Victorian Stroll

June 04, 2017

High Style in Old Saint John

The Great Fire of 1877 dealt a devastating blow to Saint John, destroying 1612 buildings and leaving 13,000 homeless.

But the City was quick to spring back on its feet. One local observer wrote after the Fire: “Everywhere buildings are going up, most of them of a thoroughly substantial character. To walk through the principal streets seems like inspecting a beehive.”

Many of the fine homes that lined the main residential streets of Saint John had been reduced to ashes. Their owners – wealthy ship owners, commission agents and merchants – were determined that their new homes would equal, if not surpass those they replaced.

They commissioned architects from Saint John, Boston, Halifax, New York, Toronto and Montreal. They imported fine materials – mahogany from Honduras and marble from Italy – and they engaged noted Saint John builders and craftsmen.

The resulting homes were grand indeed. Today most of them remain standing, and most are much as they were when they were built – fine examples of period architecture, combined with outstanding workmanship.

Take in the elegant homes nestled along the tree-lined, 19th century residential streets of central Saint John.

Loyalist Trail

June 04, 2017

May 1783

Seven ships lie anchored in the Bay of Fundy, off the mouth of the Saint John River. The passengers  board are a curious collection of refugees – they are farmers and doctors, carpenters and lawyers, craftsmen and soldiers – people of every age, from all walks of life. As they gaze grimly upon the rocky peninsula and the Fundy mud flats sprawling before them, they share a common longing for the homes they left behind.

From the beginnings of the American Revolution in 1774, to shortly after its conclusion in 1783, some 40,000 British subjects fled north to escape persecution. The 3,000 “Loyalists” – as they were called – who arrived in Saint John that May were followed by 11,000 more before the year ended.

The Loyalists established two settlements at the mouth of the Saint John River – Parr Town, named after the Governor of Nova Scotia; and Carleton, after their Commander-in-Chief in New York. Many moved and settled upriver. In 1785, the two settlements were incorporated by Charter into the City of Saint John. In time, the Loyalists would come to regard their infant city with an affection similar to that which they had felt for their American homes. This deep sentiment, combined with patience, toil and a strong will to survive, enabled them to build a brand new life upon this once seemingly inhospitable shore.

The LOYALIST TRAIL walking tour retraces the footsteps of our founders – exploring the spots where they landed on May 18, 1783. You’ll visit the Old Burial Ground; the County Court; Loyalist House – now a museum of period furnishings; historic Trinity Church; Saint John’s delightful City Market; and so much more.

Explore the very heart of old Saint John and step back through two fascinating centuries of our city’s history.