Minister's Island, New Brunswick... Gotta Go!

Hi all! Wanted to share this little adventure I had with my son this summer,... a trip to Minister's Island, which is connected by low tide to the mainland, and the town of St. Andrews, N.B..

I've lived here all my life,.... well, within an hour and a half, but never visited. Very seldom does anyone do the tourism stuff near where they live. But, I had no idea what was there, what we'd find, or how much there was to see. If I did, I would have gone sooner.

The picture above is the main mansion that sits on the 490 acre island. Lot's of people lived on the Island over several hundred years, including the first Minister to serve St. Andrews back in the 17 hundreds. The mansion belongs to a rail road tycoon by the name of Sir William Van Horne, the president of the Canadian Pacific Railway. After a visit to the area, he decided to create a self sustaining get away on the island. He started building the estate in 1892 and finished... 1901. At the time he used it to get away, build a dream, and host important guests. Family members carried on with the maintenance of the place, the last one, actually bought the rest of the Island and maintained it till 1941.

It was famous for its gardens and winning livestock, as well as its farming methods. Fields and old trees fill the eyes as they blend with the ocean and scenes of the mainland. It's just an incredible place. Lets have a look.

(My son took the pictures.... I forgot my camera, but he did good, lol)

The changing area for the 8 foot deep quarried, self-filling, salt water swimming pool on the beach. Two levels for entertaining and changing.

The beach.... the water views are everywhere!

The water pump, using the wind to pump the water from the well and send it where it was needed. No electric pump needed.

At a respectable distance from the main house, the incredibly large barn, creamery, and the actual Minister's home that still stands on the Island.
The barn is a piece of work. Built by shipbuilders, they did what they knew best. The entire roof systems looks like an upside down sailing ship. It housed prized cattle and clydesdale horses. It's freaking huge!

There you have it. If you ever get a chance to see it, do so. It's like stepping back in time, the guides can answer all your questions, and the ongoing restoration is bringing the estate back to its glory. They even have concerts and other events at times. Go ahead, check it out! Have a great day!