Founding of New Brunswick Monument
A tall granite cross in Saint John’s King’s Square marks the political events that created the Province of New Brunswick. Its story begins with the conclusion of the American Revolution, when thousands of people who had remained loyal to the British Crown left the newly independent United States and traveled north.
In 1783, approximately 14,000 Loyalist refugees arrived in the region that would become New Brunswick. Many settled along the Saint John River and around the Bay of Fundy. The sudden increase in population placed new demands upon a territory that was then governed as part of Nova Scotia. Halifax was distant, communication was difficult, and the growing settlements wanted a government closer to home.
Britain responded in 1784 by separating the territory north of the Bay of Fundy from Nova Scotia and creating the Province of New Brunswick. The new province was named in honor of King George III, whose royal family belonged to the House of Brunswick. Thomas Carleton was appointed its first governor, and a new colonial administration began taking shape.
Saint John was central to these events. The Loyalist settlements of Parr Town, on the eastern side of the harbor, and Carleton, on the western side, were united by royal charter in 1785. Together they became the City of Saint John: the first incorporated city in what is now Canada.
The monument stands in King’s Square, at the heart of the city that grew from those Loyalist settlements. Its plaque does more than record the date on which a province was established. It explains why New Brunswick was created and how the movement of people following the American Revolution permanently reshaped this part of Canada. What began as a struggle among Britain and its American colonies ultimately changed the map far beyond the new nation’s borders.
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