Visitors come from near and far to catch their feed of fresh caplin or just to watch them rol