Riverhead: Located at the head of St. Mary's Harbour, on the east side of St. Mary's Bay, 109 am (65 mi) from St. John's, "this" Riverhead should not be confused with the "Riverhead" that vas incorporated into the town of Harbour Grace on the Avalon Peninsula in 1991 or the Riverhead which was the former name for the community of Hampden located at the head of White Bay, between the Great Northern Peninsula and the Baie Verte Peninsula.

Founded in the turn of the 19 century, according to material presented in the ENL, originally Riverhead was, at one point, considered to be part of St. Mary's:

[Riverhead] appears in the first Census, in 1836, with 53 people in combination with Mall Bay and Coote's Pond (to the south, now considered a part of Riverhead).... From 1836 to 1884 Riverhead was enumerated as part of the community of St. Mary's [10.5 km or 6.5 mi away].

In the latter year its population was 297, and it supported a Roman Catholic school (reportedly dating from the 1860s). There was a Catholic church from the 1920s.

Although the community remained closely tied to St. Mary's, in 1992 it had a primary school, a community hall, some stores and other small businesses.

When Universal Fisheries Ltd. opened a salt fish plant there in 1984 it was seen as a boon to the community, but after about five years of operation it closed.

Despite hardships the people of Riverhead have a community spirit and pride that reveals itself in neat homes which are well trimmed and decorated with folk "yard art".

Riverhead was incorporated into an official "town" in 1966 and at one point having a population of over 400, however, the most recent census in 2016 showed that the population was dwindling.

In 2016 there were 185 citizens, compared to 212 in 2011 (a 12.7% decrease).

Used with permission from "Uncovering the Origin of 1001 Unique Place Names in Newfoundland and Labrador" 2021 Jennifer Leigh Hill

Address of this page: http://nl.ruralroutes.com/Riverhead