Summer is well behind us, but we all have fond memories of what we did. For us, the highpoint of our vacation was Anna’s week at Kings Landing, in New Brunswick, Canada. For one week, she lived the life of children in the eighteen hundreds (1800) at a Loyalist settlement on the peaceful banks of the Saint John River, not far from Fredericton. We have made a movie with voiceover to share this fabulous experience with you. You can simply jump to the movie, but to better understand the film, I suggest you read the Introduction first.
INTRODUCTION
New Brunswick is one of the Maritime Provinces in Canada, on the Eastern coast of this huge country, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean. This is one of two bilingual provinces, where French Acadians and English have shared a common history for over two hundred years.The Saint John River, with its picturesque banks has been a major waterway starting in prehistoric times, when Malecite Indians inhabited the region. The Indians, the first users of the river were later joined by French, Acadian and British travellers who used the river as their main inland route between Quebec and the Maritimes. The British control over the river was established in 1758 and the wild valley started to give place to more and more settlements.After 1783 some ten thousand settlers came to make new homes for themselves along the river. These people were Loyalist refugees who stayed loyal to the (British) Crown after the American Revolution and were forced to leave their homes.
Today, Kings Landing Historical Settlement brings back to life these historical times in a real live village, inhabited by costumed people, living the way Loyalists used to live back in the eighteen hundreds, sharing everyday pleasures, labour, simple activities of daily life. The modern world is unimagined as you enter the gate.
Family life involved children, so today’s Kings Landing families adopt Visiting Cousins who help them with milking cows, making butter, cooking, chopping wood, weaving and with many other daily activities. They go to school every morning, learning the way children used to learn, sing „God Bless the Queen” and last but not least they have an incredible amount of fun. At the registration desk, generations meet, who were visiting cousins many years ago and now they are back with their children. An unforgettable lifetime memory. An experience where history becomes alive and stays with our children.
(some parts of this text were adapted from George MacBeath’s Introduction to Kings Landing, Country Life in Early Canada)
Watch the film