Kings Landing is a New Brunswick living history museum with original buildings from the period of 1820-1920. It was created around buildings that were saved and moved to make way for the

headpond A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including control ...

for the

Mactaquac Dam The Mactaquac Dam is an embankment dam used to generate hydroelectricity in Mactaquac, New Brunswick. It dams the waters of the Saint John River and is operated by NB Power with a capacity to generate 670 megawatts of electricity from 6 turb ...

. Although Kings Landing is not and never was a real village, New Brunswick and the areas surrounding Prince William were primarily settled by Anglo-American

Loyalists Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...

from the Thirteen Colonies, who were called the

United Empire Loyalist United Empire Loyalists (or simply Loyalists) is an honorific title which was first given by the 1st Lord Dorchester, the Governor of Quebec, and Governor General of The Canadas, to American Loyalists who resettled in British North America ...

s in Canada; Scottish,

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

immigrants were early settlers as well. It is approximately 40 km west of

Fredericton, New Brunswick Fredericton (; ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province along the Saint John River, which flows west to east as it bisects the city. The river is the do ...

in the community of Lower Prince William. Kings Landing is a representation of rural New Brunswick during the 19th and early 20th century. It is not a replica of an actual village, but a collection of salvaged or recreated buildings from around the Mactaquac headpond and other locations around New Brunswick. With few exceptions, all the historical buildings on the site have been moved and remodelled to specific years in their history. The project was originally started in the late 1960s and continues to the present day, as new buildings are being added every few years.

Interpretation

While the collection and preservation of artifacts is a major part of daily business, Kings Landing is first and foremost a living museum. The principle is simple: "Tell them and they'll forget. Show them and they'll remember. Involve them and they'll understand". Costumed interpreters with extensive knowledge of their area - and often more than one area - bring the site to life for the visitors. Interpretation on site ranges from simple explanations of household objects to complete demonstrations of period activities.

Structures and exhibits

More than a dozen houses, most of which are original buildings, are gathered on site. In the houses, employees welcome visitors, go about daily chores, cook period meals and create period crafts, all while in costumes appropriate to the time period of their area. There are also "trades" buildings: these are the shops and businesses that the local men would have owned and operated, many of which would have required a period of apprenticeship/training for those employed there. Examples would be the Print Shop, Sash and Door Factory, Gorham's Carpenter Shop, Dennin's Blacksmith Shop, etc. Being a living museum, these buildings are kept in working order whenever possible and, in some case, artisans provide goods and services for other parts of the village and for sale in the shops. The complex has a number of barns, and appropriate livestock to go with them. This ranges from chickens and geese to large work horses and oxen. The animals are kept on site not only for show, but also for practical purposes. For example, the chickens give eggs, the cows produce milk, and the horses are used to pull wagons for the visitors from one end of the village to the other. ;List of locations at Kings Landing: * Welcome Centre * Children's Play Park * Heritage Gallery * Summer Stage * C.B. Ross Factory Gallery & Workshop * Gordon Gallery * The Hagerman House * The Joslin Farm * The Jones Farm * Sawmill * Gristmill * King's Head Inn Restaurant & Pub * The Lint House * The Blacksmith * Ox Barn * The Long House * St. Mark's Church (Anglican) * Carpenter Shop * The Heustis House * The Fisher House * The Donaldson House * The Ingraham House * The Morehouse Farm * The Grant Store * The Perley House * Parish School * The Peddler's Market (Gift Shop) * The Killeen Cabin * Riverside Presbyterian Church * The Print Shop * Axe and Plough Café

Special events

Every few weekends, there are what are known as Special Events. These are often recreations of specific events in New Brunswick's history. They normally correspond to a particular date, or time of the year. For example, around and on July the 1st, the Confederation Debate features Charles Fisher and William Needham as portrayed by actors. Visitors get a taste of the controversy surrounding the formation of Canada. As with most of the activities on site, the visitors are encouraged to join in, asking questions, giving votes.

Workshops

Kings Landing hosts workshops that happen during open hours. The workshops include learning about many different 19th century tasks and crafts, including candle making, beekeeping, woodworking, and several others.

History

Research for the site was begun in 1967 with the creation of a Historical Resources Administration Branch by the provincial government, which created the Mactaquac Historical Program. The program created the idea to establish a site to preserve cultural aspects that would otherwise be lost, as a

living museum A living museum, also known as a living history museum, is a type of museum which recreates historical settings to simulate a past time period, providing visitors with an experiential interpretation of history. It is a type of museum that recrea ...

. The site was opened unofficially to the public in 1971 and officially on 20 July 1974.

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states durin ...

and

Prince Philip Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from E ...

visited the site in 1976.

References

External links

King's Landing Historical Settlement
{{Coord, 45.8772, N, 66.9796, W, display=title Buildings and structures in York County, New Brunswick Living museums in Canada Museums in New Brunswick History museums in New Brunswick Open-air museums in Canada Tourist attractions in York County, New Brunswick Crown corporations of New Brunswick United Empire Loyalists Houses in New Brunswick Folk museums in Canada Blacksmith shops