Saint John in Saint John County, New Brunswick — The Atlantic Provinces (North America)
George B. Oland
Moosehead Breweries / La Brasserie Moosehead
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 15, 2019
1. George B. Oland Marker
When George Bauld Oland was growing up in Dartmouth, N.S. he was surrounded by his brothers and sisters and many Oland cousins. Their homes were together by the Halifax harbour near the Oland family brewery. The popular brown ale's recipe had come from England with grandmother Susannah Oland in 1865. Most of her sons and, later, her grandsons, worked at developing the Nova Scotia brewery.
At first George B. Oland was more interested in the military than the brewery. At 16 he left Halifax to fight in the South African Boer War. When the call came for World War I, George B. Oland received a major's commission. He was overseas on December 6. 1917 when two military ships, one loaded with explosives, collided in Halifax harbour. The brewery the Olands had built was wiped out by the disastrous Halifax Explosion.
With Halifax destroyed the brewery could not be rebuilt quickly. In 1918, using explosion compensation funds, the Olands purchased Simeon Jones' Red Ball brewery in Saint John, NB at the corner of Carmarthen and Union streets. The brewery faced spectacular "red ball" sunsets in the west.
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In 1918 prohibition laws limited Canadian beer sales. Only soft drinks and "near beer" with no more than 2% alcohol could be sold in the Maritimes. Even with these restrictions Oland's Red Ball Brewery prospered under George B. Oland's guidance.
In 1928 George B. Oland purchased the James Ready Brewery beside the Reversing Falls. He expanded the plant, and changed the brewery's name to New Brunswick Breweries. Oland's Red Ball operations continued under the direction of Halifax Olands.
In 1947 George Oland discovered the name Moosehead Pale Ale had been registered years before by the James Ready brewery. Since the moose is known as the king of animals in New Brunswick, he decided Moosehead would be a great name for his company. New Brunswick Breweries Ltd. was renamed Moosehead Breweries Limited.
During the 1930's George Oland's four sons joined the family's brewery. Philip, his second son, trained as brewmaster in England and Denmark, created the recipe for the popular Maritime lager, Alpine. Philip Oland became president of Moosehead Breweries in 1962. Today his son Derek Oland is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
While other Oland family breweries were sold, Moosehead Breweries in Saint John continues as a family
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 15, 2019
2. George B. Oland Marker (wide view)
George Bauld Oland grandit à Dartmouth, en Nouvelle-Écosse, entouré de ses frères et sœurs et de plusieurs cousins Oland. Leurs maisons sont côte à côte sur le bord du port d'Halifax près de la brasserie familiale Oland. C'est la grand-mère Susannah Oland qui a rapporté d'Angleterre en 1865 la recette de la populaire ale brune. La plupart de ses fils et, plus tard, de ses petits-fils travaillent au développement de la brasserie néo-écossaise.
Au début, George B. Oland est plus intéressé par la vie militaire que par la brasserie. À seize ans, il quitte Halifax pour aller se battre à la guerre des Boers en Afrique. À l'appel pour la Première Guerre mondiale, George B. Oland reçoit la commission de major. Il est outre-mer le 6 décembre 1917 au moment où deux navires militaires, dont un est chargé d'explosifs, entrent en collision dans le port d'Halifax. La brasserie bâtie par les Oland est rasée par la désastreuse explosion d'Halifax.
Halifax détruite, la brasserie ne peut être rapidement reconstruite. En 1918, les Oland se servent de l'argent de compensation de l'explosion pour acheter la brasserie Red Ball de Simeon Jones à Saint John, au Nouveau-Brunswick, au coin
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 15, 2019
3. George Bauld Oland Statue
En 1918, la prohibition limite les ventes de bières canadiennes. Dans les Maritimes, on ne peut vendre que des boissons gazeuses et des bières contenant au plus 2 % d'alcool. Malgré les restrictions de la loi, la brasserie Red Ball prospère sous la direction de George B. Oland.
En 1928, George B. Oland acquiert la brasserie James Ready près des chutes réversibles. Il agrandit les installations de production et rebaptise la brasserie New Brunswick Breweries. Les Oland d'Halifax prennent les rênes de la Red Ball.
En 1947, George B. Oland découvre que le nom Moosehead Pale Ale a été enregistré dans le passé par la brasserie James Ready. Puisque l'orignal est reconnu comme le roi des animaux au Nouveau-Brunswick il décide que Moosehead serait un excellent nom pour l'entreprise. New Brunswick Breweries Ltd. est donc rebaptisée Moosehead Breweries Limited.
Pendant les années 1930, les quatre fils de George B. Oland se joignent à la brasserie familiale. Philip, le deuxième fils, est formé comme maître brasseur en Angleterre et au Danemark. Il crée la recette de la populaire lager des Maritimes, l'Alpine. Philip Oland devient président de la brasserie Moosehead en 1962. Aujourd'hui, son fils Derek Oland en est le président et chef de la direction.
Quoique d'autres brasseries de la famille Oland aient été vendues, la brasserie Moosehead à Saint John continue d'être une brasserie familiale, la plus importante et la plus vieille brasserie familiale indépendante au Canada. Sa bière, brassée à Saint John près des chutes réversibles, est maintenant vendue dans le monde entier.
Erected by J.D. Irving, Limited.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Disasters • Industry & Commerce • War, World I.
Location. 45° 15.42′ N, 66° 5.45′ W. Marker is in Saint John, New Brunswick, in Saint John County. Marker can be reached from Lancaster Avenue, 0.2 kilometers east of Bridge Road (New Brunswick Route 100), on the left when traveling east. Marker is located along the walking path in Wolastoq Park, near the west side of the park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 211 Lancaster Avenue, Saint John NB E2M 2K8, Canada. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Thomas Stockwell Simms (here, next to this marker); Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley (a few steps from this marker); Robert Foulis (within shouting distance of this marker); William Kilby Reynolds (within shouting distance of this marker); John Robertson (within shouting distance of this marker); Charles Gorman (within shouting distance of this marker); K.C. Irving (within shouting distance of this marker); Benedict Arnold (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Saint John.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Wolastoq Park
Also see . . . Chilling death casts shadow over Oland brewing dynasty. (from July 15, 2011) Until Dick Oland was murdered nine days ago, the most dramatic event in the brewery clan's history took place in 1865 in Nova Scotia, where Dick's great-great-grandmother, Susannah, landed from England with a family recipe for dark brown ale tucked away in her memory . She brewed the first batch in her Dartmouth backyard, it is said, and launched a beer-making dynasty that spawned rival empires in Halifax and Saint John, and survived fires, family splits and the devastating Halifax Explosion of 1917. That recipe paved the way for Saint John-based Moosehead Breweries, the largest surviving Canadian-owned beer-maker, which is run by the sixth generation of Olands to brew beer on the East Coast. It was also instrumental in making the Olands the epitome of Maritime gentry, part of the coterie of powerful families that dominate Atlantic Canada, including the McCains and Irvings – and thus explaining the lurid fascination with the murder of Dick Oland in his Saint John office.
For Maritimers, there is something patriotic about cracking open an Alpine – the Olands' 74-year-old local brand – or if transplanted to Toronto or New York, hoisting a Moosehead lager, which has enjoyed cult status in far-off markets. (Submitted on November 2, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on November 2, 2019. It was originally submitted on October 31, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 435 times since then and 41 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 2, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
