Welcome to Elliston, the Root Cellar capital of the world.
Elliston has been recognized for the root cellar that was the initial item that put Elliston on the map. A root cellar is a free-standing structure built above ground, or wholly or partly buried in the ground. They are used for storing vegetables over the winter. While root cellars are not unique to this province, they are especially prevalent on the Island. The little doors in hillsides are a familiar sight. A well-maintained root cellar kept a crop of summer root vegetables from freezing or rotting over the winter. They were therefore a crucial part of the subsistence lifestyle that allowed fishing families to settle along this province’s rugged coastline. Root Cellars were designated, in 2013, as a Distinctive Cultural Tradition and Practice.
Elliston declared itself the "Root Cellar Capital of the World" in July 2000. We had 133 documented root cellars, some of which have survived nearly two centuries. Unfortunately, a few have been destroyed in recent years with new construction or renovations to private property, so the true number is somewhat less. Nevertheless, Elliston remains a cultural center for those who seek to gain an understanding of early Newfoundland subsistence. On October 13th, 2013 root cellars were recognized as a distinct cultural tradition/practice by the Provincial Historic Commemorations Program.
A root cellar is a structure that was built in the days before electricity in order to keep vegetables from freezing in the winter months and to keep its contents cool during the warm summer months. However, they provided for more than just a place for storage of various items. Root cellars were also incorporated into the fun past times of the children. Boys and girls use to gather around the cellars and have all kinds of games. When the boys and girls would go out in the evenings, the boys would make use of the various cellars to scare the girls. Others believed there were spirits in the root cellars. The young boys would jump out and scare the young girls!
Folklore was associated with the root cellars as well. A common local story was that of parents informing their children that babies came from the root cellars. Children from the Maberly-Neck section of Elliston were told that babies came from John Murphy's cellar. It is possible that the story of babies coming from root cellars can be traced back to the United Kingdom. In Wales, parents would tell their children that Leprechauns lived in the cellars, and that these Leprechauns would sometimes kidnap a farmer's wife in order to help her deliver her baby.
The root cellar played an important role in the life of the people of Elliston and surrounding areas. This role was not only in the preservation of vegetables and other food supplies, but also in the games that were played by the children, and the stories of folklore that were passed down through the generations.
This cache is a preform tube, not in the root cellar but very near. But yes, you can go in this root cellar.
Happy hunting!!
Spoiler Photo to ensure you a find, (the cache is behind the blue in the picture)::::
