You’ve found us! Overlooking three river valleys, Keswick Ridge rises thirty kilometres to the west of Fredericton. Nestled in its heart, our restored schoolhouse and general store bring the stories behind one of New Brunswick’s most beautiful and historic communities to life.
As a historical society, our mission is to preserve properties, artifacts, traditions, and records of local historical significance, as well as encouraging community commitment and appreciation of those cultural assets.
Scroll down and use the menu to have a look around - there’s a lot to take in - and please feel free to contact us with any questions or comments. Our website, like all our work, is under constant research, revision and construction, so check back often for updates.
Better yet, come for a visit!
Welcome!
Explore Online
The McKeen Store
This local general store, that operated in the community for over a hundred years, was carefully, and lovingly moved to the KRHS property and restored. A shed, based on historic plans was added to the rear, and now houses our climate-controlled artifact storage facility.
The Schoolhouse Museum
Constructed in 1887, the Keswick Ridge Superior School building was the inspiration for the forming of the society, and now acts as both our headquarters, and a painstakingly restored classroom museum containing a wide variety of treasures and memories from the community.
Curiosities
Rural communities tend to be big fans of story telling, and less so of paperwork. Don’t get us wrong; this has great entertainment value, but it’s not exactly science-friendly. Our collection is full of pieces that have dubious origin stories and conflicting histories - in some cases bordering on mythological - but they’re all undeniably part of the area’s lore.
History Vignettes
The Keswick Exchange
The Keswick Exchange was a local publication, run by volunteers, that ran from 1981 to 1998. The entire collection has been lovingly digitized, and is an absolute delight to browse through, whether you’re from here, or “from away.” From local news reports and gossip, to recipes and poetry, you’ll get lost down this rabbit hole of nostalgia.
The Vanished Village
The construction of the Mactaquac Hydroelectric Dam saw the entire village of Jewett’s Mills on the Mactaquac Stream flooded and lost forever. While some structures and cemeteries were moved, the site is now at the bottom of the dam’s headpond.
To this day, there are mixed emotions.
Opus Crafts
Travel back to the 1970s, and stroll through Opus Village, a unique and visionary artisan collective village started by Canadian greats Martin Demain and Al Crimmins. The village was an icon of craft in New Brunswick, and housed glass blowers, potters, leatherworkers. blacksmiths and a candle making studio.
Current Projects
Revisiting “Century Homes”
One of our most popular publications, “Century Homes of Keswick Ridge” is getting an extensive makeover! The book details 34 historic homes in the area, and we are updating it with new photos and research, architectural details, stories and history. Plans for an online, virtual drive-through exhibit are also in the works.
Stamped In Time
Through research, anecdotal evidence, authentic materials, and artifacts from our collection, The McKeen Store Post Office Reconstruction Project is bringing an indelible part of the community’s history back to life.
Echoes In Stone
An exciting new project mapping and cataloguing gravestones, genealogies and stories from The Old Pioneer Cemetery at St. Paul’s Anglican church in Zealand, and helping to restore and preserve them. The society hopes to use this as a pilot for similar work in other cemeteries in the area.
Keswick Ridge is just west (about 25 minutes by car) of Fredericton, New Brunswick. After a beautiful drive along the Saint John river, we are a stone’s throw from Mactaquac Provincial Park, and half way to King’s Landing Historical Settlement. Zoom in and out using the map below to plan your trip, or browse scores of other fascinating historical sites and societies here.
Our Museum hours vary by season, but we are available for viewings upon request. During the summer months, we are open Mon-Wed-Fri from 9:00am until 5:00pm, and Tue-Thu from 1:00pm to 5:00 pm.
Where are we?
Contact Us
Do you have a personal connection to the area? Do some of the family names sound familiar? Are you an amateur or professional historian looking for information? Want to know more about something you saw here? Can you help us with any of our projects? Let us know!