Our Heritage
Anderson's Cove now serves as a shared beach and campsite with our neighbouring community Dildo, but it has a rich history dating back 4500 years to Maritime Archaic settlements.
Dr. Paul Bonisteel, a resident of New Harbour, discovered an a large Maritime Archaic stone axe in 1993, which lead to archaeological surveys (1995) and preliminary excavations (1996). An Archaic camp has yet to be discovered, or theorized to having been washed out to sea over 3000 years ago.
More recently 1700-1900 Anderson's Cove was part of a pathway for early settlers to reach New Harbour which turned into the main costal highway which continued to Heart's Content.
In Newfoundland during the mid to late 1800s, whaling was viewed as a necessary industry both for local livelihoods and for the wider demand for whale oil and meat.
In communities like New Harbour, events such as the “pot head drive”—a communal hunt targeting pilot whales, often referred to locally as “pot heads”—were significant not only as a means of securing food and resources but also as a reflection of cultural tradition and economic survival.
At a time when fishing and sealing alone could not always sustain families, whaling supplemented income and provided vital products for domestic use and export.
Though controversial by modern standards, the practice reflected the harsh realities of coastal living and the reliance on the ocean to support isolated Newfoundland communities as late as 1960.
In 1804, Charles Newhook II established a permanent shipyard in Cat Cove, New Harbour, Newfoundland, laying the foundation for what would become a cornerstone of the community’s early economy.
His shipyard not only provided steady employment for local residents but also positioned New Harbour as an important center for wooden shipbuilding during the 19th century. Newhook’s legacy endured well beyond his time, with his family name still prominent in the community today.
Many prominent families who still reside in New Harbour made their name shipbuilding in Cat Cove, including the Polletts, Hilliers, and the Cranfords, who carried on the tradition of craftsmanship along Cat Cove’s shoreline.
Together, these families helped sustain New Harbour’s reputation as a shipbuilding hub until 1935, when the last schooner slid down the stays at Cat Cove, marking the end of a proud chapter in our maritime history.
