| On Saturday, April 1, 2000, the Hon. George
Baker, Minister responsible for ACOA and Veteran's Affairs, MP Bill Matthews, Burin - St.
George's, Hon. Oliver Langdon, MHA, Fortune Bay - Cape LaHune, along with civic officials
gathered at the Town Hall in Harbour Breton to sign an agreement with ACOA which will see
the town receive approximately $36,000 to carry out restorations on the Sunny Cottage
Heritage Centre. The Sunny Cottage Heritage Centre,
located in the Town of Harbour Breton, is one of the few attractions of its type in the
Coast of Bays region. A former merchant residence which was built in 1907, Sunny Cottage
has been restored by a local corporation to help preserve the history of the town and the
history of a considerable portion of the south coast.
This Queen Anne-style structure is one of the largest
houses of its kind in existence in the province today. Overlooking the harbour on a
spacious expanse of lawn, both the Cottage itself and the grounds on which it has been
built are used each year for various local functions.
Sunny Cottage was recognized as a heritage structure by
the Newfoundland Heritage Society in 1988, and during its first year of operation (1996),
the cottage received the prestigious Manning Award in recognition of excellence in the
public presentation of historic places. In particular, this award recognizes increasing
awareness and enjoyment of the history and heritage of the community through the
restoration and operation of the Cottage.
Visitors from throughout the province, the country and
from around the world have been overwhelmed by the rich history contained here. This list
of visitors has been growing each year since the heritage centre first opened, and Sunny
Cottage has proven itself to be an extremely worthwhile contributor to the local and
regional tourism industry. |
