Top Saint John Pop Culture

Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada's oldest incorporated city, has a past that's equal parts gritty, violent, and fascinating. On this walking tour, you'll hear stories of serial poisoners, unsolved murders, public hangings, and a notorious American traitor who fled here seeking redemption. Starting at Tin Can Beach, you'll walk the former red light district of Sheffield Street, pass the spot where New Brunswick's first murder was committed with a table fork in 1784, and stop outside where wealthy brewer Richard Oland was beaten to death in 2011 in a case with no conviction. Just steps away stood the home of Benedict Arnold, burned in effigy by locals. The tour ends near York Point Slip, where the Great Fire of 1877 ignited, reducing over 1,600 buildings to ash overnight. Along the way, hear about the 1889 Candy Killer, the last public hanging at Gallows Hill in 1956, and a 1914 streetcar strike so violent that federal troops rode in to restore order.