Municipal Register of Local Historic Places
Madawaska Dam and Hydroelectric Generating Station
Edmundston, New Brunswick
Also known as Fraser Dam and Hydroelectric Generating Station, Barrage et centrale hydroélectrique Fraser
Photo of the left side of the hydroelectric generating station, taken from Ferry Avenue near Emmerson House
Photo: Madawaska Historical Society
- Built
- 1917
- Recognized
- 2006
- By
- Local government
The register’s text, word for word
Description
The Madawaska Dam and Hydroelectric Generating Station consist of a three-storey brick utilitarian Modern-International. They are located at the junction of the Madawaska and Saint John rivers, under the Boucher Bridge, in the City of Edmundston.
Heritage value
The Madawaska Dam and Hydroelectric Generating Station are designated a Local Historic Place for having been in uninterrupted operation for nearly a century and for their role in the economy of Edmundston.
Considered historic monuments of the city of Edmundston, the Madawaska Dam and Hydroelectric Generating Station are the second oldest dam and hydroelectric generating station in the region, after the ones in Grand Falls. They have produced a continuous supply of energy for almost a century. Featuring a run-of-the-river plant, they were built in 1917 by Fraser Ltd. to supply its pulp mill with energy. They form part of the energy production facilities of the City of Edmundston, the only city in New Brunswick that produces a portion of its own electricity.
The Madawaska Dam and Hydroelectric Generating Station are also recognized for their role in the economy of the Edmundston region, having enabled the Fraser Mill to perform efficiently during its first years of operation, thus guaranteeing jobs for its many employees from Edmundston. They also enabled the municipality to operate smoothly thanks to agreements with Fraser Ltd., which supplied Edmundston with the energy it lacked.
SourceMadawaska Historical Society, site file : "Barrage et la centrale hydroélectrique du Madawaska"
Character‑defining elements
The character-defining elements that describe Madawaska Dam and Hydroelectric Generating Station include:
- Modern-International-style three-storey building housing the turbines, with minimal renovations;
- still functional dam;
- their location at the junction of the Madawaska and Saint John rivers;
- concrete dam also used as a bridge to downtown Edmundston;
- concrete discharge channel with four sluice gates, each 2.4 m wide;
- two stop log bays, each 4.9 m wide;
- automated sluice gate 4.9 m wide;
- iron sluice gate;
- two vertical Francis turbines, each with a capacity of 750 KW.
End of the register’s text
Location
5 Ferry Avenue, Edmundston, New Brunswick, E3V, Canada
47.36285° N, 68.32453° W
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Similar places
Places whose register descriptions are closest to this one.
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Saint-Jacques SluiceEdmundston, New Brunswick
Beauharnois Power Development National Historic Site of CanadaBeauharnois, Quebec
Victoria Hydro-Electric Generating StationVictoria, Newfoundland And Labrador
Edmundston CPR StationEdmundston, New Brunswick
From the Canadian Register of Historic Places, as last updated on December 12, 2025. The register’s text is shown word for word.