Kings Landing

The Mactaquac dam flooded a long stretch of the Saint John valley in 1967, displacing communities and drowning farmland. Buildings of historic value were moved out ahead of the water and reassembled here as a settlement set between 1780 and 1910, with about seventy structures including a working sawmill, a grist mill, a printing office, farms and an inn. Costumed staff work the buildings and the land, keeping heritage livestock breeds and growing period crops. The site is on the reservoir the dam created, so the water visible from it is the same water that made the village necessary.

Background

The museum stands in the community of Lower Prince William, approximately 40 km west of Fredericton. It was never a real village: the buildings were saved from the Mactaquac headpond and other parts of New Brunswick, and almost all of them were moved and then restored to a particular year in their history. Research began in 1967, the site opened to visitors unofficially in 1971, and the official opening came on 20 July 1974. New buildings still arrive every few years, and workshops teach 19th century crafts such as candle making, beekeeping and woodworking. Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visited in 1976. The area itself was settled largely by Loyalists, along with Scottish, Irish and English immigrants.

Source: Wikipedia, "Kings Landing Historical Settlement"

The main sights

• The rescued buildings - about seventy structures moved before the 1967 flooding.
• The working mills - water-powered sawmill and grist mill in operation.
• The heritage livestock - period breeds kept on the working farms.
• The reservoir - the water that drowned the valley, visible from the site.

When to go

June to October for the staffed village; the site closes for winter apart from special events. Harvest programming runs in autumn. Weekdays outside school trips are calmer.

Practical notes

Closed for most of the winter. The site is large with considerable walking. Not every building is staffed on quieter days.

Nearby

Fredericton lies east; Hartland is northwest.