Prior Issue (Archive)
Canada's First Museum
The New Brunswick Museum

The New Brunswick Museum is the oldest continuing museum in Canada. It was officially incorporated in 1929 as the Provincial Museum but the collections began in 1842 through Abraham Gesner, New Brunswick's first Provincial Geologist.

Abraham Gesner was born in Cornwallis, N.S. in 1797. His childhood fascination with scientific experiments led him to study in London, England where he became a physician. In 1837 Gesner was a geologist in New Brunswick. In 1842 he opened the Museum of Natural History in a room of the Mechanics' Institute on Carleton Street. In 1843, his collection passed on to his creditor's who, in turn, donated it to the Saint John Mechanics Institute. The catalogue of his collection listed 2173 specimens. In 1890 the Natural History Society of New Brunswick acquired the remaining material of the Gesner Collection from the Mechanics Institute.

In the early 1900's the Society purchased new quarters on Union Street. There the Museum expanded both its activities and its collections to the point where a new building was essential. A site was selected on Douglas Avenue and through the generosity of interested citizens and through grants from the City of Saint John and the Province of New Brunswick the new quarters of the museum were officially opened on August 16, 1934.

During the Depression and the wartime years, the museum suffered from lack of operating funds but due to the intense interest of the staff and a very active Board, the collections and the programmes of the museum grew considerably. In this period Dr. Clarence Webster donated his significant collection of Canadiana and his wife, Mrs. Alice Lusk Webster laid the foundations of the art collection which is now recognized as one of the best fine and decorative art collections in Canada.

As of 1942, the collections, building and properties of the museum officially became the property of the people of New Brunswick and is a Provincial Institution.

In 1992, the exhibition areas were moved to Market Square in uptown Saint John. Here there are fifteen new hands-on interactive galleries to tell the story of New Brunswick and its place in the world. Visitors can wander through a lumber camp, examine a 45 foot long Right Whale or stroll through one of three art galleries. Their permanent exhibitions feature New Brunswick history, natural sciences and arts.

France in the Americas is a temporary exhibit which will be in the museum from March 1 - June 10, 2004. Cities of the King's Engineers in the New World in the 17th and 18th centuries. This exhibit examines the many contexts in which the French established themselves in the New World. Numerous illustrated documents and archaeological artifacts bear witness, today, to the great adventure that was French America in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Under the Weather is another temporary exhibit from 15 April - 31 August 2004. A Climate Change interactive exhibition on loan from the Musèe du Sèminaire de Sherbrooke, Quebec. Discover what climate is, how it functions, and how it evolves over time. Learn about greenhouse gases and ways to curb their production.

From special openings to art classes; Family Fun Days to Curator led Discovery Walks, there is something for everyone at the New Brunswick Museum this summer. Call the Museum anytime at (506) 643-2300 or visit their website www.nbm-mnb.ca

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