Checking out some of the museums in downtown Saint John
According to information provided by the New Brunswick Museum, Saint John has had a museum longer than any city in Canada: the current facility can trace its roots back to the Gesner Museum of 1842.
This has been the impetus for the establishment of a number of museums that add to the delight visitors find when exploring the city’s Trinity Royal Historic district in the uptown of the seaport city. The following are within walking distance of the heritage zone and could be visited in a day—though two would be better. As times of opening are difficult to predict under COVID-19 conditions, it is best to call museums or check websites before planning a visit.
The Police Museum of Saint John
This popular site is located at street level on the first block of Prince William Street. Spokesperson Janet Holt is one of several former police officers and civilian volunteers who keep the museum operational and a delight to visit. They are innovative in their approach to sharing the stock of implements that have been in use in Saint John policing since the first force was organized in 1849. For example, they have access to the 1965 Volkswagen Beetle traffic car to use as an eye catcher out and about the local neighbourhoods.
Janet says, “We usually had former police officer George Stackhouse on duty too, dressed up as a London Bobby as another eye catcher.”
She adds, “Another popular feature is our ‘Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free-cards’ given to those passing by. When they come in, we have a cell door they stand behind, and we use their camera to take their picture. They love it. People tell us they have the most fun in our museum of any of the attractions uptown.”
These features, combined with plenty of photos, old uniforms, typical pole-mounted call box of yesteryear, badges and insignia, and the friendly demeanour of the retirees who love to explain the displays, makes for a great public relations tool for the Saint John Police. saintjohnpolicemuseum.ca
Displays at Black History Society.
Saint John’s Jewish Historical Museum
“What a nice surprise,” is the response curator Katherine Biggs-Craft hears from the thousands of visitors she has guided through the Leinster Street facility, a couple blocks north of King’s Square in Saint John. The museum is busiest on cruise ship days, when many of the passengers who have Jewish backgrounds find their way to the repurposed and palatial home, built in 1897 by Charles Peters for his bride Fanny.
The surprise is because of Saint John’s relatively small size. Most visitors do not realize the extent of the Jewish settlement in the city—about 1,500 strong from the 19th century to the 1960s. That has given the museum committee the means to mount annual displays of Jewish community life.
There are static displays, like the old-time kitchen stove, and across from it a table set for celebrating Passover that would have been typical in the homes of Jewish residents.
“I think people like that room best, as we all eat, and they can relate to that, if nothing else,” Katherine says.
She adds, “This is the only Jewish museum east of Montreal. People expect one in the big cities; they don’t expect what we have. They never leave disappointed.”
jewishmuseumsj.com
Place Fort La Tour
Heather Kamerman is excited to be opening the gates of this site to the public on June 1 of this year. “It’s been a long wait,” she says. “We could not open because of COVID-19 in 2020, and last year, we suffered a fire through vandalism. While we had characters representing personages associated with our site wandering about the site and through uptown Saint John, the recreated fort itself was not open.”
Situated on a prominent point of land on the north side of Saint John Harbour that has had human activity for some 6,000 years, Heather says their aim is to be an “in-person interpreter of the history of the Acadian and English that have been associated with the site. We are going to have costumed personages doing storytelling. These will include native peoples from way back, the LaTours from 1631, and the first English settlers, Simonds, Hazen and White from 1755.”
There is also the reconstruction of the fort itself to admire, and half a dozen interpretative panels to examine, if there isn’t a student presentation ongoing. placefortlatour.com
Loyalist House
This museum at 120 Union Street is the oldest of the mini-museums in Saint John, and is operated by the New Brunswick Historical Society. It is an 1815 Georgian structure full of furniture and accouterments owned by the Merritt family of merchants. As the Merritts had never thrown anything away, the house is well stocked with treasures of the past that represent the lifestyle of the rich merchant family who built the gracious Georgian style home. The entry fee is $5.00, and the museum is open daily during the summer months, and on cruise ship days during the fall. loyalisthouse.com
Saint John Firefighter’s Museum, 24 Sydney Street
Visitors to this site are stepping into the original No. 2 Engine House, which dates from 1840 and hosts artifacts related to firefighting in Saint John. It is operated by volunteers of the local firefighters union. Student guides are on duty 10am-4pm Monday to Friday in summer. The highlight events are the days when the flaming red 1956 fire truck is on the street, or taking runs around King’s Square.
saintjohnfirefightersmuseum.com
NB Black History Society Museum, 39 King Street
This is Saint John’s latest historical based mini-museum, located within the Brunswick Square Shopping Centre. It was the culmination of many years of work collecting information and artifacts by Ralph Thomas, who said on opening day, “the collection represents the period of Atlantic slavery until the present.” Hours of operation are Tuesday till Friday 1-5pm and Saturday 10am-5pm. There is no admission fee, but donations are welcome.
