Fredericton Region Museum facts for kids
The Fredericton Region Museum is a cool place to explore history! It used to be called the York Sunbury Museum. This museum is a non-profit organization, which means it's run by people who love history and want to share it, not just to make money. It was started in 1934 by a group called the York Sunbury Historical Society.
The museum moved around a few times before finding its home in 1959. Now, you can find it in Officers' Square on Queen Street in Fredericton, New Brunswick.
The main goal of the Fredericton Region Museum is to keep the history of the York and Sunbury areas alive. It also covers the history of central New Brunswick. The museum has tons of different items! Imagine seeing a cake that's 100 years old, the famous Coleman Frog, beautiful old Victorian dresses, and even a 10,000-year-old stone tool called a Clovis Point.
There are over ten different exhibits to explore. You can learn about the Acadians, the Loyalists, and New Brunswick's Aboriginal peoples. There's even a special display that looks like a First World War Trench!
The museum gets a lot of help from volunteers. These are people who give their time because they care about the museum. It also has a small team of paid staff. The first full-time paid manager, called a curator, was Bob Guthrie, who started in 1969. Before that, the museum was mostly run by volunteers or part-time staff.
The York Sunbury Historical Society
The idea for the York Sunbury Historical Society started in January 1932. This was during a tough time called the Great Depression. A woman named Martha J. Harvey sent out a letter to people in Fredericton. She suggested forming a group to save local history.
Lots of people loved the idea! Within just two weeks, the society was formed. By the end of 1932, there were 132 members. The first meetings were held upstairs in the Post Office on Queen Street. Soon after, the society started getting its first donations of historical items.
The society officially became a non-profit corporation on February 10, 1934. Its main purpose was to find and protect the history of York and Sunbury counties in New Brunswick, Canada. The society is run by a Board of Directors, who are chosen by the members each year.
Today, the society still has about 150 members. Each member is dedicated to the original mission of preserving history. The York Sunbury Historical Society is the group that runs the Fredericton Region Museum in Officers' Square.
See also
- The Officers' Quarterly
