Historic Places Days: The History of Admiralty House Communications Museum

    This year for Historic Places Days, I want to highlight the history of the building that now houses Admiralty House Communications Museum. It turns 110 years old this year. Many elements of the original construction of the building are still visible today, including the cross-beams, hardwood, a fireplace, and some wattle and daub. Throughout its century-long life, it has served many different purposes, most notably as a top-secret wireless station during the First World War. It lived on past the war however, and was used as a farm, an office building, then, after being briefly abandoned, its history was rediscovered and it was turned into a museum. Every era of its existence contributes to its importance as a "Historic Place."
 

   This building started its life as the barracks for those serving at the HM Wireless Station St. John's. The Marconi Company built it in 1915 alongside the Telegraph Building (that is no longer standing) for use by the British Admiralty. It was one of eleven identical stations built for the Admiralty around the world.¹ Due to the high cost of the boxes used to ship wireless equipment parts between England and St. John's, they were then used to construct the barracks, and you can still see the shipping stamps on the cross beams in the museum. The Admiralty chose this location for the building because its distance from the water would prevent any naval attacks, its steep elevation was similar to Signal Hill, its soil's high conductivity of electricity, and they believed its low population would make it easier to keep its location a secret.² The station helped to coordinate and protect Allied ships crossing the Atlantic Ocean, and even helped to organize the rescue of survivors from the S.S. Florizel which ran aground near Cappahayden in February, 1918.³ The barracks included dormitories, a kitchen, a mess hall, sick rooms, and a private bedroom and sitting room for the commanding officer.⁴ Isolated from the society of St. John's proper, the men who lived here were often entertained by the Parsons, a local farming family whose property abutted the station. They provided the station with company, friendship, and amusement.⁵ The station remained in operation until 1922, when the Admiralty decided the high cost needed to update the equipment and technology for use in a future potential war was not a worthwhile endeavor, and they put the building and property up for sale. In a happy coincidence, the same Parsons family bought the building after they had served an integral function for the men who worked at the station.⁶

Clem Scott Collection, Admiralty House Communications Museum, 006-001-012.

    The Parsons bought the property in 1926, and they expanded their existing farm into the area. They converted the barracks into a farmhouse for themselves and their children's families. A couple of the men who had worked at the station, like Charles Benjamin Scott, even married into the Parsons, so they continued living in the same building they had served in. While the barracks remained a space for living, the telegraph building did not remain a space for communication. Instead, the Parsons converted that building into a barn for their animals and livestock.⁷ The three radio towers the Admiralty had built on the property also remained during the Parsons ownership and were used by several local radio stations, such as VOCM and CBC. However, they were torn down in 1938, 1954, and 1955.⁸ Members of the Parsons family continued to live and work on this land until 1973, when Madeline Parsons sold the property after the death of her husband and son.⁹

    

Archives, Admiralty House Communications Museum, Box H, 001-003-002.

    When the Parsons sold the property in 1973, the Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation purchased the building and used it as their headquarters and office space. They used it until 1988, when they left the property and its history abandoned as it succumbed to time.¹⁰ It sat empty and decayed as the grounds became unkempt over the next decade, until the Mount Pearl City Council decided something needed to be done with it. Their initial plan was to demolish it and repurpose the land, but they deemed it necessary to first look into the history of the building. So, they formed a committee, including the then mayor, to discover the this mysterious, dilapidated building's past. Their investigation recovered it's importance as a historical site, but the council still had to decide if it was worth the cost of renovations which were needed to turn it into a museum. After putting it to a vote, which ended in a 5-4 split, the council was officially in support of opening a museum dedicated to the history of the wireless station, communications technology, and the City of Mount Pearl.¹¹ Admiralty House Communications Museum opened its doors to the public on June 23rd, 1997, in a ceremony which Prince Philip attended, and is still in operation today.¹²

Admiralty House Museum and Archives Digital Collections

Admiralty House Communications and Archives Digital Collections

    Admiralty House recently celebrated it's 28th birthday with a week full of events in June. The building itself has gone through many different inhabitants and renovations over the course of its 110 years, but elements of its youth still shine through, giving it a fascinating feel and look. It is a gratifying experience getting to come to work each day in this historic building, and be surrounded by the memories of all those who have lived and worked here, long before my time. Admiralty House Communications Museum, through both its building and exhibits, is a tangible link to our past; one which allows us to walk in the footsteps of those who came before us.

    If you are interested in learning more about the building's or location's history, please come in and visit us this summer at 365 Old Placentia Road in Mount Pearl, where we are open daily through July and August! We have exhibits not only on the building itself, but also the City of Mount Pearl, the S.S. Florizel, and much more.

Sources

    1. Marconi’s Wireless Telegraph Company Limited. Description and Specification of 30 K.W Naval Wireless Station At St. John’s. 1918. Admiralty House Museum and Archives digital record, 1-4.

    2. Marconi’s Wireless Telegraph Company Limited. Description and Specification of 30 K.W Naval Wireless Station At St. John’s. 1918. Admiralty House Museum and Archives digital record, 1-4.

    3. Gushue, Lisa. “100th anniversary of Florizel tragedy marked at Admiralty House Communications Museum.” CBC News, Feb. 24, 2018. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/100th-anniversary-of-florizel-sinking-1.4550457.

    4. Marconi’s Wireless Telegraph Company Limited. Description and Specification of 30 K.W Naval Wireless Station At St. John’s. 1918. Admiralty House Museum and Archives digital record, 5-7.

    5. Grant, W.L. “Wireless Officer Report on Parsons.” Letter. Admiralty House Communications Museum Collections. 1918.

    6. “Great Sale: Admiralty Wireless Station At Mount Pearl.” The People’s Auctioneers (St. John’s, NL).

    7. Admiralty House Museum and Archives Collections.

    8. “Last ‘Marconi Pole’ Comes Crashing Down.” Daily News (St. John’s, NL), May 19, 1955.

    9. Admiralty House Museum and Archives Collections.

    10. Admiralty House Museum and Archives Collections.

    11. Public Council Meeting, 94-03-143, Admiralty House Communications Museum (March 7, 1994).

    12. Admiralty House Museum and Archives Collections.