Kings Landing is a New Brunswick, living history museum with original buildings from the period of 1820-1920. It was created around buildings that were saved and moved to make way for the headpond for the Mactaquac Dam.
Although Kings Landing is not and never was a real village, New Brunswick and the areas surrounding Prince William were primary settled by Anglo-American Loyalists from the Thirteen Colonies, who were called the United Empire Loyalists in Canada; Scottish, Irish and English immigrants were early settlers as well. It is approximately 40 km west of Fredericton, New Brunswick in the community of Lower Prince William.
Kings Landing is a representation of rural New Brunswick during the 19th and early 20th century. It is not a replica of an actual village, but a collection of salvaged or recreated buildings from around the Mactaquac headpond and other locations around New Brunswick. With few exceptions, all the historical buildings on the site have been moved and remodelled to specific years in their history. The project was originally started in the late 1960s and continues to the present day, as new buildings are being added every few years.
While the collection and preservation of artefacts is a major part of daily business, Kings Landing is first and foremost a living museum. The principle is simple: "Tell them and they'll forget. Show them and they'll remember. Involve them and they'll understand". Costumed interpreters with extensive knowledge of their area - and often more than one area - bring the site to life for the visitors. Interpretation on site ranges from simple explanations of household objects to complete demonstrations of period activities.
More than a dozen houses, most of which are original buildings, are gathered on site. In the houses, employees welcome visitors, go about daily chores, cook period meals and create period crafts, all while in costumes appropriate to the time period of their area.
There are also "trades" buildings: these are the shops and businesses that the local men would have owned and operated, many of which would have required a period of apprenticeship/training for those employed there. Examples would be the Print Shop, Sash and Door Factory, Gorham's Carpenter Shop, Dennin's Blacksmith Shop, etc.