As we end our week long celebration of the 150th Birthday of Canada’s 11th Prime Minister, RB Bennett, we have another photo of the Bennett Homestead sitting high on the hill.

This photo shows the SIlver Jubilee Library in Hopewell Cape, much of the funding for the Library came from RB Bennett. An interesting fact was the boy’s club at the library’s uniforms were paid by RB, one of the many instances of Bennett giving back to Albert County. There are also a few church bells still ringing around the county paid for by Bennett. His generosity, often given on the condition of anonymity, was really without parallel.

This photo shows the SIlver Jubilee Library in Hopewell Cape, much of the funding for the Library came from RB Bennett. An interesting fact was the boy’s club at the library uniforms were paid by RB, one of the many instances of Bennett giving back to Albert County. There are also a few church bells still ringing around the county paid for by Bennett. His generosity, often given on the condition of anonymity, was really without parallel.

Happy Canada Day! Happy 10th Annual RB Bennett Day and Happy 150th Birthday RB Bennett! Today at the Museum at 12 Noon Fundy Ceilidh is playing followed with ceremony welcoming new artifacts to the Bennett Collection and a special movie presentation of RB Bennett, with words of congratulations from Bennett’s nephew, William Herridge, QC.. We’re also planting a Crimson Maple in honour of the occasion!

Here is a fun bit of trivia, R.B. Bennett’s teacher for most of his years at the school in Hopewell Cape was a man named William J. Jones. One year, Mr. Jones also organized a mock parliament and selected R.B. as Prime Minister and leader of the Conservatives. The final session of the mock parliament was held at the Albert County Court House in Hopewell Cape. The final address by 'Prime Minister' Bennett held the audience spellbound and he received many compliments on his ability as an orator and suggestions that he should study law and go into politics.

This photo shows the Bennett Homestead about 1882 in Hopewell Cape. The large two story home was grand, not only in size, but in appearance. The home was distinguished from most along the Great Road in that it had a long white picket fence along the road front that made it stand out to passers by.

Another shot of Bennett’s Birthplace about 10 years later in the 1940s. sadly this house would burn down in the 1960s from a fire which started in the barn,

This photo shows the birthplace of RB Bennett in Shepody, taken in 1931 by the Reid Studio in Moncton. This was the Stiles family home.

The Stiles family genealogy has been traced back through New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Connecticut, Massachusetts and England. David Stiles was born in New Brunswick in 1812. He married Mary Ann Wright in 1835 and they had several children at their modest home in Hopewell Hill. David was a sea captain.

David's and Mary Ann's children were Mary Ann, John Harvey, Lucy Elizabeth, Isabella R, Henrietta (mother of RB Bennett), Ernest Albert and Sarah Alberta.

On this day, June 27, 1947 - 73 years ago, RB Bennett died. R.B. was buried in St. Michael's Churchyard on June 30 with a simple private service. He is one of only two former prime ministers of Canada not accorded a full state funeral. He is the only deceased Canadian prime minister not buried in Canada. A memorial service was held on July 4th at Westminster Abbey in London where many dignitaries and world government representatives, including the king and queen, paid their respects. Canada's Prime Minister King was conspicuous by his absence.

This photo is of the original Bennett Monument which sat in the Square in Hopewell Cape and is from January 1961. It is identical to the plaque which sits at Bennett’s grave site in Mickleham, England.

Today we start off the week long celebration of the only Canadian Prime Minister born in New Brunswick, Canada’s 11th Prime Minister, RB Bennett who turns 150 years old on Friday, July 3, 2020.

Henry John Bennett & Henrietta Stiles were married on September 22, 1869. They took up residence in Hopewell Cape at a home on the water side of the Great Road to Moncton. Their home was located across the road from the local one room schoolhouse. On Sunday, July 3, 1870, Henrietta took the two hour long wagon ride to Hopewell Hill to attend the Methodist Church and visit her parents. She unexpectedly went into labour and her first child, Richard Bedford Bennett, was born. Mother and child remained in Hopewell Hill for a few days before returning home to Hopewell Cape.

The transport trucks of a by-gone era, from lumber to hay and everything in between. Scows at Herring Cove, in what is now Fundy National Park.

And now this cool photo of a CN Steam Train crossing the fill behind Hillsborough, en route to Albert. Notice the guard rails… safety first!

A trip to Hillsborough in this late 1800s postcard of Hillsborough. The Building withe the “X” on it is the Bayview Hotel at the top of Mill Street.