For thirty years I lived on Fox Harbour Point and like all other residents of the Point we got our water from Mary's Cove well. For a thousand trips I have followed the footpath across the rocky barren to the well in good weather and bad, in daylight and in darkness. From the time the first person settled on the Point to this day, the well at Mary's Cove has provided its brown coloured water. its historic use can be seen by the paths worn in the side of the steep hill on approach to the cove. Today's path follows farther up, through the low bush and trees.

How did Mary's Cove get its name? From as far back as I can remember I recall being told of the gruesome murder of Mary in the cove. The story goes, the beautiful young person Mary, was unfaithful to her boyfriend and as they walked through the long grass at the bottom of the cove, one calm summer evening, he could not stand the thought of her being with someone else, pulled a knife and killed her. Letting out a great scream, Mary fell in his arms and died. To avenge her death, immediately a great storm struck from the northeast and lasted for days. They say that to this day when the great clouds rise to the northeast and just before the wind hits, Mary's scream can still be heard. During all my trips to the cove, have I ever heard it? No, never. But I can't say that it hasn't crossed my mind a few times.

Mary's Cove has other interesting stories. During the late part of the 19th century there was a shipwreck there. Details are scanty but the wreck is recorded and I am hoping sometime to find out more. Of course just twenty years ago another vessel foundered just off the cove with a full load of fishery salt but the crew survived. Also, on the rocky outer area of the cove there is a vein of fool's gold. There is probably an interesting story behind this as well.

This is a story that my father Jim Holley told me. My father was a trapper and a hunter. He would spend months at a time in the wilderness by himself. He knew the country like the back of his hand. One day when he was in the country checking his traps something strange happened. He suddenly became confused as if he was in some kind of daze. He began walking around in a circle. He kept going around and around in that same circle, unable to stop or change the path of the circle.

Then he began to hear these noises which sounded like children talking, but he could not see anybody. He continued to walk around in that same circle for several hours. After awhile he began to see these small people about 2 or 3 feet tall. These small people wore red caps and they had him surrounded in the same circle he had been walking in for the last few hours.

He had heard stories about fairies or redcaps as some people called them. He realized that they were playing a trick on him. it was getting late and he knew he had to get back to the cabin before dark, but he didn't know how to get out of that circle. Then he decided he had had enough of this and he let out a 'big one'. The fairies did not like this. So he swore again and again until the fairies all disappeared. Once all the fairies had disappeared he was able to break the path of the circle which he was walking in. He then returned to normal and walked back to his cabin.