National Historic Site of Canada

Marine Hospital National Historic Site of Canada

Miramichi, New Brunswick

Also known as Marine Hospital, Hôpital de la Marine, St. Samuel’s Roman Catholic Church Hall

Corner view of the Marine Hospital, showing two façades and the cupola on the roof, 1991.

Corner view of the Marine Hospital, showing two façades and the cupola on the roof, 1991.

Photo: Parks Canada Agency/ Agence Parcs Canada, 1991.

Built
1830–1831
Recognized
1989
By
Government of Canada

The register’s text, word for word

Description

Marine Hospital National Historic Site of Canada is a one-storey, sandstone building with a domed cupola, built in 1830-1831. It is perched on high ground overlooking the Miramichi River. The former hospital is surrounded by wood-frame residences in the small community of Douglastown, now a suburb of the City of Miramichi, where it serves as a church hall and community meeting place. The formal recognition consists of the building on its legal property at the time of designation.

Heritage value

Marine Hospital was designated a national historic site of Canada in 1989 because:

  • it is a rare surviving example of an important and interesting building type.

Built by Matthew Lamont for the Commissioners of the Port of Miramichi in 1830-1831, the Marine Hospital at Douglastown is the oldest surviving marine hospital in Canada. Until 1921, it provided care for indigent, sick or disabled seamen, most of whom worked in the timber trade along the Miramichi River. Its form, composition, roofline and cupola reflect classical architectural traditions that were popular in early 19th-century British North America.

SourceHistoric Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes, June 1989.

Character‑defining elements

Key elements that relate to the heritage value of Marine Hospital include:

  • its siting on high ground overlooking the Miramichi River;
  • viewscapes to and from the river and the hospital;
  • its classically inspired design, defined by its rectangular form, the symmetrical placement of openings, the low-pitched, slightly flared, hipped roof and delicate domed cupola;
  • the cupola, including its Grecian columns and domed roof;
  • the stone chimney at the east end of the building;
  • the surviving, original multi-pane windows and wooden doors;
  • its construction of local sandstone;
  • its stonework, including the smooth ashlar along the south elevation, the roughly squared stone blocks in irregular courses on the other three elevations, and the simple stone lintels and sills at openings;
  • the surviving, original, interior features in the main room, including two fireplaces, windows, doors, and interior shutters.

End of the register’s text

Location

12 Vye Street, Miramichi, New Brunswick, E1V, Canada

47.02224° N, 65.51158° W

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Nearby

All 110 places in Miramichi

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From the Canadian Register of Historic Places, as last updated on December 12, 2025. The register’s text is shown word for word.