Blink and you’ll miss it: a stately wooden home with crisp white siding tucked just off the bustle of Union Street. But the Loyalist House in Saint John isn’t just another pretty relic, it’s one of the oldest, most untouched homes in the city. Built in the aftermath of the American Revolution by a Loyalist family who fled New York, it stands as a rare window into Saint John’s earliest days of ambition, reinvention, and quiet wealth.
Still Standing
This isn’t your average creaky-floored museum, either. Step inside and you’re stepping into five generations of preserved domestic life: fine china still set, fireplaces still framed with local wood, and stories that haven’t budged in 200 years. It’s a place that didn’t just survive Saint John’s 1877 fire. It defied it.
Whether you're a history buff, design lover, or just someone who likes a good ghost story (no spoilers, but some say the past lingers), the Loyalist House in Saint John is a must-see time capsule, one Google’s algorithms may have overlooked, but your curiosity shouldn’t.
Loyalist Legacy, Built to Last
Constructed between 1810 and 1817 by United Empire Loyalist merchant David Daniel Merritt, the home was a symbol of fresh beginnings and newfound prosperity. After fleeing the newly formed United States, the Merritts set down roots in Saint John and never looked back, literally. The family occupied the house for nearly 150 years, right up until 1958, when the last of the Merritt line passed it along to the New Brunswick Historical Society.
Today, it's one of the oldest wooden residences in Canada still standing on its original foundation. And that’s not just marketing fluff. It’s the real deal. Even the street in front of it had to be lowered over time to accommodate modern urban planning. The house now sits perched slightly above street level, as if it knows it came first.
The House That Outsmarted a Firestorm
In a city infamous for the Great Fire of 1877, the Loyalist House in Saint John is something of a miracle. While flames devoured entire blocks of Uptown, this elegant home was saved by sheer grit, and wet towels. According to legend, servants soaked the building's sides in water-soaked linens to keep the heat at bay. It worked.
“You can almost feel the gratitude in the walls,” said one recent visitor. “It’s like the house is proud of itself.”
Tour guides still love to share this story on visits, and it never fails to raise eyebrows.
Step Inside: Elegance, Intact
The layout is a time machine in symmetry. Each of the two main floors features an identical layout: a formal parlour, dining room, kitchen, and study in front; a family hall, bedrooms, and servant corridors behind. A third floor, once servant quarters, includes later-added skylights that offer a moody light show on overcast days.
Curved staircases and bell-pull systems offer a glimpse into 19th-century daily life, complete with twenty-nine fireplaces and a center-hall design that screams “we made it.” The carriage house in the back? Once big enough to house sleighs, livestock, and winter gear, including a heated iron frying pan used to warm beds.
Visitors Say It Best
What makes this place feel alive isn’t just the creaking floors or preserved furnishings, it’s the sense of intimacy.
“Great tour, giving good insights into Saint John history. Loved the fact there were so many original pieces,” wrote one guest on TripAdvisor.
“It was just us visiting the house so getting a private tour was pretty nice,” added another.
With admission just $5 for adults, and $2 for kids under 12, it’s also one of the best-priced cultural gems in the city.
From Home to Museum
After the Merritt family’s long residence, the Loyalist House was acquired by the New Brunswick Historical Society in 1959 and transformed into a museum two years later. Designated a National Historic Site, it now houses an enviable collection of Georgian and Victorian-era furniture, with pieces on loan from the New Brunswick Museum, Kings Landing, and private collections across the region.
Open from Loyalist Day (May 18) through early September, and later into the fall when cruise ships arrive, the house runs guided tours daily, giving visitors a lived-in sense of early Loyalist affluence in Atlantic Canada.
If You Go
Where: 120 Union Street, Saint John, NB
When: Mid-May to early September, plus cruise ship days
Admission: $5 (Adults), $2 (Kids under 12)
Tours: Guided, included in admission
More info: loyalisthouse.com
Don’t Let Your Eyes Miss This One
The Loyalist House in Saint John is one of those rare finds: a historical gem with a strong pulse and a stubborn sense of self. It’s not just a place to visit. It’s a house that remembers. If you’re craving something more than a plaque and a plaque-worthy photo op, this is your kind of history.
So go. Knock on the past. Someone (or something) just might answer.
