Question:  “I am researching the fifth Lord Lansdowne.  On 23 October 1884 he made a visit to a collection of factories 2 1/2 miles from Fredericton. These, a village and a church were established by a self made man from the province of New Brunswick. He owned 200,000 acres of woodland.  I would be grateful if you could let me know what was his name.”

Answer:  “That would be Alexander Gibson (aka Boss Gibson) and he had his mill(s) and railway in Marysville.  He not only constructed a mill and railway but he constructed a church and several houses for his mill workers.  Many of his buildings are still standing.  There are several duplexes and the provincial government converted his large cotton mill into offices.  It’s worth a visit to go see if you’re into history.  I believe the museum exhibits committee is considering an exhibit on Boss Gibson in the near future.  A quick search on the web produced a link to a u-tube video by History Lands. ”

Follow Up:  Since this enquiry the Fredericton Region Museum (formerly the York Sunbury Museum) installed two exhibits pertaining to Boss Gibson.  The first was our Devon Trail House Exhibit located in Devon and the second is the Boss’s World located in our largest permanent gallery.  The Museum also created a travelling exhibit that can be exhibited at public and community events.  Please contact the Marysville Heritage Committee for information about the travelling exhibit.