Description of Historic Place

The Howe Family Property, a substantial parcel of land situated on Howe Street on the North side of Fredericton, has not only provided a home but the final resting place for generations of the Howe family, a prominent local Black family. This street was named in honour of the Howe family, who first settled in this portion of St. Mary’s Parish in the late 19th century, and shortly thereafter established a family burial plot on the property.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Howe property is associated with the generational ownership and occupancy of the Howe family. It is also the site of the Howe Family Cemetery. The large Howe family, headed by John Howe, became the nucleus of a significant local Black community situated at St. Mary’s Parish, York County. Born in Prince Edward Island, John Howe moved to Fredericton during the early 1850’s. He remained in the city, working at Morrison’s Mills, for more than twenty years before settling at St. Mary’s Parish, in what was later known as North Devon. John Howe acquired the land from his second wife’s father, Joseph McIntyre, in 1877.

The Howe family became prominent members of the local Black community and had strong familial and social ties to other Black communities in Fredericton, Lincoln and Springhill. The industrious Howe family also gained notoriety for their contributions to World War I. Three of John Howe’s sons served overseas, having joined combat units.

The date of the earliest burial in the Howe Family Cemetery is not known, but the first interment was probably made within a few years of settling on the property. The cemetery, which measures approximately 84 square metres, provided the final resting place for about 30 members of the Howe family. John Howe and his wife, Mary Ann (McIntyre) Howe, were both buried in the family plot. John Howe, who died in 1926, might have been the last of the family to be buried in this small cemetery.

The Howe family name, which still resounds in the community, was memorialized in 2002 when Howe Street was named in their honour.

Source: City of Fredericton, Local Historic Places Files

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements associated with the Howe Family Property include:
- large, open, wooded lot situated on Howe Street;
- the site of the Howe Family Cemetery and residence;
- the generational ties of the Howe Family;
- focal point of a local Black community.