Historic Miramichi homestead closed after province cuts funding

Sam Farley · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 11, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: July 11

As the prima beats down connected a blistery July day, a chill breeze drifts disconnected the mighty Miramichi River flowing past the fields of the MacDonald Farm.

But thing is amiss. 

The grasses astir the spot look to beryllium overtaking the grounds, and the erstwhile lively tract is opening to consciousness abandoned. 

This summer, the workplace built successful the aboriginal 19th century, volition not beryllium running, a archetypal for the tract successful much than a decade.

WATCH | 'We wonderment what volition go of this practice tract and the civilization that it holds,' practice idiosyncratic says: 

The state has owned MacDonald Farm since the 1970s, and ran it arsenic a moving workplace interpretive centre until 2010.

Starting successful 2012, the Highland Society of New Brunswick astatine Miramichi took implicit moving the farm, with a provincial assistance each year.

But this year, a disagreement implicit backing volition support it closed. 

"You don't spot the existent quality that lies present due to the fact that it's quiet," said Dawn Lamkey MacDonald, president of the Highland Society of New Brunswick astatine Miramichi. "There are nary children moving around, there's nary fiddlers playing connected the stage, there's nary piper playing.

"We are a wholly unpaid committee that operates this tract and we conscionable felt that having to combat to support this tract unfastened is not thing that we person the vigor to bash anymore."

Since 2012, the nine has received an yearly assistance of $60,000 from the Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture. Last year, the assistance accrued to $100,000 successful a one-year agreement, and this year, Lamkey MacDonald said, the committee requested $150,000 due to the fact that of rising costs.

Late effect from province

But the section came backmost with its aged connection of $60,000, which Lamkey MacDonald said isn't capable to tally the farm. The committee decided to cull the connection and to halt moving with the province. 

Even if the authorities had travel done with the requested funding, negotiations were near excessively late, she said.

Emails shared with CBC News from Lamkey MacDonald amusement her asking on March 14 to conscionable to sermon this year's budget. She said the society didn't get a effect until May 30, erstwhile Melanie Deveau, the adjunct lawman tourism minister, lined up a gathering for June 2. 

Lamkey MacDonald said the radical usually begins to program for the summertime successful April and prepares the spot successful May to unfastened for schoolhouse trips June 1. The full nationalist usually tin statesman to sojourn by the 3rd week of June.

The humanities centre was created astatine the homestead of Alexander MacDonald, a Scottish migrant who was fixed the onshore successful the aboriginal 1800s and built and worked the workplace with his family. The spot is located conscionable northeast of Miramichi connected Route 11. 

Every year, the nine hosts a ample Christmas gathering, a Scottish festival and galore others events. It supplements its fund by hosting weddings, schoolhouse trips, religion picnics and acquisition store sales.

The workplace has hired section students and attraction workers and keeps workplace animals connected the spot each summer. 

"There would beryllium 500 people, possibly 600 radical that would beryllium walking these grounds," Lamkey MacDonald said of the Scottish festival held astatine the farm. The tube set coming up implicit the elevation playing the pipes and the drums, the fiddlers connected the stage, section highland dancers that travel present each twelvemonth and perform. 

"These things are going to beryllium mislaid connected this site. They volition inactive beryllium determination else, but the transportation present is going to beryllium mislaid if the workplace does not continue."

Tourism, section MLA won't beryllium interviewed

CBC News requested an interrogation with Tourism Minister Isabelle Thériault oregon anyone from the department, but a spokesperson sent an email connection instead, thanking the nine for its enactment moving the farm..

The section "will beryllium taking clip to reappraisal the adjacent steps for this site," the email said.

When asked wherefore the fund was reduced, the spokesperson said past year's statement for $100,000 was a one-year statement made by the erstwhile Progressive Conservative government. 

Sam Johnston, the Liberal MLA for Miramichi Bay-Neguac, commented connected the farm's Facebook announcement of its closure, saying helium was "so atrocious it has travel to this" and helium was hopeful the workplace would reopen adjacent year.

But erstwhile asked for an interrogation astir the workplace astatine an unrelated quality league successful Miramichi connected the aforesaid day, Johnston refused to reply questions astir it. 

Sad feelings successful community

Lisa McCormack, who lives successful Miramichi, said she has taken her lad Chance, present 11, to the workplace each summertime for galore years.

"He's done that each summertime and successful the hopes that erstwhile helium got aged enough, he'd beryllium capable to enactment there," she said.

"It's old-fashioned childhood, right? That was conscionable the benignant of a spot to flight and conscionable beryllium a kid, you know,  conscionable the full atmosphere."

McCormack said she and her household were saddened by the thought that different children would miss retired connected those puerility memories they had travel to worth truthful much.

Morgan Vickery worked astatine the workplace during the summertime from 2017 to 2019, and said it remains her favourite occupation she's ever worked.

From dressing up successful accepted covering arsenic an interpreter to preparing for ample events, she said she inactive holds memories from her clip astatine the farm. 

"We had similar a small publication of the past of the workplace that we would work disconnected to archer visitors astir it. To this time I tin inactive work disconnected that from memory, it sticks with you."

Vickery said she hopes the state reconsiders, "because it's not conscionable immoderate taxable parkland that's not opening. This is simply a portion of our practice and it's thing that aboriginal generations, if they don't reconsider, they won't get to acquisition this similar we did."