The St. John's Heritage Electrical Archive: Identifying Antique Wiring & Switches
If you are renovating a historic property in Georgestown, Churchill Square, Jellybean Row, or the Forest Avenue area, you will eventually open up a 100-year-old lath and plaster wall. Inside, you might find something that looks like it belongs in a museum: heavy porcelain switches, cloth-covered wires, or brass rotary dials.
Are they safe? Are they still live? Should you throw them away?
At Vinland Electrical, we do more than just wire modern homes; we preserve the history of Newfoundland's grid. When the Petty Harbour Hydroelectric Generating Station opened in 1900, it brought reliable AC power to St. John's and sparked a massive wave of residential retrofitting. Below is our ongoing digital archive of early 1890s–1920s electrical artifacts salvaged from local St. John's homes. Use this guide to identify what is hiding in your walls—and know when it’s time to call a professional.
From the Archive: The Forest Avenue Collection (Circa 1890s–1920s)Why do all these local artifacts say U.S.A.? Because Newfoundland was an independent Dominion until 1949, our massive maritime trade ties meant early electrical technology was often imported directly from the American Eastern Seaboard.
1890s Bryant Porcelain Cleat Socket: Patented in 1889, these heavy porcelain bases were designed to be screwed directly to the surface of a wall or ceiling beam. Because early homes didn't have wires hidden inside the walls, these kept hot electrical contacts safely away from the wood framing.
Early 1900s GE "Barbell" Snap Switch: A very early variation of the surface-mount rotary switch. It features a heavy, fireproof porcelain base (which generations of St. John's homeowners have unfortunately painted white over the years) protected by a spun brass dome stamped "GEN. ELEC. CO. 5 AMP 125V." You turned the lights on by twisting the distinct solid-brass "barbell" handle.
1910s General Electric Rotary Snap Switch: The evolution of the barbell switch. You twisted the flat black dial—featuring the beautiful original cursive GE logo—and a heavy spring inside physically "snapped" the connection open or closed to prevent electrical arcing (sparks).
1920s Bakelite Surface-Mount Toggle Switch: As electricity became standard, turn-dials evolved into the up-and-down toggles we use today. This dark brown dome switch is made of Bakelite (an early synthetic plastic that replaced heavy ceramics). It was still designed to sit completely on the outside of the wall.
1920s Porcelain Flush-Mount Toggle Switch: This rectangular switch represents a major shift in Newfoundland's residential construction: the move to hiding wires inside the wall cavities. Designed to sit completely recessed inside a metal wall box and covered by a faceplate, it still relies on a heavy white porcelain/ceramic body to act as a fireproof insulator before modern plastics existed.
Edwardian Pendant Light Drops: Typical of affluent St. John's homes in the early 1900s, these rigid-stem drops feature General Electric brass sockets stamped "250V / 250W" and beautiful acid-etched glass shades with a classic floral motif. The word "PRESS" is stamped into the socket to tell early electricians exactly where to squeeze the brass shell to safely access the wiring inside.
Original Knob & Tube Wiring (Stranded vs. Solid Copper): Exposed during a renovation in a century-old St. John's lath and plaster wall, this photo shows the two types of conductors used in early residential grids. On the left is a stranded copper wire, which early electricians often used when they needed extra flexibility to fish wires through tight framing. On the right is the standard solid-core wire (the silvery appearance is a tin coating used to prevent the copper from chemically reacting with the early rubber insulation). Both are wrapped in a thick, black cotton-cloth braiding. The true hazard of knob and tube isn't just the lack of a modern ground wire—it’s the insulation. After 100 years of expanding and contracting in drafty Newfoundland walls, this early rubber and cloth casing dries out and becomes dangerously brittle. If bent or disturbed, it can crumble to dust, leaving bare, live 120V wires exposed inside your wooden walls. This degraded insulation is exactly why modern insurance brokers require its safe removal.
Antique Electrical Components: Safe History vs. Active Hazards
✅ Safe Historical Preservation: Keeping antique brass and glass pendant lights, but having them thoroughly gutted and rewired with modern grounded wiring by a licensed professional so they can be safely hung.
✅ Safe Historical Preservation: Displaying antique Bakelite or spun-brass rotary switches as architectural salvage on a shelf.
✅ The Vinland Heritage Approach: We carefully map out the electrical history of your home, using advanced wire-fishing to preserve the architectural integrity of your 19th-century plaster and trim while completely modernizing the hidden wiring inside.
❌ Dangerous Hazards: Using the original 100-year-old ungrounded cloth wires inside those fixtures, which have become brittle and prone to short-circuiting.
❌ Dangerous Hazards: Leaving a 1910s surface-mount switch connected to live 120V household current. These lack modern grounding and fail modern Service NL and Newfoundland Power safety codes.
❌ Standard "Rip-and-Tear" Upgrades: Generic contractors who treat a heritage house like a modern build, destroying valuable historical moldings and original plaster to run standard Romex wire.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
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No. While they are beautiful historical artifacts, switches from the 1890s to the 1920s do not meet modern Service NL electrical codes. They lack a ground wire, their internal spring mechanisms degrade over a century of use, and their original cloth or mica insulation is often a severe fire hazard. They should be disconnected and kept only for display.
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Before joining Canada in 1949, Newfoundland was an independent Dominion with strong maritime trade routes to the United States. During the early 1900s residential electrification boom (following the opening of the Petty Harbour Hydro plant), it was common for local contractors to import high-end electrical supplies from American pioneers like the Bryant Electric Company and General Electric.
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Do not touch it. If you find white ceramic spools or thick, black, cloth-covered wire in your walls, basement, or attic, you likely have active knob and tube wiring. Contact a licensed St. John's electrician to test if the circuit is still live. If it is, it will need to be safely disconnected and replaced to maintain your home insurance.