Layout Copyright - Kylie Goodyear 2011
Exhibits
The City of Mount Pearl has a surprisingly rich history to discover. Follow the story of Commander James Pearl from his naval exploits over 200 years ago to his settlement in what is now the City of Mount Pearl. Learn about our place in communications and aviation history, our role in the Great War and the many events leading up to the formation of the city we know today.
Italian-born Guglielmo Marconi is known as the father of wireless communication. Come discover the story of his first wireless transmission, his subsequent role in the Titanic disaster, and see an original nine-foot box kite from his early experiments.
With the outbreak of World War One radio was proven to be an invaluable communication device for both intelligence reporting and weather purposes. It was for these reasons that the British Royal Admiralty set up 13 wireles stations all over the world. H.M. Wireless Station Mount Pearl was one of them.
The S.S. Florizel This exhibit commemorates the disaster of the S.S. Florizel in 1918. When the Bowring Brother's steamer ran aground at Horn Head on the southern shore of Newfoundland, the H.M. Wireless Station Mount Pearl received the S.O.S. transmission for help. Ninety-three crew and passengers perished, while 44 were miraculously rescued after 27 hours spent braving punishing seas and bitter cold. The exhibit features artifacts from the wreck, a scale-model replica of the S.S. Florizel and a full sized reproduction of the ship's Marconi Wireless House.
Come visit our Calypso room that houses original artifacts salvaged from the vessel. Built in England in 1883, the Calypso, later renamed H.M.S. Briton, served as a training ship for the Royal Naval Reserve. Naval Reservists who trained on the ship also served at the H.M. Wireless Station Mount Pearl.
The City of Mount Pearl
Guglielmo Marconi and H.M. Wireless Station Mount Pearl
The S.S. Florizel
The H.M.S. Calypso/Briton