Chatham, New Brunswick, Canada, a former town on the south bank of the Miramichi River, was subsumed in 1995 into the new city of Miramichi. == Geography == At Chatham, the Miramichi River is quite wide, the water salt and tidal. Just downstream from the town, the river begins to widen into a broad estuary, the Miramichi River gradually becoming Miramichi Bay. Because of its eastward facing location, ships coming from the British Isles in early times had easy access through the Strait of Belle Isle and across the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It was more accessible and safer to get to than Quebec City or Saint John, New Brunswick. In colonial times the surrounding lands were heavily forested, the stands of eastern white pine being especially valued for ships' masts. The River teemed with fish, atlantic salmon the most prized. Abundant game roamed the forests, and berries were a valuable food supplement. Scottish people arriving here found the area strangely familiar. The rocks in the Miramichi are similar to those of Scotland, being a part of the same formation before continental drift separated them. Seabirds and fish are often the same or similar. The atlantic salmon, the herring gull and the common tern were found in both areas. The Scots had the technology and know how to lumber, fish, farm and build ships in such an area. The Irish were somewhat less adapted, their forests long having been cut down, and fishing not being so well developed there. But they could pick up skills from their neighbours. The skills of the urban English were not so well adapted to this area and English farmers were accustomed to a gentler climate, so not many settled here. At Chatham, the river banks are low, but not subject to flooding, being very suited to wharves. A deep channel comes very close to the shore, enabling the largest ships in colonial times to come up to the wharves. Away from the shore the land gradually rises several hundred feet. Soil, while not especially fertile, supports potatoes, root crops and apple trees. All these circumstances made Chatham an ideal location for a lumbering and fishing centre. == Early Days == In 1800 Francis Peabody settled in the location that became Chatham. The Miramichi River is nearly a mile wide here. Its channel comes very close to the shore at this spot, so it was a natural place to build wharves. Logs from the large watershed of the river could easily be floated to this point. It made sense to saw lumber here. The best salmon fisheries were nearby. Other settlers followed, but growth was relatively slow throughout the early part of the 19th century. But, by 1834 the first bank opened. A stage coach left each Monday for Fredericton. The settlement attracted a group of aggresive entrepreneurs, Scottish and English, such as Joseph Cunard, William Muirhead, Jabez Bunting Snowball, and later, W.S. Loggie. Gradually, the community became a centre for sawing lumber, shipbuiding, and exporting fish and forest products to the British Isles and, later on, to the United States. In its early days, Chatham resembled the Calgary of today far more than the contemporary quiet towns of The Maritimes. It was bustling, energetic, growing and confident. It is interesting that both Chatham and Calgary attracted an ambitious and able young Maritime lawyer called Richard Bedford Bennett, later to be prime minister of Canada. He was involved in politics in both places. By 1851, Chatham had 505 employed persons distributed among the following occupations: 170 labourers, 74 servants, 60 shipwrights, 25 joiners, 20 cordwainers, 19 farmers, 16 clerks, 13 blacksmiths, 12 merchants, 10 tailors, 9 storekeepers, 7 sawyers, 7 teachers, 5 blockmakers, 4 sailmakers,4 riggers,4 stage drivers, 4 butchers,4 printers, 3 clergymen, 1 sparmaker, 1 gunsmith, 1 surgeon and 1 constable A police force was started in 1858, telephones came to the town in 1880, with street lighting in 1888. In 1881, somewhat past the prime of sailing ships, the port of Chatham recorded the following annual traffic: 177 overseas vessels entered- 80,558 tons exported; 11,344 imported: 302 coastal vessels entered-- 98, 023 tons exported ( value $ 797,179) 1881 value of bank deposits---$133,118. Chatham was incorporated as a town in 1896. A large wooden hotel, The Adams House operated from 1884 to the 1950's. The four storey, brick Touraine Hotel was opened in 1908. It was on a branch line of the Canadian National Railways. == Heyday == Chatham in its prime ( 1895- 1919) had extensive wharves, a pulp mill, three large sawmills, a fish packing plant, a large foundry/shipbuilding facility with a repair yard for small vessels, an armoury, several sizeable hotels, a Catholic hospital (Hotel Dieu), St. Joseph's Nursing Home, three secondary schools, a Catholic Liberal Arts college, the county poor house( the County Home), a race track, an indoor rink, a golf club, facilities for an agricultural exhibition and several notable churches. The Anglican Church and Rectory were especially beautiful wood structures. Alas, they burned down in 1960. The Town was a service and shopping centre for the surrounding lands, especially the areas further down the bay. Students boarded at the Catholic girls and boys schools and the Catholic college in Town. During the period, 1880 to 1960, the Catholic Church was a major employer in Chatham, being especially important after the mills began to close. == Catholic Religious Centre == The Town is dominated by a large Roman Catholic church, St. Michael's Basilica, the largest church in Canada east of Quebec City. This neoGothic structure was formerly a cathedral. Next to it, in the same style, is the former bishop's residence, now a convent. From 1860 to 1938 Chatham was the centre of a large diocese covering the northern part of New Brunswick. The Diocese of Chatham was moved to Bathurst, New Brunswick, in 1938. Chatham is noted for the many priests and nuns it produced. A Catholic religious order, the Religious Hospitaliers of St. Joseph, long had a significant presence in the town, operating a large elementary/secondary school (St.Michael's Academy), a hospital and a nursing home. The nuns are still present (2005) but in sadly diminished numbers, with plans to leave soon. The Basilian Fathers operated a small liberal arts college, which was later taken over by the Diocese. It evolved into St. Thomas University, now located in Fredericton, New Brunswick. == Ethnic and Religious Composition == Historically, Chatham has been a majority Catholic town, with smaller United Church, Anglican, and Presbyterian congregations. Various other Protestant denominations have come and gone, though the Pentecostals are holding their own. The town long had several Jewish families, though numbers have dwindled in recent years. Ethnic backgrounds are Irish, Scotch, English, and French with the latter gaining somewhat in recent years. There has long been a Catholic Lebanese presence ( originally called by locals "Assyrian") and several Norwegian families. A few retired military have settled there adding to the mix. == Slow Decline == Chatham reached its peak of prosperity in the years just before World War One, but even then its main export was people. During the Great War, many men from Chatham joined the 132nd battalion of the North Shore Regiment. Many were killed or wounded at Vimy Ridge and on the Somme. The depression of 1919 hit it hard with Jabez Bunting Snowball large sawmill closing. Young men and women moved to New England to seek work, where many had relatives. World War II saw the opening of an air force base which was a economic boon to the Town until it closed in 1996. At its peak. CFB Chatham was one of Canada's most important fighter bases. The post war baby boom of the fifties enabled the Town to reach a peak population of 8,600 in 1961. But the loss of St. Thomas University (New Brunswick) in 1964 (moved to Fredericton) and the closing of CFB Chatham in 1996 contributed to its slow decline. A minor boost was the location of the Federal Gun registries in the Town. == The Finished Export == Over the years emigrants from Chatham have moved to where the jobs were. In the mid to late nineteenth century, some left for lumbering opportunities in Maine, Wisconsin and the State of Washington, but the majority went to Boston up to the 1930's. Few left during the hungry thirties (better to be among friends when there is no work). Right after World War Two, Montreal seemed to offer opportunities, but this was soon replaced by Toronto and other parts of Ontario. Fredericton and Moncton were also work destinations from the 1950's onwards, with Halifax becoming more important after 1965. In recent years, Alberta has attracted more Chatham residents. == Famous Residents == Francis Peabody of England was the founder of the town in 1800, and a successful businessman. He named the community after William Pitt the Elder, Earl of Chatham. Joseph Cunard (1799-1865) of Halifax, brother of Samuel Cunard, founder of the famous steamship line, settled in Chatham as a young man and became a prosperous businessman, with a large sawmill, ships and a merchantile business, centered in Chatham, but with interests across the Province. His era was from the 1820's to the late 1840's, when he was bankrupted and left Town. He died in England. John Mercer Johnson (1819-1868) was born in Liverpool, England but moved to Chatham at the age of two. He started practicing law in town in 1840 and in 1850 was elected to the House of Assembly of the Province. A Liberal, he was variously Solicitor-General, Postmaster-General, Speaker of the House and Attorney-General of New Brunswick. He is a Canadian Confederation and was a Member of Parliament of the new Dominion of Canada from 1867 to his death in 1868. Jabez Bunting Snowball was a prominent entrepreneur and Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick. W.S. Loggie was a Member of Parliament and the preeminent Chatham merchant of his era ( 1880-1925). Richard Bedford Bennett, prime minister of Canada during the early 1930's once operated a law practice here and was an alderman of the town. Max Aitken, later Lord Beaverbrook, was his office boy. Another Prime Minister, Brian Mulroney attended high school here in the late 1950's at the boarding school attached to St. Thomas University. Frank McKenna, sometime premier of New Brunswick and later Canadian Ambassador in Washington, was the menber of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick for Chatham from the early 1980,s until his resignation as premier. Originally from the south of the Province, he moved to Chatham in the early 1970's to open a law practice. == Today == Chatham is now known for its annual Irish festival. It also has become something of a retirement community, offering good quality affordable housing ( the married quarters of the former military base) at bargain rates in a peaceful setting. New Brunswick communities
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Chatham,_New_Brunswick
Chatham, New Brunswick
Chatham, New Brunswick, Canada, a former town on the south bank of the Miramichi River, was subsumed in 1995 into the new city of Miramichi. == Geography == At Chatham, the Miramichi River is quite wide, the water salt and tidal. Just downstream from the town, the river begins to widen into a broad estuary, the Miramichi River gradually becoming Miramichi Bay. Because of its eastward facing location, ships coming from the British Isles in early times had easy access through the Strait of Belle Isle and across the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It was more accessible and safer to get to than Quebec City or Saint John, New Brunswick. In colonial times the surrounding lands were heavily forested, the stands of eastern white pine being especially valued for ships' masts. The River teemed with fish, atlantic salmon the most prized. Abundant game roamed the forests, and berries were a valuable food supplement. Scottish people arriving here found the area strangely familiar. The rocks in the Miramichi are similar to those of Scotland, being a part of the same formation before continental drift separated them. Seabirds and fish are often the same or similar. The atlantic salmon, the herring gull and the common tern were found in both areas. The Scots had the technology and know how to lumber, fish, farm and build ships in such an area. The Irish were somewhat less adapted, their forests long having been cut down, and fishing not being so well developed there. But they could pick up skills from their neighbours. The skills of the urban English were not so well adapted to this area and English farmers were accustomed to a gentler climate, so not many settled here. At Chatham, the river banks are low, but not subject to flooding, being very suited to wharves. A deep channel comes very close to the shore, enabling the largest ships in colonial times to come up to the wharves. Away from the shore the land gradually rises several hundred feet. Soil, while not especially fertile, supports potatoes, root crops and apple trees. All these circumstances made Chatham an ideal location for a lumbering and fishing centre. == Early Days == In 1800 Francis Peabody settled in the location that became Chatham. The Miramichi River is nearly a mile wide here. Its channel comes very close to the shore at this spot, so it was a natural place to build wharves. Logs from the large watershed of the river could easily be floated to this point. It made sense to saw lumber here. The best salmon fisheries were nearby. Other settlers followed, but growth was relatively slow throughout the early part of the 19th century. But, by 1834 the first bank opened. A stage coach left each Monday for Fredericton. The settlement attracted a group of aggresive entrepreneurs, Scottish and English, such as Joseph Cunard, William Muirhead, Jabez Bunting Snowball, and later, W.S. Loggie. Gradually, the community became a centre for sawing lumber, shipbuiding, and exporting fish and forest products to the British Isles and, later on, to the United States. In its early days, Chatham resembled the Calgary of today far more than the contemporary quiet towns of The Maritimes. It was bustling, energetic, growing and confident. It is interesting that both Chatham and Calgary attracted an ambitious and able young Maritime lawyer called Richard Bedford Bennett, later to be prime minister of Canada. He was involved in politics in both places. By 1851, Chatham had 505 employed persons distributed among the following occupations: 170 labourers, 74 servants, 60 shipwrights, 25 joiners, 20 cordwainers, 19 farmers, 16 clerks, 13 blacksmiths, 12 merchants, 10 tailors, 9 storekeepers, 7 sawyers, 7 teachers, 5 blockmakers, 4 sailmakers,4 riggers,4 stage drivers, 4 butchers,4 printers, 3 clergymen, 1 sparmaker, 1 gunsmith, 1 surgeon and 1 constable A police force was started in 1858, telephones came to the town in 1880, with street lighting in 1888. In 1881, somewhat past the prime of sailing ships, the port of Chatham recorded the following annual traffic: 177 overseas vessels entered- 80,558 tons exported; 11,344 imported: 302 coastal vessels entered-- 98, 023 tons exported ( value $ 797,179) 1881 value of bank deposits---$133,118. Chatham was incorporated as a town in 1896. A large wooden hotel, The Adams House operated from 1884 to the 1950's. The four storey, brick Touraine Hotel was opened in 1908. It was on a branch line of the Canadian National Railways. == Heyday == Chatham in its prime ( 1895- 1919) had extensive wharves, a pulp mill, three large sawmills, a fish packing plant, a large foundry/shipbuilding facility with a repair yard for small vessels, an armoury, several sizeable hotels, a Catholic hospital (Hotel Dieu), St. Joseph's Nursing Home, three secondary schools, a Catholic Liberal Arts college, the county poor house( the County Home), a race track, an indoor rink, a golf club, facilities for an agricultural exhibition and several notable churches. The Anglican Church and Rectory were especially beautiful wood structures. Alas, they burned down in 1960. The Town was a service and shopping centre for the surrounding lands, especially the areas further down the bay. Students boarded at the Catholic girls and boys schools and the Catholic college in Town. During the period, 1880 to 1960, the Catholic Church was a major employer in Chatham, being especially important after the mills began to close. == Catholic Religious Centre == The Town is dominated by a large Roman Catholic church, St. Michael's Basilica, the largest church in Canada east of Quebec City. This neoGothic structure was formerly a cathedral. Next to it, in the same style, is the former bishop's residence, now a convent. From 1860 to 1938 Chatham was the centre of a large diocese covering the northern part of New Brunswick. The Diocese of Chatham was moved to Bathurst, New Brunswick, in 1938. Chatham is noted for the many priests and nuns it produced. A Catholic religious order, the Religious Hospitaliers of St. Joseph, long had a significant presence in the town, operating a large elementary/secondary school (St.Michael's Academy), a hospital and a nursing home. The nuns are still present (2005) but in sadly diminished numbers, with plans to leave soon. The Basilian Fathers operated a small liberal arts college, which was later taken over by the Diocese. It evolved into St. Thomas University, now located in Fredericton, New Brunswick. == Ethnic and Religious Composition == Historically, Chatham has been a majority Catholic town, with smaller United Church, Anglican, and Presbyterian congregations. Various other Protestant denominations have come and gone, though the Pentecostals are holding their own. The town long had several Jewish families, though numbers have dwindled in recent years. Ethnic backgrounds are Irish, Scotch, English, and French with the latter gaining somewhat in recent years. There has long been a Catholic Lebanese presence ( originally called by locals "Assyrian") and several Norwegian families. A few retired military have settled there adding to the mix. == Slow Decline == Chatham reached its peak of prosperity in the years just before World War One, but even then its main export was people. During the Great War, many men from Chatham joined the 132nd battalion of the North Shore Regiment. Many were killed or wounded at Vimy Ridge and on the Somme. The depression of 1919 hit it hard with Jabez Bunting Snowball large sawmill closing. Young men and women moved to New England to seek work, where many had relatives. World War II saw the opening of an air force base which was a economic boon to the Town until it closed in 1996. At its peak. CFB Chatham was one of Canada's most important fighter bases. The post war baby boom of the fifties enabled the Town to reach a peak population of 8,600 in 1961. But the loss of St. Thomas University (New Brunswick) in 1964 (moved to Fredericton) and the closing of CFB Chatham in 1996 contributed to its slow decline. A minor boost was the location of the Federal Gun registries in the Town. == The Finished Export == Over the years emigrants from Chatham have moved to where the jobs were. In the mid to late nineteenth century, some left for lumbering opportunities in Maine, Wisconsin and the State of Washington, but the majority went to Boston up to the 1930's. Few left during the hungry thirties (better to be among friends when there is no work). Right after World War Two, Montreal seemed to offer opportunities, but this was soon replaced by Toronto and other parts of Ontario. Fredericton and Moncton were also work destinations from the 1950's onwards, with Halifax becoming more important after 1965. In recent years, Alberta has attracted more Chatham residents. == Famous Residents == Francis Peabody of England was the founder of the town in 1800, and a successful businessman. He named the community after William Pitt the Elder, Earl of Chatham. Joseph Cunard (1799-1865) of Halifax, brother of Samuel Cunard, founder of the famous steamship line, settled in Chatham as a young man and became a prosperous businessman, with a large sawmill, ships and a merchantile business, centered in Chatham, but with interests across the Province. His era was from the 1820's to the late 1840's, when he was bankrupted and left Town. He died in England. John Mercer Johnson (1819-1868) was born in Liverpool, England but moved to Chatham at the age of two. He started practicing law in town in 1840 and in 1850 was elected to the House of Assembly of the Province. A Liberal, he was variously Solicitor-General, Postmaster-General, Speaker of the House and Attorney-General of New Brunswick. He is a Canadian Confederation and was a Member of Parliament of the new Dominion of Canada from 1867 to his death in 1868. Jabez Bunting Snowball was a prominent entrepreneur and Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick. W.S. Loggie was a Member of Parliament and the preeminent Chatham merchant of his era ( 1880-1925). Richard Bedford Bennett, prime minister of Canada during the early 1930's once operated a law practice here and was an alderman of the town. Max Aitken, later Lord Beaverbrook, was his office boy. Another Prime Minister, Brian Mulroney attended high school here in the late 1950's at the boarding school attached to St. Thomas University. Frank McKenna, sometime premier of New Brunswick and later Canadian Ambassador in Washington, was the menber of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick for Chatham from the early 1980,s until his resignation as premier. Originally from the south of the Province, he moved to Chatham in the early 1970's to open a law practice. == Today == Chatham is now known for its annual Irish festival. It also has become something of a retirement community, offering good quality affordable housing ( the married quarters of the former military base) at bargain rates in a peaceful setting. New Brunswick communities
See other meanings of words starting from letter:
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CA | CB | CD | CE | CF | CG | CH | CI | CJ | CK | CL | CM | CN | CO | CP | CR | CS | CT | CU | CW | CX | CY | CZ |Words begining with Chatham,_New_Brunswick:
Chatham,_New_Brunswick
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