| Great Fire of Saint John | |
|---|---|
 The Great Fire at St. John, N.B. June 20th, 1877 | |
| Date(s) | June 20–22, 1877 2:30 p.m. (lasted 40~ hours) |
| Location | Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada |
| Impacts | |
| Deaths | 18-19 [1] [2] |
| Damage | $27 million ($831 million in 2023 dollars) |
| Ignition | |
| Cause | Loose sparks |
The Great Fire of Saint John was an urban fire that devastated much of Saint John, New Brunswick in June 1877, destroying two-fifths of the city. [3]
On June 16, 1877, according to a schoolboy known only as "Harry", an elderly First Nations chief spoke to a number of boys, telling them to warn their parents to move away before Saint John is destroyed on June 19. [4] [5]
At 2:30 on the afternoon of June 20, 1877, a spark fell in Henry Fairweather's storehouse in the York Point Slip area. Nine hours later the fire had destroyed over 80 hectares (200 acres) and 1,612 structures including eight churches, six banks, fourteen hotels, eleven schooners and four wood boats. The fire had killed approximately 19 people, and injured many more. [2] Approximately 13,000 people were left homeless as a result of the fire. [6] The fire continued to burn for approximately 40 hours. [7] No photographs exist of the fire. However, some survivors' accounts of the blaze tell that the fire came so close to the harbour that it looked like the water was on fire. [2]
Saint John's Trinity Royal Heritage Conservation Area was built out of the ashes of the fire. [8]
Saint John is a seaport city located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. It is Canada's oldest incorporated city, established by royal charter on May 18, 1785, during the reign of George III. The port is Canada's third-largest by tonnage with a cargo base that includes dry and liquid bulk, break bulk, containers, and cruise. The city was the most populous in New Brunswick until the 2016 census, when it was overtaken by Moncton. It is currently the second-largest city in the province, with a population of 69,895 over an area of 315.59 km2 (121.85 sq mi).
Bathurst is a city in northern New Brunswick with a population of 12,157 and the 4th largest metropolitan area in New Brunswick as defined by Census Canada with a population of 31,387 as of 2021. The City of Bathurst overlooks Nepisiguit Bay, part of Chaleur Bay and is at the estuary of the Nepisiguit River.
St. Thomas University is a Catholic, English-language liberal arts university located in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. It is a primarily undergraduate university offering bachelor's degrees in the arts, education, and social work to approximately 1,900 students. The average class size is 30 and no class is larger than 60.
St. Stephen is a Canadian town in Charlotte County, New Brunswick, situated on the east bank of the St. Croix River around the intersection of New Brunswick Route 170 and the southern terminus of New Brunswick Route 3. The St. Croix River marks a section of the Canada–United States border, forming a natural border between Calais, Maine and St. Stephen. U.S. Route 1 parallels the St. Croix river for a few miles, and is accessed from St. Stephen by three cross-border bridges.
The New Brunswick Southern Railway Company Limited is a 131.7 mi (212.0 km) Canadian short line railway owned by the New Brunswick Railway Company Limited, a holding company that is part of "Irving Transportation Services", a division within the industrial conglomerate J. D. Irving.
The Saint John Harbour Bridge is three-span crossing of Saint John Harbour at the mouth of the Saint John River in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. It opened in 1968.
The Saint John Free Public Library incorporated in 1883, was the first tax-supported public library in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, hence the inclusion of "Free" in the title.
The Fredericton Railway Bridge is a former railway bridge in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada now used to carry pedestrians and cyclists.
The Saint John City Market in Saint John, New Brunswick, is the oldest continuously operated farmer's market in Canada, with a charter dating from 1785. The market is located at 47 Charlotte Street.
Point Lepreau is a cape in southwestern New Brunswick, Canada.
The Naval battle off St. John took place on July 14, 1696, between France and England toward the end of King William's War in the Bay of Fundy off present-day Saint John, New Brunswick. The English ships were sent from Boston to interrupt the supplies being taken by French officer Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville from Quebec to the capital of Acadia, Fort Nashwaak on the Saint John River. The French ships of war Envieux and Profond captured the English frigate Newport, while the English frigate Sorlings and a provincial tender escaped.
The siege of Fort Nashwaak occurred during King William's War when New England forces from Boston attacked the capital of Acadia, Fort Nashwaak, at present-day Fredericton, New Brunswick. The siege was in retaliation for the French and Indian Siege of Pemaquid (1696) at present day Bristol, Maine. In the English Province of Massachusetts Bay. Colonel John Hathorne and Major Benjamin Church were the leaders of the New England force of 400 men. The siege lasted two days, between October 18–20, 1696, and formed part of a larger expedition by Church against a number of other Acadian communities.
Fort Nashwaak was the capital of Acadia and is now a National Historic Site of Canada in present-day Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. It was located strategically up the Saint John River and close to the native village of Fort Meductic for military purposes.
Loyalist House is a museum and National Historic Site located in uptown Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. It was the home of the prosperous Merritt family, who occupied it from its completion in 1817 until 1958. It was taken over by the New Brunswick Historical Society in 1961. Its address is 120 Union Street.
This is a bibliography of notable works on New Brunswick, Canada.
Barbour's General Store was a museum and tourist hub in Saint John, New Brunswick. It was an authentic 19th-century general store building, preserved and used to recreate a Victorian-era educational experience for visitors. It was located at the intersection of King Street and Prince William Street just outside the Trinity Royal Historic Conservation Area in the city's uptown. On August 22, 2015 the shop was re-opened to the public as a functioning business and local information centre. On June 13, 2023 the building was proposed to demolish after a fire in January 2022. It was dismantled in July 2023.
The Trinity Royal Heritage Conservation Area is a historic district in Saint John, New Brunswick's uptown. The City of Saint John designated the area as the city's first heritage conservation area in 1982; it has since expanded in area. Surrounding the Trinity Anglican Church, the area includes several National Historic Sites of Canada within its boundaries. Much of the area consists of Victorian brick buildings raised after The Great Fire of Saint John, New Brunswick that destroyed much of the city's central peninsula in 1877.
Pennfield is a geographic parish in Charlotte County, New Brunswick, Canada, located west of Saint John located east of St. George and west of Saint John.
Saint George is a geographic parish in Charlotte County, New Brunswick, Canada, located between St. Stephen and Saint John.
The Saint John Masonic Temple is a historic masonic temple in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. One of Atlantic Canada's oldest lodges, the masonic temple is located on 92 Germain Street in Uptown Saint John. The brick building features an Italianate architectural style. It is four-storeys tall, with the street floor being used for commercial purposes. It is part of the Grand Lodge of New Brunswick. It is within the boundaries of the Trinity Royal Heritage Conservation Area.