Kings Landing New Brunswick

Yesterday we packed up the motor home and drove north to Canada. After an uneventful border crossing (we had been told the Customs officials liked to search RV’s), we headed to a campground outside Fredericton, New Brunswick.

Our first stop was Kings Landing Historical Settlement. Situated on the banks of the St John River (at 418 miles, longest river in Eastern North America) Kings Landing is a living history re-creation of life in rural New Brunswick during the 19th century. All of the buildings are from that period of time and all of the equipment and tools used are 19th century.

This stove was in the kitchen of one of the homes. Note the oven chamber at the top. The families who “live” here cook and bake on the stove everyday. They also churn their own butter, can vegetables, and make cheese.

The gardens throughout the settlement looked quite healthy and productive. In addition to feeding the workers they supply the Kings Head Inn. This authentic 1855 restaurant and pub serve village visitors typical dishes from the period.


This is the sawmill on the river. The up and down saw is driven by water. We saw other machinery driven by water, horse and oxen power. They even had a butter churn that was moved by dog power! These oxen were being lead out to mow hay.

In addition to working the fields, the men also worked in the grist mills, the blacksmith shop and carpentry shops. The women were not idle at all. Of course, they cooked and cleaned. They also spun wool for yarn, knit garments, spun flax for thread and cloth and made clothing and bedding. They even wove their own straw hats! We watched many of the women performing these chores.

We had an enjoyable time learning how these Loyalists lived in the 19th century. Many aspects of their life were probably similar to the American pioneer—except for the British influenced society of course.