The Whiteley Museum opened its doors to visitors in the late 1990s. It was named in honour of William H. Whiteley, who invented the cod trap not far from the village of St. Paul’s River in 1871. This fixed fishing gear revolutionized cod fishing throughout eastern Canada.

The museum houses a diorama of the fishing post that Whiteley and his family maintained on the island of Bonne Espérance, near St. Paul’s River, for nearly a century. It also showcases a replica of the ingenious cod trap along with photos of the Whiteleys and the workers they employed.

In addition, the museum commemorates many others who have left their imprint on the area, ranging from prehistoric Indigenous hunters and sixteenth-century Basque whalers to nineteenth-century missionaries and twentieth-century residents. Interpretive panels, historical artifacts, and locally crafted miniature models trace their presence.

The museum also offers information about the natural history of St. Paul’s River and its surroundings as well as access to early maps, historical journals, archaeological reports, books, and other documents of interest to researchers.