Herring Neck

The community of Herring Neck got its name from the unusually large numbers of herring that visited its creeks and inlets each year. As the schools of herring began to swarm to the area so did the people from other communities. The Herring fishery was once booming in Herring Neck and people from all parts of Notre Dame Bay came to get their portion of the catch. Herring Neck has always been a part of the Twillingate district. In 1832 when the first members of the House Of Assembly were elected Thomas Bennett was elected as the member for Twillingate and Fogo combined. In 1855 when Responsible Government was established two men, Ellis and Knight (first names not available), were elected to represent the district of Twillingate and Fogo.

The first settlers of Herring Neck came from England; one of the earliest settlers known was Jimmy Chant(around 1800). Other common surnames around this time were the Stuckeys, Starves, Squires, and Walshes. Around 1848 the first school was built in Herring Neck and soon after the first teacher, Andrew Miles, or Mr. Pepper, arrived. The United Church was built in Herring Neck in 1877-1878 and soon after in 1882 the Anglican Church was erected. The first post-office was introduced to Herring Neck in 1908. The first general store was named Duder's and later became Carter's Limited. Light and Power was acquired on December 24, 1966. The main mode of transportatin for the people of Herring Neck was once horse and cart but in 1958 the road was constructed and cars soon replaced the old ways. The fish plant was built in 1971 and was operating to its maximum capacity until a few years ago when the fish stocks began to decline. Although the plant still operates on a small scale the local residents fear that the plant will never return to its full scale production.

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