Partridge Island, New Brunswick
Encyclopedia
Partridge Island is a Canadian
island located in the Bay of Fundy
off the coast of New Brunswick
on the west side of the mouth of the Saint John River and Saint John Harbour.
The island is designated as both a national and provincial historic site. It lies within the city of Saint John
's Inner Harbour.
Partridge Island is the site of the first quarantine station in Canada, established for this purpose as early as 1785 [the Quarantine Station was established by the Saint John Royal Charter of 1785, (which also set aside the island for use as a navigational aids station and a military post) and its first use as a Quarantine Station was not until as early as 1816. The first hospital was not built until 1830.] It received its largest influx of immigrants in the 1840s during the Great Famine, known as the "Irish Potato Famine", when a shortage of potatoes occurred because of potato blight
striking Ireland's staple crop, causing millions to starve to death or otherwise emigrate, mainly to North America. During the famine, some 30,000 immigrants were processed by the island's visiting and resident physicians, and some 600+ of whom died and were buried on the island. During the 1890s there were over 78,000 immigrants a season being processed by the resident physician, but there were few deaths.
and particularly the Mi'kmaq Nation, who reportedly referred to the island as "Quak'm'kagan'ik" meaning "a piece cut out". This name is in reference to the belief that the island was created when Glooscap
smashed the dam that "Big Beaver" had built (at the Reversing Falls
) and a piece of the dam was swept in the rush of water to the mouth of the harbour where it came to rest to form the island. (While some in Saint John like to lay claim to this piece of folklore, the native story actually relates to the island in Minas Basin in Nova Scotia, which is also named Partridge Island and is known as "Quak'm'kagan'ik".)
Following the arrival of United Empire Loyalist refugees from the American Revolutionary War
in 1783, and the formation of the city of Saint John, the need for a lighthouse to aid shipping was realized. A light station was erected on Partridge Island and began operating in 1791, being only the third light station to have been built in British North America
. A signal station was soon located on the island and it was used for many years to alert the harbour to vessels approaching from the Bay of Fundy
. The island's light and signal station were both established in 1791. The modern equivalent of the signal station, still exists on the island in 2011.
The island was Saint John's principal military fortification from 1800 until 1947. It was the only Saint John fortification to be used during all periods of Saint John's military activity. On the island today are visible the remains of the Royal Artillery gun battery of 1812, and of both World Wars One and Two.
The island was also home to dozens of island families over the years, from lightkeepers such as Captain Samuel Duffy, James Wilson, Albert Smith, Charles Mitchell and, Thomas Furness, to hospital staff such as Doctor's George and William Harding, hospital stewards Thomas McGowan, Fred and Jim Hargrove, and teachers for the island's school such as Jean MacCullum and Forbes Elliott.
Boat tours operated to the island from 1982 until 1995 when the island's small museum closed. There have been numerous books written about the island as well as video documentaries.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
island located in the Bay of Fundy
Bay of Fundy
The Bay of Fundy is a bay on the Atlantic coast of North America, on the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine...
off the coast of New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
on the west side of the mouth of the Saint John River and Saint John Harbour.
The island is designated as both a national and provincial historic site. It lies within the city of Saint John
Saint John, New Brunswick
City of Saint John , or commonly Saint John, is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, and the first incorporated city in Canada. The city is situated along the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River. In 2006 the city proper had a population of 74,043...
's Inner Harbour.
Partridge Island is the site of the first quarantine station in Canada, established for this purpose as early as 1785 [the Quarantine Station was established by the Saint John Royal Charter of 1785, (which also set aside the island for use as a navigational aids station and a military post) and its first use as a Quarantine Station was not until as early as 1816. The first hospital was not built until 1830.] It received its largest influx of immigrants in the 1840s during the Great Famine, known as the "Irish Potato Famine", when a shortage of potatoes occurred because of potato blight
Phytophthora infestans
Phytophthora infestans is an oomycete that causes the serious potato disease known as late blight or potato blight. . Late blight was a major culprit in the 1840s European, the 1845 Irish and 1846 Highland potato famines...
striking Ireland's staple crop, causing millions to starve to death or otherwise emigrate, mainly to North America. During the famine, some 30,000 immigrants were processed by the island's visiting and resident physicians, and some 600+ of whom died and were buried on the island. During the 1890s there were over 78,000 immigrants a season being processed by the resident physician, but there were few deaths.
- A memorial to the Irish immigrants of the mid-1840s was set up on the island in the 1890s but by World War One it had deteriorated. In 1926 the Saint John City Cornet Band approached Saint John contractor George McArthur who agreed to led a campaign to build a suitable monument. The Celtic Cross memorial to the Irish dead of 1847 was dedicated in 1927. This was restored and rededicated in 1985.
- In the early and mid-1980s the Saint John Jewish Community, the Loyal Orange Lodge, the Partridge Island Research Project, and the Partridge Island & Harbour Heritage Inc., erected memorials to the Jewish immigrants buried in one of the six island graveyards, as well as a monument to all of the Irish dead from 1830 to the 1920s.
History
The island traces its human history to the Passamaquoddy NationPassamaquoddy
The Passamaquoddy are the First Nations people who live in northeastern North America, primarily in Maine and New Brunswick....
and particularly the Mi'kmaq Nation, who reportedly referred to the island as "Quak'm'kagan'ik" meaning "a piece cut out". This name is in reference to the belief that the island was created when Glooscap
Glooscap
Glooscap is a mythical culture hero, and "transformer" of the Wabanaki peoples...
smashed the dam that "Big Beaver" had built (at the Reversing Falls
Reversing Falls
The Reversing Falls are a series of rapids on the Saint John River located in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, where the river runs through a narrow gorge before emptying into the Bay of Fundy....
) and a piece of the dam was swept in the rush of water to the mouth of the harbour where it came to rest to form the island. (While some in Saint John like to lay claim to this piece of folklore, the native story actually relates to the island in Minas Basin in Nova Scotia, which is also named Partridge Island and is known as "Quak'm'kagan'ik".)
Following the arrival of United Empire Loyalist refugees from the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
in 1783, and the formation of the city of Saint John, the need for a lighthouse to aid shipping was realized. A light station was erected on Partridge Island and began operating in 1791, being only the third light station to have been built in British North America
British North America
British North America is a historical term. It consisted of the colonies and territories of the British Empire in continental North America after the end of the American Revolutionary War and the recognition of American independence in 1783.At the start of the Revolutionary War in 1775 the British...
. A signal station was soon located on the island and it was used for many years to alert the harbour to vessels approaching from the Bay of Fundy
Bay of Fundy
The Bay of Fundy is a bay on the Atlantic coast of North America, on the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine...
. The island's light and signal station were both established in 1791. The modern equivalent of the signal station, still exists on the island in 2011.
The island was Saint John's principal military fortification from 1800 until 1947. It was the only Saint John fortification to be used during all periods of Saint John's military activity. On the island today are visible the remains of the Royal Artillery gun battery of 1812, and of both World Wars One and Two.
The island was also home to dozens of island families over the years, from lightkeepers such as Captain Samuel Duffy, James Wilson, Albert Smith, Charles Mitchell and, Thomas Furness, to hospital staff such as Doctor's George and William Harding, hospital stewards Thomas McGowan, Fred and Jim Hargrove, and teachers for the island's school such as Jean MacCullum and Forbes Elliott.
Boat tours operated to the island from 1982 until 1995 when the island's small museum closed. There have been numerous books written about the island as well as video documentaries.
External links
- Gateway to Canada - Heritage Resources Saint John
- A Chronicle of Irish Immigration to Saint John, New Brunswick, 1847, Elizabeth Cushing, Teresa Casey, Monica Robertson, 1979.
- The Diary of Nellie McGowan, Partridge Island Quarantine Station, 1902, Harold E. Wright, 1984.
- Fortress Saint John, an illustrated military history, 1640-1985, Harold E. Wright and Byron O'Leary, 1985.
- Dr. James P. Collins, a martyr to his duty, Harold E. Wright, 1988.
- The Irish in Atlantic Canada, 1780-1900, Thomas Power, 1991.
- L'ile Partridge Island, A Gateway to north America/Un passage vers l'Amerique de Nord, Harold E. Wright, 1995.
- Images of Canada, Saint John, Harold E. Wright, 1996.
- Images of Our Past, Homeport: Campobello-Saint John-St. Martins, Harold E. Wright & Deborah Stilwell, 2002.