Devon Remembered: Mouth of Nashwaak - Railways - Gibson Fire (Volume 1)

A door-to-door history of South Devon (formerly 'Gibson'), York County, New Brunswick, Canada (1691-1945). Just over 1,200 acres in size, the former Town of Devon is situated on the northern banks of the St. John River across from Fredericton, the Capital City of New Brunswick. Devon became a Town in 1917 when the communities of St. Mary’s Ferry (North Devon) and Gibson (South Devon) united. The Village of Gibson was named after the entrepreneur Alexander “Boss” Gibson (1819-1913), who had businesses there as well as extensive holdings in Marysville and lumber woods in central New Brunswick. The center of Gibson was the intersection of MacLin or Macklin Street (Union Street) and Miles Avenue (Gibson Street). Volume 1 of Devon Remembered is based on a portion of the large property that was originally granted to Capt. Stair Agnew (1757-1821), which is within the boundaries of the Nashwaak and Saint John Rivers, Byng Street, and the railway line (Northside Walking Trail) beside the Gibson Memorial United Church. That property was then divided into what we refer to as the Miles and Macklin properties. By 1945 that land had been subdivided into over one hundred thirty properties, which are featured here. The first part of the book explains the early history of the region, the Gibson Fire of 1893 that wiped out this entire area, the beginning and demise of the railroad, and the amalgamation of 1917 and its subsequent Town Council. Chapters include: Mouth of The Nashwaak, The Railroad, The Gibson Fire, Town of Devon, Barker Street, Byng Street, Devon Avenue, Gibson Street (#119-#184), Henry Street, Miles Street, Prince Street, Titus Street, and Union Street (#752-#970). The houses and businesses are arranged numerically on their particular streets. The streets are presented alphabetically in individual chapters. The introductory photos of each address are placed on either the left or right side of the page, depending on their civic house number. All surnames featured in this volume are listed with their appropriate street name. Each family is featured only once. The surnames listed with each address are those chronicled in that particular house, even though those families may have lived elsewhere during their life in Devon. In 1945 South Devon, along with North Devon (Vol.3 & 4), amalgamated with the City of Fredericton and thus Devon ceased to exist, except in the hearts and memories of its residents.