Signal Hill Interpretation Plan

St. John’s, NL, November 17, 2020 – Signal Hill’s connection to global communications history – most importantly, Guglielmo Marconi’s successful transatlantic wireless experiment in 1901 – is a major reason why Signal Hill is designated a National Historic Site. This fall, the Historic Sites Association of Newfoundland and Labrador and Parks Canada, with support from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), are embarking on an important new project that will re-imagine the ways that history is told. 

Stories about signal flags to announce the arrival of vessels to St. John’s harbour, the noonday gun marking time, and Ladies’ Lookout to watch for those returning from fishing after a storm are all part of what makes Signal Hill special. With approximately 750,000 visitors per year, the site has local, national and international significance as it relates to the story of communication.  As such, we will be casting our net wide to explore interesting and dynamic ways to tell this story. 

Phase one of the project focuses on developing a detailed interpretation plan. This plan will act as a guide on how best to showcase the important role communication has played in the history of Signal Hill by using new, dynamic, interpretive methods and products that allow inclusion and interaction.  Part of the Interpretation Plan work will be to determine the most appropriate locations and creative use of space at the site to tell the story. Cabot Tower will be a primary focus; however, other locations will be explored throughout the site to tell aspects of the story, including the Visitor Interpretation Centre, the summit (an area around the historic hospital site where Marconi received the wireless signal), the Queen’s Battery and Ladies’ Lookout.

In the coming months, the Historic Sites Association will be reaching out to stakeholders to consider how the presentation of Signal Hill’s communications history might:
• Bring a diverse range of stories, voices, and perspectives to the site;
• Celebrate achievements, but also explore complexities, controversies, and failures; and
• Go beyond simply communicating what happened and engage visitors in conversations about what this history means to them today.

ACOA is investing $49,500 towards the development of the interpretation plan.

“This will tell Signal Hill’s story in a new way—inspiring visitors and keeping this rich piece of our history alive,” said the Honourable Seamus O’Regan, Minister of Natural Resources, on behalf of the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages and Minister responsible for ACOA.

Interested in being part of this process? 

To share your experience or for more information about the Signal Hill Communications Project interpretation Plan, please contact Andrea MacDonald at events@historicsites.ca.

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Contact:
Andrea MacDonald
Executive Director
Historic Sites Association of NL 
709-753-2566  
events@historicsites.ca