York Sunbury Historical Society, Board of Directors, 2026
(Author Photo)
The Fredericton Region Museum was founded in 1932 by the York-Sunbury Historical Society. The Society was formed in 1932 and now has members from all over North America, however, most are from central New Brunswick. In 1959, the Museum found permanent headquarters in the Officers’ Quarters (571 Queen Street) in the heart of downtown Fredericton.
The York-Sunbury Historical Society and Museum remain a nonprofit enterprise with a small paid staff and numerous volunteers. They work tirelessly to create informative exhibits, organize programs and events as well as publish a local history periodical The Officers’ Quarters.
The Fredericton Region Museum is a gateway into the exciting history and diverse heritage of central New Brunswick. Because central New Brunswick is where the provincial capital is located, and because it served as a meeting place for Aboriginals, Loyalists, Acadian, and other European settlers, the Fredericton Region Museum is an excellent place to start. With over 4,000 square feet of exhibit space and a collection of over 30,000 artefacts the museum is a fun and exciting way to look into our past.
The Objective of the York-Sunbury Historical Society, Ltd.
To collect, preserve and interpret historical data, records and objects relating to the history of the Province of New Brunswick, and in particular that of York and Sunbury Counties.
The idea of the York Sunbury Historical Society was sparked in January 1932 by Martha J. Harvey, at the height of the Great Depression, when a letter was sent out to the people of Fredericton suggesting a historical society be organized. The response was overwhelmingly positive. Within two weeks a society was formed, and by the end of 1932 there were 132 members.
The first meetings of the York Sunbury Historical Society were held on the second floor of the Post Office on Queen Street, and shortly after the society received the first of many donations of its historical artefacts.
The Society was incorporated on February 10, 1934. Its structure and purpose are set out in the bylaws accompanying that incorporation. Its purpose was to discover and preserve the history and heritage of York and Sunbury counties in New Brunswick (Canada). Its structure provided for a Board of Directors elected by the members at the annual meeting and for committees to deal with different aspects of the Society’s mission. Today, the society still has some 150 members, each one committed to the original mission of the York Sunbury Historical Society. The York Sunbury Historical Society operates the museum in Officers’ Square.
Board & Committee Members – Fredericton Region Museum
President: Gary Waite, Master of Arts (MA) History, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Early Modern European History, Professor Emeritus at University of New Brunswick.
Past President: Major (Retired) Harold Skaarup, CD3, Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), Master of Arts (MA) War Studies. Former Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel for 3 Intelligence Company.
Vice President: Cynthia Wallace-Casey, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Education Studies, Heritage Education Research Consultant.
2nd Vice President: Patrick Proctor, Bachelor of Arts (BA), History and English, Research Assistant at Gregg Centre for War and Society at UNB.
Treasurer: Evelyn Fidler, Associate of Arts, Master of Arts (MA) in History and a post graduate diploma in Material History. Kings Landing Heritage Resource Manager.
Secretary: Drew Steeves. Former Chief of Client Services at Correctional Service of Canada.
Richard Yeomans, Master of Arts (MA) Canadian History, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) History, Editor of The Oar, the official periodical of the Fredericton Region Museum.
Leah Grandy, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) History, Library Assistant at University of New Brunswick.
Annie van Deventer-Radford, University Exeter Certificate, British Pre-History, Professional Project Management Certificate, Project Specialist, Archaeology and Heritage Branch, Fredericton.
Elder Ramona Moon, Nekutkuk First Nation, Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Native Studies and Anthropology, Master of Arts (MA) in Archaeology.
Aggie Sliwka, UNB Librarian, Historical Studies, Leadership Studies, Political Science, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Literacy.
Nicole O’Byrne, Master of Laws (LLM) Legal History, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Law, Associate Professor at UNB Law, Co-host, Witness to Yesterday, the Podcast of the Champlain Society, President of the Canadian Law and Society Association, University of New Brunswick Faculty-at-Large Senator.
Karen Daigle, City of Fredericton representative, Senior Programming & Operations Lead.
Executive Director: Alena Kraznikova, Bachelor of Arts (BA) Art History, Master of Arts (MA) Art History.
Museum Intern: Connor Fraser.
Former Board Members and current Advisors:
Fred White, Maxine Campbell, Ruth Murgatroyd, Melynda Jarratt, Gary Campbell, Doug Hall, Ian MacEachern, Jennifer Dow, Glenn Leonard, Anqi Fang.
The Oar
Since 1985, when it began as a quarterly newsletter for the Fredericton Region Museum, The Officer’s Quarters has been an important part of the work of the York-Sunbury Historical Society in documenting the history of Fredericton and surrounding area. After 40 years of publication, the Society will be retiring The Officer’s Quarters as its annual publication and launching a new periodical with an expanded mandate and fresh design.
The Oar, New Brunswick’s popular history magazine, will launch in Summer 2026 as the new official annual periodical of the York-Sunbury Historical Society and the Fredericton Region Museum. To better encapsulate the storied pasts of this place and the peoples who live here, the mandate of The Oar will include histories and narratives not fixed within the Fredericton region or Wolastoq [Saint John] River Valley. In the spirit of propelling forward the telling of these shared stories and pasts, this new publication invites submissions from contributors interested in writing pieces for popular or wide audiences.