A Hearty Welcome: Royal Tours of New Brunswick, 1794-2012 Title Banner

June 29, 2012 Fredericton New Brunswick – As the Fredericton Region Museum prepares for Canada Day, it is also getting ready to open its newest travelling exhibit!  Curated by Barry Mackenzie, it explores the history of royal visits to New Brunswick. The exhibit opening will take place outside the Fredericton Region Museum on Sunday, July 1st from 12 to 4pm.  The museum would like to extend an open invitation to the public and members of the media to visit the exhibit and explore this interesting part of our history.

Created in partnership with New Brunswick Branch of the Monarchist League of Canada, the exhibit is a Diamond Jubilee project produced to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the reign of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.  Entitled “A Hearty Welcome: Royal Tours of New Brunswick, 1794-2012”, the exhibit explores the rich past of New Brunswick’s relationship with the Royal family.  From its earliest days as a British colony to modern times, New Brunswick has played host to many members of the Royal Family.  The first royal visit took place in 1794 when Prince Edward Augustus, son of King George III, was in command of all of His Majesty’s troops in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.  A variety of photographs are included in the display, from an early print of Queen Victoria in her coronation robes from the York Sunbury Historical Society collection to a photograph taken by the curator of Prince Charles during his recent visit.

Barry MacKenzie is a PhD student at the University of New Brunswick, currently working on a dissertation on Royal Tours to New Brunswick.  A native of Centre Napan, he received a Bachelor’s Degree, Magna Cum Laude, from St. Francis Xavier University in 2007, and a Master’s Degree from the University of New Brunswick in 2009. He is an avid genealogist and local historian, and is active as a member of the executive committee of the New Brunswick Branch of the Monarchist League of Canada .

This exhibit was funded by the Department of Canadian Heritage 2012 Diamond Jubilee Community Celebrations fund and the city of Fredericton Arts, Culture & Heritage Funding Program.  The Fredericton Region Museum is a registered charity operated by the York Sunbury Historical Society. The museum seeks to preserve the history of central New Brunswick through displays, publications, programs and a lecture series.  The museum is open to the public daily from 10am to 5pm until the end of August with off season hours beginning in September.  For more information, contact the museum office.