With the arrival of the 2025 fall semester, UNB Saint John welcomes a fresh society aiming to bring students with a love of history together. 

 The UNB Saint John Historical Society was founded by current president Valerie Emerson. She described the vision that they have for the society while in contact with the Baron. “My vision when founding the society was to engage history students on campus.” 

Instagram/@unbsjhistorical

 She continues on to mention the crucial lack of representation amongst the Arts Faculty in terms of clubs and societies, which has certainly been noticed by students and contributed to the establishment of the Arts Society last fall. “I wanted to create a space where students could foster their interest and appreciation of history, understand its value in the current political atmosphere, and develop their research and analysis skills.” 

 The Historical Society has been established with some long-term goals in mind, as stated by Emerson. Namely, the promotion and preservation of local historical sites and artifacts. This can be done through collaboration with local organizations such as the New Brunswick Historical Society and UNB Fredericton’s Historical Society. Emerson also described a desire to promote interdisciplinary work and offer research skills to local institutions which contribute to the preservation and appreciation of Saint John’s Heritage.  

 “Much of this was based on my personal experience working in Stone Church as a primary researcher, and as a tour guide at the Loyalist House, where I interact with the public and share local history.” Emerson described.  

 As the semester kicks off, you can expect to see the Historical Society in action as they offer group study sessions, historic poster nights, medieval painting recreation contests, and paleography work. From learning about aspects of the past to deciphering primary sources, you can be sure that you’ll have an exciting time engaging with history if you attend this society’s events.  

 To readers who find themselves interested in joining the society, you can fill out the application form found here. 

 We also encourage you to follow the UNB Saint John Historical Society at @unbsjhistorical on Instagram.