Zealand is a Canadian rural community in York County,

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

close to the intersection of Route 104 and Route 616. It is located on the

Keswick River The Keswick River is a tributary of the Saint John River in York County, New Brunswick in Canada. Early documents referred to it as Madam Keswick River. The Keswick River watershed is entirely rural, dominated by forests and small farms in the co ...

, a tributary of the Saint John River, between the communities of

Burtts Corner Burtts Corner is a Canadian rural community in Douglas Parish, New Brunswick, Douglas Parish, York County, New Brunswick, York County, New Brunswick. It is located on the Keswick River, a tributary of the Saint John River (Bay of Fundy), Saint ...

and

Nackawic-Millville Nackawic-Millville is a rural community in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. It was formed through the 2023 New Brunswick local governance reforms. History Nackawic-Millville was incorporated on January 1, 2023 via the amalgamation of ...

History

The community was founded under the name New Zealand, changed to Zealand Station in the late 1800s, and took its current name of Zealand in 1961. The area was named New Zealand by Gould Crouse, whose

Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...

father Philip, born in

Zealand Zealand ( ) is the largest and most populous islands of Denmark, island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size) at 7,031 km2 (2715 sq. mi.). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 Januar ...

in the Netherlands, came to New Brunswick from

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

after the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

Early Postal Service

The first official post office in the community called New Zealand was operated by Thomas Woodworth.Library and Archives Canada (2006)
"Post Offices and Postmasters"
Retrieved Oct. 11, 2006. He operated this former way office from July 1, 1868, until his resignation on October 24, 1871. Newly married Darius E. Brewer took over, continuing the post office duties until 1885. Rev. Peter O. Rees took over from Mr. Brewer on August 1, 1885, as the new name for the post office changed from New Zealand to Zealand Station. Mr. Rees maintained this position until April 4, 1899. The final change came in 1961, after several postmasters, when the post office name was officially shortened to Zealand.

Railway

The

New Brunswick Railway The New Brunswick Railway Company Limited (NBR) is currently a Canadian non-operating railway and land holding company headquartered in Saint John, New Brunswick that is part of Irving Transportation Services, a division within the J.D. Irving L ...

was commissioned in 1870,University of New Brunswick (2004)
"New Brunswick Railway"
Retrieved Oct. 12, 2006. with the section through Zealand completed in 1873.University of New Brunswick (2004)

Retrieved Oct. 12, 2006. The system was initially built to narrow gauge, however this was changed to standard gauge in the 1880s. Stations became established as access points to local communities along the route. Sometimes these community access points were quite a distance from the established community centres. The center of the New Zealand community was about one kilometre from the railroad station that served it.Crouse, R. Crouse Family History, Second Edition Rogue Publishing, 2000. The locals that worked for the New Brunswick Railway as section men named the access point Zealand Station. This was readily accepted by the railway, followed almost immediately by the centre of the community shifting toward the economic and social centre growing around the railway station. In short order the community became known as Zealand Station. After 1961, and with the dwindling influence of the railway, the community name became more widely accepted as Zealand.

Economy

The community has several sand and gravel quarries serving

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...

companies. The surrounding forest and rivers offer potential for outdoor recreation and eco-tourism. The community is one of the first rural communities in the province to be wired for broadband

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...

. Following the decision by

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

to abandon its line through Zealand in 1993, the rail corridor has been converted to a recreational trail and is also part of the

Trans Canada Trail The Trans Canada Trail is a cross-Canada system of greenways, waterways, and roadways that stretches from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, Pacific to the Arctic Ocean, Arctic oceans. The trail extends over ; it is now the longe ...

system.

Notable people

References

Bibliography

* Tracy, John C. "John C. Tracy Book" Provincial Archives of New Brunswick, 1927-1932. * 1851, 1861, 1881, 1891, 1901 and 1911 Douglas and Bright Parish Census Records. * Zealand Historical Society, Holdings, Zealand, New Brunswick, Canada. {{Coord, 46.054, -66.936, display=title, type:city_dim:2000_region:CA-NB Communities in York County, New Brunswick