1920s Saint John Tourism Video

Take a look at this Saint John tourism video from the 1920's!
A few additional tidbits about the video:
-It was shot in the summer of 1925. The Cenotaph in King's Square had just been dedicated (June 1925 - wreaths still on cenotaph) and the Admiral Beatty Hotel just opened.
-The man in the straw hat is Walter Golding, manager of the Imperial Theatre plus a member of the Saint John Tourist Association.
-The film was first shown at the Imperial Theatre in 1926.
-The original film was 15 minutes long, but only 7 minutes of the film could be restored.
-The original film was silent. The music was added by EH Wright.
A big thanks to EH Wright for this historic gem - both the video and the background info! #SaintAwesome

[@jasondaigle4718]

When i was walking around the king square area in mid winter and late at night it was light snow falling or already on the ground... I get the feeling of like i was in those times i the early 1900's and i started singing songs of those times. I felt like i was in my own self made classic movie of old Saint John. And as funny as it seems when i was singing those songs i walked by houses and businesses with the look from people with a smile and joining in with the songs. That's the kind of history i felt in my hometown and i miss doing that in winter. Great times :)

[@branscombe_]

Jason Daigle Great story!

[@wyattzain5486]

Instablaster...

[@garfield2045]

It’s so weird to look at Saint John here and in the present. It went from a beautiful tourist destination to one of the poorest cities in Canada.

[@kevinmelvin4610]

Unions and sending factory's to China was the end of Saint john and many other city's in North America.

[@gregmazerolle206]

You obviously haven’t been uptown in awhile

[@christherien8976]

Greg Mazerolle we are still stuck in our ways. Things have been happening but slowly

[@joshmoore8634]

it's just not one of the poorest cities in canada why are u saying that

[@pamgodsoe9076]

Upper Canada killed Saint John

[@GriffinWulf]

Before the province was annexed by the Irvings....

[@pamgodsoe9076]

and Upper Canada

[@maritimegoalie]

Exactly right! Before Saint John was destroyed by the irving regime ....

[@GriffinWulf]

@Darius Azariah I do not, in fact, give a damn.

[@AlexanderStone]

I love this so very much. I'm leaving Ontario for St.John in 2020. From everything I know, it feels like where I want to be.

[@espnluver7525]

Alexander Stone where in Ontario r u from??

[@AlexanderStone]

@@espnluver7525 Wasaga Beach, Ontario, Compadré.

[@AlexanderStone]

And I have since learned not to call it "St.John" hahah.

[@gixerson8212]

@@AlexanderStonehow are you liking it here? I am from Rothesay but am in SAINT JOHN all of the time.

[@AlexanderStone]

@@gixerson8212 Hey Amigo! I have mixed feelings. I had a great start, started a good band, played some gigs, recorded an album, got to know the history, and then the war with Ukraine broke out and I spoke against against Canada funding, arming, and training Neo-N@zis in Ukraine and got banned from playing shows here, cancelled by everyone I met, blocked, deleted, all because one 24 hour news cycle made Canadians Russiaphobes. I own a place on Douglas Avenue though, so I can't complain about that! Went from shack life to mansion life at the cost of what a shack sells for in Ontario!

[@gk.spinoza]

I lived on Mecklenburg st in the Southend for two years in the late 90's and absolutely loved the City and especially how quickly you could escape the city on a bicycle, and enjoy the solitude of hiking thru forests or the along the bay of Fundy! Winter was rather harsh, but the rest of the year made up for that.

[@wendywilson6710]

I lived at 7 Mecklenburg 1966-1970!

[@colinwhite1367]

Wow. Would have been amazing to see it back then.

[@christophertrenholm9668]

“10,000 people landed” when 3 cruise ships are in it’s about 8000 people and it’s elbow to elbow downtown. I can’t imagine that many people arriving to nothing. That’s insane. Beyond insane.

[@donnabenoit8132]

From there, this little film is lovely

[@jongrant5475]

when i think of st john nb i think of all those wonderful times swimming lily lake .the water is so clear and eternal.on the left side of the lake the sun shines right through it

[@chrisfreestone4136]

2:15 Most of those old Headstones are long gone. And the sad part is that they were never properly documented so we may never know who,or how many actual Loyalists we're having our outdoor lunch over in the future.

[@simonasada4918]

It would be great to see them bring back streetcars!! Upgrade the transit!

[@kawasaki900guy]

Back in the early to mid-80's, my dad and a handful of very capable men got together and came up with a great plan to do just that. They proposed building a replica streetcar to run back and forth on Water St. Despite their collective capabilities & concerted efforts, and after many frustrating & unsuccessful presentations to SJ-PAC where they were both stifled & hogtied with very typical SJ unenthusiastic life-sucking demands & bureaucracy, they finally just gave up and went away. I can still remember dad's initial enthusiasm being eroded away after many months of fruitless hard work being rejected time and again. What a crying shame. Now the knowledge and capability to do such a thing has long ago died off. Just imagine if they had been successful, esp with today's cruise ships. That one torpedoed project alone could have sparked so many others, and how much better off would SJNB be today? Sadly, we will never know. SJ City Hall has (through the ages) consistently been the ruination of SJNB. Their routine behavior of shamelessly chasing one project away after another, is for one unforgivable, and for another, a total disgrace. I know because I've witnessed it first hand.

[@clovs]

Let's all take a moment to thank our Irving overlords

[@rps1689]

The lords that have kept NB as a have-not province.

[@fiona9912]

That’s what I was just thinking

[@dalekg1]

Enjoyed this look at days gone by in Saint John.

[@Chuck59ish]

These days people complain about the noise and a fire at American Iron & Metals on the West side of the port, but back when these movies were taken bothe the CNR and CPR had grain elevators and they both had explosions and fires from the grain dust.

[@williamharris8367]

My Grandfather moved to Saint John (with his family) in about the mid-1920s. It is interesting to see the city as it was when he came there.

[@Skylar-BB]

I just realized, I live here!

[@noblechuks2002]

Awww.. King square park in Uptown didnt change a bit...lovely

[@donnabenoit8132]

I agree, beautiful then, beautiful now.

[@johngreen3543]

Really liked the music: Deano, Bing and then Glen Miller' " In the Mood".

[@jeremyrhansen6637]

Said no one ever!

[@Garylee17]

Very nice video!!

[@colejoseph2899]

Wicked cool. My great grandfather opened up the first auto body shop on main street after traveling to Michigan. Sad that Saint John's become so poor.

[@stephendoyle4233]

There are places I'll remember All my life though some have changed Some forever, not for better

[@mynamenegus6886]

Great video

[@fedup961]

The trees are all so small!!

[@rps1689]

There still are today compared to what we see in other cities especially in BC.

[@johnmaidment6728]

I FEEL I KNOW THIS I"VE BEEN THERE IN ANOTHER DIMENSION

[@Jan-fx2ny]

My grandparents had 2 bakeries one near the market

[@ianbaird2525]

No green hair, profuse tattoos, or facial piercings to be seen. Just normal, well-groomed adults.

[@svart_kors]

Home sweet home!

[@emilycomeau4662]

DomeCitySandman home not sweet home lel

[@RawLu.]

Amazing stuff ;-)

[@sandraanningson8018]

Spelling of the name was changed in the 1930s.

[@branscombe_]

The cars and people look different now. City looks the same :)

[@zhnuro]

Thats true XD

[@angelagaudet9654]

Beautiful video. It's too bad they spelt our name wrong. It should be Saint not St.

[@johnbrown856]

It was St. until the 30's, when it changed to Saint

[@pamgodsoe9076]

I moved to NYC in 2011, I wonder if Saint John had the chance, it could of grown to be a great city

[@maritimegoalie]

Pam Godsoe if irving left..yes it could

[@kawasaki900guy]

Hi, as a kid who grew up in SJ during the 60's, I have often likened SJNB to a mini-NYC as I remember it then. Sadly, it's a mere shadow of its former self now due to the never ending & ridiculous anti-progress attitude of SJ City Hall. All that made even worse by routine abuse & disregard of it by many politicians (both federal and provincial)...and of course, the strangle-hold that the Irving family has on both SJ and the entire province for that matter. There's no coming back now.

[@Whalengt]

I remember going to riverside golf and country with a friend as a caddie. We caddied for a group of 4 ladies. I couldn't keep her hands off my ass and two others were offering us money to play with them and I don't mean golf 1972 was a great year for all the ages.

[@TheBroccoliFox]

I loved this.

[@garychristopher5480]

I remember being in the park the day this was filmed i helped the director score crach it was great times

[@fiona9912]

No way! That’s amazing! I was born there my mom and dad worked for the Irving’s until he became a pilot in Halifax. My moms family are still there.

[@We_are_the_light]

Ahhhhhh the city that eats its young..

[@Jan-fx2ny]

Home of Donald Sutherland and MGM studios starter lived on same street....

[@Tysweetcat]

Wow cool ☺

[@quackcake91651]

I live in old brunswick

[@Jan-fx2ny]

At one point it was over 200000 people

[@skottlee8959]

Don't show this to the mudflood guy lol

[@riderbutton9369]

I live in stJohn’s

[@elianimationgames1327]

No this is Saint John not St. John’s, two different places.

[@Jan-fx2ny]

Cruiseships started after 911

[@Foreverfront]

Looks the same now tbh

[@thtm7]

Lol so true

[@Metoo12390]

When Men were men not women and Women were women not men.

[@davemcd9077]

fast forward 100 years, and moncton/dieppe i snow the 'commerce center of New Buswick'....bi-lingualism made sure of that....welcome to Nouveau-Kebek, collindabin.