Notable Places

Horse Cove Beach

Brothers-in-law Michael Laurie (Queen’s County, Ireland) and Philip Picco (Portugal Cove), married to two Jennings sisters from Portugal Cove, settled here in the very early 1800s, making them the first residents of what was to become St. Thomas and, later, Paradise.

Shortly after, the first settlers were joined by families from the Upper Island Cove area (across Conception Bay), who continued to populate the beach and the cliffs above for the next two decades, until the area became crowded and some residents set out further into the interior to make their homes.

The settlers eked out a living through a limited inshore fishery and by growing vegetables in the rocky soil.

St. Thomas Line

Formerly Horse Cove Line, this road was constructed in the mid-1800s in order to provide an easier route for residents of Horse Cove and Portugal Cove to use in order to travel to St. John's via Topsail Road so that they could sell the wood, fish, and vegetables they harvested.

When the need for a method of connection between the community and Topsail Road was first identified, the government in place at the time were in favour of developing the “Alongshore Path” that had been cut by French soldiers in the late 17^th century, running along the coast under Topsail Hill, but residents were skeptical, as the “Alongshore Path” was a much more difficult route to travel, especially with horses, while the Horse Cove Line followed a natural valley.

It was officially renamed "St. Thomas Line" on January 30, 1922, when the community of Horse Cove was renamed to St. Thomas.

Octagon Castle

Officially opened on June 19, 1896 by Professor Charles Henry Danielle, a notorious eccentric and business owner, the Octagon Castle was a grand building on the shores of Octagon Pond designed to act as a resort destination for well-heeled people all over the northeast Avalon and surrounding areas.

Four stories tall and over 10,000 square feet of ornately-decorated luxury, the castle functioned as a restaurant, hotel, gallery and beach area, and would also be the final resting place of Prof. Danielle, who displayed his own coffin, built of walnut and glass and decorated with gold, to visitors and was exhibited there for a number of days after his death in May 1902.

The castle proved to be extremely popular even after Prof. Danielle's death, finally being lost to fire in 1915 after being completely rebuilt in 1906 as a result of another blaze.

Octagon Pond Steel Mill

In 1969, a state of the art steel mill and melting shop was opened in this area. Employing over 140 people, the mill was one of the largest in the world.

Clearview Drive-in Theatre

During the 1970s, people from Paradise and surrounding areas gathered here to watch movies from the comfort of their cars as Newfoundland and Labrador's very first drive-in theatre.