St. Peter’s Anglican Church was built in 1837 and opened for worship around Christmas of 1838. It is the oldest church building of any denomination in the Fredericton area to have remained in continuous use since its opening—well over 160 years.
Constructed at significant cost and personal sacrifice, St. Peter’s reflects a time of very different priorities. It was built during an era of subsistence farming and economic hardship, shortly after the passing of the first Loyalist generation, making its completion all the more remarkable.
St. Peter’s Anglican Church was constructed by members of the local Black community—many of them formerly enslaved people and their descendants. From the very beginning, St. Peter’s stood apart for its level of integration. Black and white parishioners worshipped together, and Black members served as sextons, vestry members, and made up a substantial part of the choir. In the church cemetery, Black and white parishioners are buried side by side, without distinction.
This was a sharp contrast to other churches and cemeteries in the area, where segregation was common. St. Peter’s cemetery is the only known example of an integrated burial ground dating to the 19th century in the greater Fredericton area—and possibly in all of New Brunswick.
In a final testament to the church’s significance, Francis Partridge, born and educated in England and the first Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, requested to be buried in St. Peter’s Cemetery upon his death in 1906.
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