St. Stephen is a
CanadianCanada 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...
town in
Charlotte CountyCharlotte County is located in the southwestern portion of New Brunswick, Canada.In most of the county, fishing and aquaculture dominate the local economy, although the town of St. Andrews is a tourist mecca and St...
,
New BrunswickNew 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...
, situated on the east bank of the
St. Croix RiverThe St. Croix River is a river in northeastern North America, in length, that forms part of the Canada – United States border between Maine and New Brunswick . The river rises in the Chiputneticook Lakes and flows south and southeast, between Calais and St. Stephen...
at .
Climate
The climate is temperate but greatly affected by the Bay of Fundy. The bay is a cool body of water which acts as a natural air conditioner in the summer and diverts major snow storms in the winter. The bay never freezes. The average summer temperature is 22 degrees Celsius with the average winter temperature being -3.9 degrees Celsius.
History
The Passamaquoddy people were the first to make their home along the St. Croix River. They dispersed and hunted inland in the winter; in the summer, they gathered more closely together on the coast and islands, and primarily harvested seafood, including porpoise. In 1604, French explorer
Samuel de ChamplainSamuel de Champlain , "The Father of New France", was a French navigator, cartographer, draughtsman, soldier, explorer, geographer, ethnologist, diplomat, and chronicler. He founded New France and Quebec City on July 3, 1608....
and his men spent a winter here. The Passamaquoddy were moved off their original lands repeatedly by European settlers since that time.
Raid on St. Stephen (1704)
During
Queen Anne's WarQueen Anne's War , as the North American theater of the War of the Spanish Succession was known in the British colonies, was the second in a series of French and Indian Wars fought between France and England, later Great Britain, in North America for control of the continent. The War of the...
, in response to the French Raid on Deerfield, New Englander Major Benjamin Church (military officer) raided the Acadian villages of
Castine, MaineCastine is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States and was once the capital of Acadia . The population was 1,343 at the 2000 census. Castine is the home of Maine Maritime Academy, a four-year institution that graduates officers and engineers for the United States Merchant Marine and marine...
(then known as Penobscot). From the Raid on
Castine, MaineCastine is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States and was once the capital of Acadia . The population was 1,343 at the 2000 census. Castine is the home of Maine Maritime Academy, a four-year institution that graduates officers and engineers for the United States Merchant Marine and marine...
, Church learned that Michel Chartier, who was granted the land of present-day St. Stephen, was building a fort at
Passamaquoddy BayPassamaquoddy Bay is an inlet of the Bay of Fundy, between the U.S. state of Maine and the Canadian province of New Brunswick, at the mouth of the St. Croix River. Most of the bay lies within Canada, with its western shore bounded by Washington County, Maine. The southernmost point is formed by...
. Church and his men arrived at the Passamaquoddy Bay on board the Province Galley, Gosport and Fearly and several other vessels. Church travelled up the St. Croix River to St. Stephen and, on June 7, 1704, took Chartier by surprise and his family fled into the woods. On June 13, Church reported they were destroying the crops of the Acadians and the Acadians and Natives fired upon Church’s troops and a three hour exchange ensued. Church killed and imprisoned Acadians and Natives, with the total number being 35. One of Church’s men was wounded. They pillaged and plundered the community.
After the Raid on St. Stephen, Church moved on to raid other Acadian villages in the
Raid on Grand PréThe Raid on Grand Pré was the major action of a raiding expedition conducted by New England militia Colonel Benjamin Church against French Acadia in June 1704, during Queen Anne's War...
, the Raid on Piziquid, and the Raid on
ChignectoThe Isthmus of Chignecto is an isthmus bordering the Maritime provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia which connects the Nova Scotia peninsula with North America....
.
St. Stephen Incorporated
Officially incorporated as a town in 1871, five years later St. Stephen's business district was almost destroyed by fire when eighty buildings and 13 wharves burned.
In the 1970s, the municipalities of St. Stephen and Milltown joined together to become what is now simply known as St. Stephen.
Ganong Chocolates
Historically a lumber and ship building economy until the early part of the 1900s, by the end of
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the town's main employers were the Ganong Bros. Limited chocolate company (established 1873, Canada's oldest candy company), and the second largest textile mill in Canada built in 1882 on the river where it operated with its own hydro-electric generating station, the Milltown Dam. In 1957, the textile mill closed but the confectionery maker remains a key employer.
Every August since 1985, the town plays host to the week-long Chocolate Fest, celebrating their rich and delicious heritage. That spotlight on the wonder of chocolate resulted in the opening of the Chocolate Museum in 1999 and its expansion as a Chocolate Discovery Centre in 2009.
In 2000 St. Stephen was given the title of "Canada's Chocolate Town."
International border
The St. Croix River marks a section of the international boundary between the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and
CanadaCanada 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...
, forming a natural border between the towns on either side of the river bank. Calais is connected to St. Stephen by the Ferry Point International Bridge and the
Milltown International BridgeThe Milltown International Bridge is an international bridge, which connects St. Stephen, New Brunswick in Canada and Calais, Maine in the United States, across the St. Croix River....
.
Residents of St. Stephen and Calais often regard their community as one place, cooperating in their fire departments and other community projects. As evidence of the longtime friendship between the towns, during the
War of 1812The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, the
British militaryThe British Armed Forces are the armed forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.Also known as Her Majesty's Armed Forces and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown, the British Armed Forces encompasses three professional uniformed services, the Royal Navy, the...
provided St. Stephen with a large supply of
gunpowderGunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
for protection against the enemy Americans in Calais, but the town elders gave the gunpowder to Calais for its
Fourth of JulyIndependence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
celebrations.
For much of their history, both towns' fire departments have responded in tandem to any fire call on either side of the border.
Construction began in 2008 on a third bridge connecting the two communities. The new
International Avenue BridgeThe International Avenue Bridge is an international bridge across the St. Croix River, connecting the town of St. Stephen, New Brunswick in Canada with the town of Calais, Maine in the United States....
, which was officially opened in January 2010, will serve primarily commercial
truckingA truck driver , is a person who earns a living as the driver of a truck, usually a semi truck, box truck, or dump truck.Truck drivers provide an essential service to...
traffic, while the two older bridges will remain in use for passenger vehicles.
Every year, the town co-hosts a weeklong International Festival with the neighbouring town of
CalaisCalais is a city in Washington County, Maine, United States. The city has three United States border crossings or also known as a Port of entry with the busiest being on the St. Croix River bordering St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada...
,
MaineMaine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
.
Media
St. Stephen, being a small town, has only two media organizations: a radio station and weekly newspaper.
Radio station
CHTD-FMCHTD-FM is an Canadian radio station broadcasting at 98.1 MHz in St. Stephen, New Brunswick. It has been on the air since May 28, 2001.The station is owned by Acadia Broadcasting.-External links:** at Canadian Communications Foundation...
, known as "The Tide", plays country music and offers regular news updates.
Founded in 1865, the
Saint Croix CourierThe Saint Croix Courier is a weekly newspaper published by the St. Croix Printing & Publishing Company, Limited in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada. It was founded by David Main in October 1865....
is the town's weekly newspaper, and also publishes a weekend edition, the
Courier Weekend. The
Courier is one of the few papers in New Brunswick that is not owned by the Irving family.
Education
The town is home to
St. Stephen's UniversitySt. Stephen's University is a small Christian trans-denominational university located in the town of St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada.-History:Planning for the institution began in 1971 and the first students enrolled in 1975...
, a small private
ChristianChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
university.
Sports
A hotbed of
baseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
interest, in 1934 the
Boston BravesThe Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
of
baseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
's
National LeagueThe National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
played an exhibition game in St. Stephen against the local "
KiwanisKiwanis International is an international, coeducational service club founded in 1915. It is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. Current membership is 240,000 members in 7,700 clubs in 80 nations...
" team. The enthusiastic fans in attendance numbered more than half the town's population. In 1939, the local baseball team won its ninth consecutive New Brunswick senior championship, topping off a decade of dominance in the sport at both the provincial and Maritime levels.
A building which housed the former Parsons Printing business suffered fire damage in May 2010. This building housed the first basketball court in Canada.
People from St. Stephen
- Norman Buchanan (MC)
Norman Bruce Buchanan was a furniture retailer and political figure in the Province of New Brunswick, Canada. He represented Charlotte County in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick as a Progressive Conservative member from 1952 to 1960.Buchanan was born in St...
, a politician, business man and member of NB Sports hall of fameThe New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame was established in 1970 to honor outstanding athletes, teams and sport builders in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The facilities are located in the provincial capital city of Fredericton....
. He served during the Second World War and was awarded the Military CrossThe Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
with two bars, an extremely high honour held by only 23 other Commonwealth Officers.
- Henry Burr
Henry Burr was a Canadian singer of popular songs from the early 20th century, an early radio performer and producer...
, radio pioneer and early recording star
- Allan Fraser
Allan Hugh Fraser is a Canadian folk musician and songwriter. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, he was part of Fraser & DeBolt , and released two albums with Columbia Records...
, folk musician and songwriter
- Rowland Frazee
Rowland Cardwell Frazee, was a Canadian banker and former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Bank of Canada from 1979 to 1986....
, chairman of the Royal Bank of Canada
- Arthur Ganong, businessman, politician
- Gilbert Ganong
Gilbert White Ganong was a Canadian politician, the 14th Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick and co-founder of Ganong Bros. Limited, candy makers in the town of St...
, businessman, statesman
- William Francis Ganong
William Francis Ganong, M.A., Ph.D., LL.D., F.R.S.C., was a Canadian botanist, historian and cartographer. His botany career was spent mainly as a professor at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts...
, botanist, historian and cartographer
- Samuel Heywood
Samuel Heywood was a prominent early resident of Berkeley, California. He served as the President of the Town Board of Trustees during 1889-1890....
, prominent early settler of Berkeley, CaliforniaBerkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
- Kenneth G. Mills
Kenneth George Mills was a Canadian metaphysical/philosophical speaker and author. An exponent of the oral tradition, he gave spontaneous lectures and poetry for over 37 years. At the same time, he became noted for his accomplishments in music, particularly as the conductor of the choral ensemble...
, philosopher, lecturer, composer, conductor and artist
- John Ralston
John Ralston is a Canadian actor.Ralston's most notable roles are George Venturi on Life with Derek and Mr. Avenir on Strange Days at Blake Holsey High. Although John Ralston was born in Chatham, New Brunswick , he grew up in Fredericton and St. Andrews, New Brunswick...
, actor
- Don Sweeney
Donald Clarke Sweeney is a former ice hockey player for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League. He is presently with the Bruins as the assistant general manager.-Playing career:...
, former NHL hockey player with the Boston Bruins and Dallas Stars
External links