Return to The Rooms: A last look at the treasures we found 'Inside the Vault'

Mar 26, 2024

This summer, CBC N.L. reached out to The Rooms provincial archives and museum with a request: to open up the giant vault that contains Newfoundland and Labrador's history collection.

Curator Maureen Peters took up the challenge and combed through the vault, looking for artifacts connected to current events. She came up with six fascinating objects — and six stories to tell. No crowns or jewels, just everyday items from the past that can help us understand who we are today.

We called our series "Inside the Vault." Scroll down to see all six chapters.

The cello isn't known for folk music, or Newfoundland music. But in the early Newfoundland settlement of Elliston, this cello was the soundtrack to people's lives.

A bait bucket is a back-in-the-day tool for catching cod, often used until it fell apart. So why is this bait bucket still in ship shape? Get hooked on a tale that ropes in the old Newfoundland Store in Toronto.

It's heavy, itchy and bigger than a modern tent. But the person who carried this old-school sleeping bag lived to be 104.

Back before women ruled the Royal St. John's Regatta, a pair of fearless sisters blazed a trail across the pond. Hear the story behind this rare women's regatta trophy.

Have you ever seen (or even heard of) a jelly table? Berry pickers of today will appreciate this handy kitchen gadget from a century ago. See how it works.

How can you dress to impress at both a downtown hipster hangout and deep in the woods hunting moose? The answer: authentic, vintage moose badges.

That's all for now! But you never know when we might look Inside the Vault again.

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Zach Goudie is a journalist and video producer with CBC in St. John's.