Party in Heart's Content celebrates cable completion 150 years ago
The party is underway in Heart's Content Wednesday as the town celebrates making communications history 150 years ago.
It was on this day in July 1866 that the Great Eastern arrived in the Trinity Bay town with the first transatlantic telegraph cable.
The cable meant information of world events overseas could be telegraphed quickly instead of transported by ship, turning the town into a hub of high paid jobs and privilege.
Telegraph messaging was replaced by the 1960s with newer forms of communication, but the subsea cable and its impact are celebrated in the local cable station-turned museum, which is a provincial historic site.
Wednesday's celebration includes a re-enactment of the first cable landing and a hookup with Valentia, Ireland, which is home to the other end of the cable.
Entertainment, a boat parade, food, music and fireworks are also planned with events continuing until Sunday.
The federal and provincial governments are picking up the $70,000 bill for the week-long festivities.
