Do you have an interest in the artifacts and antiques of Western Newfoundland, the Island as a whole, and/or our sister province, Nova Scotia? If so, please read on to learn more very inspirational and educational facts from its owner, Leonard Young of Len's Antiques. Leonard was born and raised on the west coast in Stephenville Crossing, and has lived there all his adult life. Now a retired carpenter/craftsman, with a passion for the challenge of exploring places to search, he spends much of his time restoring and refurbishing all his treasures. Among his adventures and projects, he has been able to set up a building in the town to house his finished items. This 8 bedroom, 6 bathroom inn was built in 1953 as a residential place for a prominent business man and his family. It sits on acres of wooded area, further enhancing the building. It was engineered by a Halifax firm to withstand high winds and serious weather conditions. In restoring the building, Leonard has kept it as original as possible. The Inn holds a wide variety of antique articles ranging from the furniture itself to large items such as paintings, decor, and items as small as dishes and silverware, all sitting in this cozy, bright, clean atmosphere. As well as the inn, Leonard has a large storage and workshop on his own home property where he stores and gives new life to his "old things," creating a vast array of collectibles. Among his possessions are kerosene lamps, dishes, stoves, cabinets, bureaus, ornaments, vases, photos, paintings, and clocks, just to name a few. Among these items, one of great interest is a clock ,which was owned by Ted Johnson, an Irishman, captain of the boat, The Winchester, to whom it was awarded by his crew, for his efforts as their leader, as inscribed on it. This clock holds 7 jewels and chimes every 30 minutes. The clock, as you see from the photo, has been set in the wheel of a ship, made by Leonard to hold and protect it. Captain Johnson passed away at the age of 95, on March 22, 2018. He had been awarded the Military Cross in 1943 at the Battle for Leros, in which Ted's platoon had to retreat in the face of an overwhelming force by the Germans. In 1992, Ted published a book, Island Prize, Leros 1943, in which he recounted his experiences as a prisoner of war. Many Newfoundlanders, under British rule at the time, went overseas as well to serve in the army, navy and air force during the second world war. It was not a pretty time for the participants of war. as we all know. If anyone has any information on this clock, please feel free to contact Leonard for conversation. He would be very interested in knowing more. Another of his small treasures is a gold wedding ring, owned by one of his friend's family members. This ring was blessed and given by Pope Pius 11th, in 1930, to a parish priest from our west coast who traveled to Italy. The ring was given to a young servant girl for her wedding, which she wore for 51 years until she passed away. This servant came to work for the priest at a very young age and remained there until the day she married and moved to Stephenville Crossing, where she spent her days. The church she cared for still stands and is a museum for the past number of years. On another note, the stove shown in the photo above, is one that was rescued from a place which no longer exists, but was once a thriving community, the hub of the St. George's Bay Fishery. It was the major port and supply centre as well, for much of the west coast. It is that of Sandy Point, now a sanctuary for the great numbers and different species of migratory birds that inhabit the island in the summer months. This particular stove was manufactured in Sackville, New Brunswick in 1909, by Enterprise Foundry Company, called a Queen Step Top Wood Stove. Queen Victoria is pictured in the nickel raised panels, an all cast iron stove. It was transported to Sandy Point for one of the resident's homes for the purpose of heating the house. It was also used to do all the family cooking. The stove was a very important item in all homes. As is shown in the photo, it has four lids for cooking, and an oven rack and boot warmer shelf under it. There is so much history in antiques, their uses and purposes for survival. The kerosene lamps are items of great importance as well since many homes did not have electricity and the lamps were used to light the houses at night. People burned kerosene to produce light. One can see why it would be such an important commodity. The photo of the lantern shown here is one from the Canadian National Railway, a Bracket Lamp with a reflector on the back. As you see, the lantern is attached to the wall with the bracket and the reflector at the back can be tipped or turned to allow light to reflect where it was needed in an area. This most likely was one used in the train stations, or attached to the walls of the cabooses, since there was no electricity at this time and kerosene lamps were the sole source of light for homes as well as businesses such as the railway, which was started in 1898 on the Island. The railway was brought to our west coast of St. George's, spearheaded by Scottish-born Montreal resident and railway engineer/contractor, Robert Gillespie Reid. It lasted until 1988, for 90 years. Our island is rich in history and stories, a wonderful place like no other where our people still enjoy and value this place we call home.   Submitted By: NULL