SAINT ANDREWS, N.B.
While I was visiting Saint Andrews, New Brunswick last month I felt it could be known as a fine example of a town settled by Loyalists. The town was named for the patron saint of Scotland, Saint Andrew the Apostle, reflecting a common colonial practice to name places after religious figures. It was mapped out at the close of the American Revolution with a gridiron street plan designed for a British colonial town, settled by United Empire Loyalists, and has retained examples of their heritage. The present population is about 2,000 and has grown in recent years.
A plaque on the outside of the former Loyalist John Dunn home at 126 Water Street marking it as a Provincial Heritage Site indicates he was a prominent founder and leader in Saint Andrews, arriving from New York in 1784 and bringing materials for the town's first two-storey house. He served as Charlotte County's High Sheriff and Comptroller of Customs, contributing significantly to the town's prosperity. Dunn also donated land for the first Catholic Church in Saint Andrews and established a fund for the town's poor.
The Pagan - O'Neil House located at 235 Queen Street, was relocated from Castine, Maine, around 1785. It was one of the early structures built by Loyalist settlers in Saint Andrews.
Windsor House located at 132 Water Street, was constructed in 1797 for United Empire Loyalist Captain David Mowat. He had been Captain of the Garrison at Fort Howe in Saint John, New Brunswick before moving to Saint Andrews. Originally he was from the Orkney Islands, Scotland.
Street names remind you of the town's connection to the Loyalists, like Carleton Street , named after Sir Guy Carleton, who oversaw the evacuation of Loyalist refugees from New York at the end of the American Revolution. Parr Street was named after John Parr, Governor of Nova Scotia (which originally included New Brunswick) from 1782 - 1791 during time Loyalists settled Saint Andrews.
There is a United Empire Loyalist Cemetery in the town where the earliest gravestone is dated 1788. Reverend Samuel Andrews, born in Wallingford Township , Connecticutt in 1737 who became Church of England clergyman for Saint Andrews and died in 1818 is among the burials. Gravestones can also be viewed for Loyalists John Dunn and his wife Elizabeth. The land for the cemetery was originally given to the Church of England, however, persons of all denominations were buried there until other churches established cemeteries in the town.
The families of the Loyalists who settled Saint Andrews remained loyal and at the beginning of the War of 1812 built a blockhouse to defend against American attack. It is a National Heritage Site open to visit during the summer. The blockhouse was one of three built by local residents and is Canada's last surviving one from the War.
Further Reading:
Dunn - McQuoid House , Canada's Historic Places
Loyalist Cemetery , St. Andrews, New Brunswick
St. Andrew's Blackhouse National Historic Site , St. Andrews, New Brunswick
