OZ Mornings highlights three sites in NL eligible for Next Great Save vote

Each year, National Trust Canada hold the Next Great Save campaign to allow for historic sites across Canada to receive funding, amounting to $65,000 in cash prizes awarded. Last year, Our Lady of Mercy Church in Port au Port was the winner of a public vote and this year, three locations in NL are up for the $50,000 grand prize. Two sites in Labrador are in the running: Battle Harbour Marconi Towers and Dove Brook Church. On the island, St. Mark’s Heritage Church in Port de Grave is also eligible.

Battle Harbour Marconi Towers are the last towers of their kind left standing in North America and were a part of Newfoundland and Labrador’s wireless network and the province’s rich history in global communications transmissions. The restoration of these towers will “strengthen community ties and provide a unique educational experience for visitors.”

Dove Brook Church is located southwest of Cartwright in Labrador, near the boundary of Akami−Uapishkᵘ−KakKasuak−Mealy Mountains National Park Reserve. It was built in 1890 by local residents and the Hudson’s Bay Company and “embodies the determination and devotion of Inuit living in Sandwich Bay, Labrador.”

St. Mark’s Heritage Church has been the subject of restoration efforts from the Port de Grave Peninsula Heritage Society, formed in 1993. It was built in 1926 on the main road passing through Bareneed, and with the grant, it would be transformed into a site for maritime history remembrance in conjunction with the Canadian Coast Guard Alumni Association.

Voting is now open at this link and closes on April 17th.