In 1885, B. Mooney & Sons built a substantial roundhouse at the Gibson Railway Yard for the Northern & Western Railway. This roundhouse, which later served the Canada Eastern and Canadian National Railway, is situated on the west side of Union Street in Fredericton, adjacent to Carleton Park.
The historic significance of the former Gibson Roundhouse stems from its original role as the roundhouse for the Northern & Western Railway at the Gibson Railway Yard. Established in 1882, this railway line stretched from Gibson to Chatham along the Miramichi River, connecting with the New Brunswick and Intercolonial Railways. Jabez B. Snowball, a future Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick, and Alexander “Boss” Gibson were part of the original Northern & Western Railway Company’s Board of Directors.
The construction of the former Gibson Roundhouse prominently displays the influence of Boss Gibson. In 1885, B. Mooney & Sons, a Saint John contracting firm specializing in brick construction, was commissioned to build the new roundhouse. Just a year prior, the same firm had constructed the Marysville Cotton Mill for Mr. Gibson. The bricks utilized in the roundhouse’s construction were sourced from Boss Gibson’s brick yard. The roundhouse, built with half a million bricks, stands as a testament to the use of local building materials.
The building operated as a roundhouse for over fifty years before being replaced by new facilities in 1937.
In 2015, the Picaroons Brewing Company converted the former Gibson Roundhouse site on Union Street into a new brewery, following a land agreement with the city.
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