Elgin, New Brunswick

Elgin is a Canadian rural community in Albert County, New Brunswick.

This article is about the community sometimes called Elgin Centre. For the civil parish, the former local service districts of Elgin and Elgin Parish, and the census subdivision, see Elgin Parish, New Brunswick.

Elgin
Unincorporated area
Elgin, c. 1900
Elgin, c. 1900
Elgin is located in New Brunswick
Elgin
Elgin
Location of Elgin within New Brunswick
Coordinates: 45°47′50″N 65°6′33″W
Country Canada
Province New Brunswick
CountyAlbert
ParishElgin
Founded1811
Founded byJohn Geldart
Named forJames Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin
Electoral Districts     
Federal
Fundy Royal
ProvincialAlbert
Area
[1]
 • Land4.29 km2 (1.66 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2] [1]
 • Total213
 • Density49.7/km2 (129/sq mi)
 • Change (2011-16)
Increase 4.9%
Time zoneUTC-4 (AST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-3 (ADT)
Postal code(s)
E4Z
Area code506
Highways Route 895

It is situated in the western part of the county, approximately 14 kilometres south of Petitcodiac around the intersection of Route 905, and Route 895

Elgin is home to the former Elgin Elementary School which had shut down in 2002 as well as the Elgin Eco Association, a non-profit environmental organization started in June 2004 which serves the Elgin area.[3]

Elgin is also the founding and headquarter site of Canadian Syrup Inc. (Steeves Maples), a maple syrup producing company established in 1869 which exports products internationally through distributor relationships.[4]

History
See also: History of New Brunswick and List of historic places in Albert County, New Brunswick

The first European to settle in the Elgin area was John Geldart, Junior in c. 1806, the eldest son of John Geldart, the Yorkshire settler. Upon his arrival at the Pollett River, the land had extremely dense forest. He and other settlers constructed the first roads, although First Nations' paths existed. The community was named after James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin who was the Governor of the United Province of Canada.[5]

In 1874 the Elgin, Petitcodiac and Havelock Railway was incorporated and a branch line was constructed south from the Intercolonial Railway mainline at Petitcodiac to Elgin, along with a branch line north from Petitcodiac to Havelock. The railway was reincorporated as the Elgin and Havelock Railway in 1894. Construction to Elgin was assisted by the community, which borrowed $13,000 (1874 value) from the county as an incentive.[6]

Education

Elgin previously held an elementary school, which permanently closed following the 2002 school year. At the time, the school had a student enrolment of just 35 and the building was only using 20% of its full capacity. The school was prompted for closure due to $421,700 worth of repairs being needed on the building. Elgin residents opposed the closure, arguing that the school produced students of high-quality, as well as added the long times it would take to bus students to its closest alternative, Petitcodiac Regional High School.[7]

Economy

Blueberry agriculture plays a large part in Elgin’s economy. In the past, Elgin held annual blueberry festivals where hundreds would attend to eat breakfast and watch the large parade that would cross through the village streets. The festival would also hold blueberry pie eating contests, display booths, and raffles. The first festival was held in 1981, but there had been fairs originally held years earlier, which stopped during the Second World War in 1939. In 1982, the festival saw 1,500 attendees.[8]

Notable people
Main article: List of people from Albert County, New Brunswick

See also

References
  1. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (8 February 2017). "Census Profile, 2016 Census - Elgin, Local service district [Designated place], New Brunswick and New Brunswick [Province]". www12.statcan.gc.ca.
  2. "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions, census subdivisions (municipalities) and designated places". Statistics Canada. 9 February 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  3. "About Us". Elgin Eco Association.
  4. "Success Stories – Canadian Syrup (Steeves Maples)" (PDF).
  5. "The Origin of Elgin". Connecting Albert County.
  6. (PDF) https://archives.exporail.org/wp-content/uploads/documents/canadian-rail-331-1979.pdf. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. "Education council tackles Elgin School issue tonight". Times & Transcript. May 8, 2002. p. 7. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  8. "Elgin festival well attended". da.tj.news. Moncton Times. August 9, 1982. p. 3.

Neighbouring communities
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