New Brunswick - Exploring Saint John
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Location of Saint John on our route
It was a fine day for ducks...rain, wind and more rain... but we ventured into Saint John anyway. It’s an old city. Samuel de Champlain and company first arrived at the mouth of the St. John River on the feast day of St. John the Baptist and named the area in his honor. After the influx of ~14,000 British Loyalists who settled in the area in 1783 following the British defeat in the American Revolution, the city was officially established by Royal Charter as Saint John, Canada’s first incorporated city.
A Hollywood-esque Saint John sign on a high hilltop welcomes locals and visitors into the city.
We learned from our reading that Saint John only has an ‘uptown’, not a downtown. We headed to the famed Saint John City Market in the heart of ‘uptown’. In 1986, the Saint John City Market was designated a National Historic Site of Canada. In the 19th century Saint John was one of the world's leading shipbuilding centers, so it’s appropriate that the roof of the City Market resembles the inverted keel of a ship. Built between 1874-76, the market is the oldest continuous farmers' market in Canada. The market vendors offer an eclectic collection of fresh goods along with various crafts and souvenirs.
Rainy day pix were dismal. We returned to the market on a sunny day for a better picture.
Seeing the Slocum name brought back old memories of sailing in the century+- old wake of Joshua Slocum, the first person to sail solo around the world.
We appreciated the ‘Figurehead’ sculpture on the outside wall of the building which represents the actual figureheads that adorned the bows of the old wooden sailing ships.
The tiled 'figurehead' sculpture adorns the entrance to Saint John City Market
We lunched at The Big Tide Brewery which was mediocre at best, then headed to Fallsview Park to view Saint John’s Reversing Falls. On a rising tide, the waters of the river collide with the strong incoming Fundy tides causing eddies and whirlpools as the river ‘reverses’ and succumbs to the tide. At low tide, the river waters overcome the tides as they flow back to the sea. The rest of the time, the waters are calm and serene.
A view of the whirling waters of the Reversing Falls as seen from Fallsview Park. That's the irving Pulp & Paper Mill on the opposite side of the river.
A light rain persisted as we headed to Fallsview Park. The park itself is a bit rundown, but the viewing area is perfectly located to witness the tidal changes. The pictures unfortunately just look like swirling water (yawn!), but it was fairly dramatic to see.
Eddies and whirlpools form when the Fundy tides and the river waters collide.
Wolostoq Park, high above the river, is nearby and displays a wooden sculpture garden of local famous folk by Albert Deveau… most of which are deteriorating and in a sad state of disrepair. The First Nation creation story of Koluskap and the Beaver was interesting. Check out this website if you’re interested.
The First Nation creation story of Koluskap and the Beaver was interesting. Poor Beaver is falling apart.
We wandered past the sculptures and recognized only two names in group: Samuel de Champlain, explorer and diplomat and Benedict Arnold, British Loyalist. Obviously, it depends on which side of the Revolution you were on to determine heroes from traitors.
Rain, rain and more rain. Another hotel night and then… Hoorah! A sunny, clear morning. We returned to the uptown area for a self-guided tour of the city streets on the Loyalist Trail. Loyalists, as you’ll remember, were the colonial settlers who supported the British during the American Revolution. Many Loyalists moved after the American Revolutionary and settled here in Saint John. We walked by the Loyalist House (c. 1817), a museum and National Historic Site and the former home of the Merritt Family, Loyalists from New York who settled and prospered in Saint John after the Revolution.
The stately Loyalist House, now a historical museum in Saint John.
The Loyalist House is the oldest building in Saint John. Along with its carriage house, it was one of the few buildings to survive the Great Fire of 1877 which destroyed almost half the city and left 13,000 residents homeless.
Just down the street is Saint John’s Anglican Church, aka the Stone Church. Built in 1823-6 in the Romantic Gothic Revival style, this Anglican church was originally built “to accommodate members of the British garrison and the increasing number of Anglicans living in the fast growing Port City.” It received its familiar nickname because the stones with which it was built were brought from England as ballast from cargo ships.
Saint John’s Anglican Church, aka the Stone Church
Heading down the hill to the waterfront, we picked up the Market Square Boardwalk, part of a revitalization project the city has been working on. We had a great view of the Tidal Steps as we rounded the corner into the square.
Tidal steps at Market Square
Market Square located at the heart of the waterfront district was the original marketplace of the city. Nowadays, it’s a gathering place for locals and visitors with restaurants, shops, a public library and the adjacent convention center. It’s a great place to watch buskers, too.
Lots of busker entertainment at Market Square
We’d also picked up an ‘Art in Public Places’ brochure so we checked out the artwork along our route. One surprising mural was of famous people from Saint John which included Donald Sutherland, Walter Pidgeon and Louis B. Mayer.
We enjoyed a stroll through Area 506 Waterfront Container Village contains over 50 shipping containers with retail shops, food trucks, public art and various pop-up activities.
Area 506 Waterfront Container Village
From the waterfront, we headed to King’s Square, one of the four squares included in the original town plan. We wandered through enjoying the cool greenspace, then crossed the street to the Loyalist Cemetery, the city’s original burial ground.
King's Square, one of the original planned parks on the town plan.
Established after the arrival of the United Empire Loyalists in 1783, the cemetery was the resting place for residents until it closed in 1848. It fell into severe disrepair in the mid 1900s and it wasn’t until the mid-1990s that it was restored. Today, it’s a pleasant place to wander. We enjoy searching out the old gravestones and admiring those that have survived the ravages of time. The oldest gravestone we found was dated 1784.
Before leaving town, we drove to the top of Fort Howe Hill to see the remains of the fort constructed by the British in 1777 to protect Saint John from attacks by American privateers. From its location on a rocky headland, it offered unparalleled views of the river and the harbor area. At one time there was an entire garrison stationed here with barracks and auxiliary buildings. All that is left today is the blockhouse overlooking the city.
Departing Saint John, we headed for Saint-Andrews-by-the-Sea, a seaport town that held many memories for us. Join us next time for a brief trip down memory lane and points beyond.