Landing of United Empire Loyalists in New Brunswick National Historic Event
Saint John, New Brunswick
Area where Peter Clinch first landed
© Expired
Address :
Saint John, New Brunswick
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
1923-05-25
Dates:
-
1783 to 1783
(Significant)
Event, Person, Organization:
Other Name(s):
-
Landing of United Empire Loyalists in New Brunswick
(Designation Name)
Research Report Number:
2009-CED-SDC-038
Importance:
Three separate fleets of ships carrying Loyalists from New England, 1783
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: Market Square Saint John, New Brunswick
On 10 May 1783 the Spring Fleet, carrying over 2000 Loyalists, arrived at the Saint John River mouth. The exiles, mostly civilians from the Middle Colonies, established themselves in the newly-surveyed townsites of Parr and Carleton. A second fleet in June, a third in September carrying troops of the Loyalist corps, and numerous individual vessels swelled the number crowded at the river mouth. Preparation for the arrivals was inadequate and many wintered in tents and huts under severe conditions. For some, three years or more elapsed before suitable land could be secured and the clearing of farms begun.