Fredericton’s title as the “Poets’ Corner of Canada” was formally recognized in 1947 when the Canadian government installed a monument at the University of New Brunswick. This memorial honors three prominent Frederictonian poets: Bliss Carmen, Charles G.D. Roberts, and Francis Sherman, whose literary contributions, as the plaque states, “enriched Canadian literature.”

Presently, the Poets’ Corner monument is situated in front of the Harriet Irving Library on the UNB campus. Its original location was on a hill beneath Sir Howard Douglas Hall on the university’s Fredericton Campus.

In the 1970s, the monument was relocated to an area in front of the Harriet Irving Library, known as Jacob’s Yard, named after Edwin Jacob, the University’s second President who served from 1829 to 1850.

The monument was moved again, 21 feet closer to the Harriet Irving Library, as part of the Jacob’s Yard redesign.

The bronze plaque on the monument bears an inscription that reads, in part: “Born in or near Fredericton. Educated in this University, and buried in the cemetery of Forest Hill. Their gifts of verse enriched Canadian literature and gained for their common birthplace the designation”.

The original plaque was replaced with a newly designed one in 1967. Plans are currently underway to have the monument fitted with a bilingual plaque.

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