History of Fredericton
Aucpaque, the "principal village" of the First Nation people in the area, was located a few kilometres up river from the site of present-day Fredericton.
The first European contact in the area was by the French in the late 17th Century, who granted the land to Joseph de Villebon.
Acadian Governor Villebon, and the location of the Capital of Acadia at Fort Nashwaak on the St. John River, became a source of torment for the settlers of New England.
In 1696, an expedition under command of Major Benjamin Church set out to destroy Fort Nashwaak (present day Fredericton).
On 18 October, the British troops arrived opposite the fort, landed three cannons, and assembled earthworks on the south bank of the Nashwaak River.
The British attempted to create a settlement in 1762, although were unsuccessful due to hostility of local Acadian and Aboriginal populations.
During the following spring – due to deaths and Loyalists leaving for land grants in other regions of the countryside, the numbers of settlers was greatly reduced.
A street plan was laid out to the west of the original townsite and approved by Nova Scotia Governor Parr in 1784.
The layout was laid out in a detailed map in 1785 which entailed broad streets intersecting at right angles and forming a series of city blocks.
The street plan laid out in the "Campbell Plot" gives downtown Fredericton its characteristic spaciousness today.
Anne's Point became the provincial capital, winning out over Parrtown (present-day Saint John) due to its central inland location meaning it was less prone to American attack from the sea.
The name was shortened to Fredericton shortly after the city became the official provincial capital of New Brunswick on 25 April 1785.
However, over the twentieth century, Fredericton's industrial sector declined and gave way to the universities and the provincial government being the primary employers.
As well, new civil service jobs further increased Fredericton's population during this period as the provincial government centralized its functions and grew in size.
