Douglastown

Douglastown, NB, is an urban community within the city of MIRAMICHI located on the north bank of the MIRAMICHI RIVER. Douglastown was incorporated as a village from 1966 to 1995 but lost this status when it was amalgamated with other towns and villages to form the city. Its original name was Gretna Green, but it was changed to Douglastown in honour of Sir Howard DOUGLAS, the lieutenant-governor of New Brunswick from 1823 to 1832, when he visited the community in 1825.

The community was founded in 1812 when 2 Scots, Alexander Rankin and James Gilmour, came to the area to open a branch of a Scottish trading firm. Rankin and Gilmour's enterprises were very successful and soon the community had wharves, stores and a sawmill that was shipping timber to market. The village suffered a serious setback in 1825 when the Great Miramichi Fire, in which 200 people died and almost one-quarter of New Brunswick's forests were burned, devastated the area. The post office was established in 1835.