Meeting of the Officers of the Garrisons of St. John and Fredrictown, on Long Island, in the River St. John, New Brunswick is the official title of this painting but often referred to as “the BLIZZARD painting” due to its subject matter: the building in the background is Loyalist Leonard Slipp’s tavern/inn of the same name. In other renditions the name above the door can be seen quite clearly. In this version, an item in the Peter Winkworth Collection of Canadiana held by Library & Archives Canada, it seems to be obscured for some reason. Perhaps the colourist of the lithograph made that decision when filling in the colours on the original B&W lithograph.
Meeting of the Officers of the Garrisons of St. John and Fredrictown, on Long Island, in the River St. John, New Brunswick (Library & Archives Canada - Acc. No. R9266-1332)
Blizzard was the establishment of our United Empire Loyalist ancestor Leonard Slip (AKA Johann Leonhard Schlöpp). It is seen here in a lithograph from a painting done by John Hewett in 1824. It is supposed that Blizzard was built in the late 1700s. The enterprise is also known to some as Blizzard House, The Blizzard, or even Blizzard Inn, although there is no clear evidence of what it was called ‘back in the day’. The sign on the door is what we have to go by; an unusual title for such a place, certainly in its time.
In this writer’s first encounter with the image in 1994, he was informed by George Wm. Slipp of Central Hampstead, NB, of its history, according to what had been passed down through numerous generations. (GW Slipp, b. 1937, was the owner & resident of the bicentennial house on one of Leonard Slip’s original properties and Leonard Slip’s 4x great grandson. His son, Larry Slipp, is the current owner.)
During the majority of the year on the River St. John, late spring to late autumn, ships & boats would come to Blizzard with their passengers to rest & refresh on their journey from the capital of the newly formed province of New Brunswick, Fredrictown (as it was spelled at the time), to the port city of Saint John. Blizzard was approximately at the midpoint of the voyage. In the winter horse-drawn sleighs, sleds and even ice skates would bring people here. However, in the spring, freshets, or floods caused by the melting snow, would come and flood the Saint John River. These waters would rise up and flood the buildings on Long Island. But Blizzard was built such, and it is said, that the boats would be able to moor themselves to the building, using the facilities even at the most inclement of times. [This story may seem a bit incredulous, but there's no proof that it isn’t just as related. In fact, there are photos of floods from the late 1800s that show similar conditions to this.]
Wickham, in the St. John River, NB, flooding during spring freshets-circa 1930. From Les Ducey collection, captured by Lynn Godwin 2009
The people who built the communities in this part of the River St. John were largely Deutsch people who had lived in the Long Island area of New York. They chose to remain loyal to King George III either by fighting, or at least by not helping the Revolutionary soldiers in their struggle. Many of these Loyalists lost their property, life savings, and even family members (including some who decided to fight for the Americans).
Once the Revolutionary War (or ‘War of Independence’) was over the British evacuated the United Empire Loyalists as quickly as possible to the other British North American colonies, many of them going to what was then called Nova Scotia, landing in the ports of either Saint John or Shelburne. Leonard Slipp and his wife, Elizabeth Ryson (Reisner) and their two young children, are thought to have arrived in Saint John on August 14, 1783, aboard the Spencer, a ship that plied the waters between New York and Saint John numerous times in the two years the Loyalists were making their exodus from the newly formed United States.
Leonard Slipp (sometimes spelled with one ‘p’, ‘Slip’) was initially given a grant on the Salmon River near Grand Lake, but found it unsuitable for agriculture and was able to procure a lot (#20) near Queenstown, south of Gagetown on the St. John River. He also received a grant on Long Island, and eventually the property in Hampstead (which is still in the Slipp family). Leonard & Elizabeth had ten children, and they lived their lives out in this area.
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It is interesting to note the word Blizzard is not exactly it seems to us in the 21st Century. Until 1870, “blizzard” meant a something akin to a big fight, as in a flurry of fists, or “a knockdown blow”. In the British dialect (Midlands) it meant blizzer, blizzom blaze, flash, or anything that blinds momentarily. I was also told that ‘Blitzen’ means “lightning” (and his equally famous partner ‘Donner’ means “thunder”). Certainly the idea of “an inordinately large amount all at one time” is consistently applicable here.
The word got its current meaning in or around 1870, when an editor in Iowa was looking for a word to describe a vicious snowstorm that had recently blown through the area. A German fellow mentioned it was a “blitzardt” and the editor decided ‘blizzard’ was just the word he needed.
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The following information came from the James Clarence Webster Canadiana Collection, a large quantity of early Canadian artifacts which was donated to the New Brunswick Museum. This collection included a colour lithograph of the Meeting of the Officers of the Garrison . . .
From page 160 (item #847) of the catalog:
Lith: 33 x 44.4 In b.g., frozen river with skaters. On r., tower-like belfry, prob. Part of ch. & wooden bldgs, largest of which is prob. An Inn, the name BLIZZARD being over the door. Large area with smart sleighs & horses, some driven by red-coated officers. In f.g., is man on snowshoes with toboggan sled.
Note.—Two ladies in sleigh are Jane & Frances Peters, daughters of Hon. Charles Jeffery Peters, Atty-Gen. In another sleigh, saluting them is Col. O’Dell, engaged to Jane Peters.
J. Hewett pinxt Febry 1824. D. Dighton lithog. Printed by C. Hullmandel.
Inscr.— MEETING OF THE OFFICERS OF THE GARRISONS OF ST. JOHN AND FREDERICTOWN [sic], ON LONG ISLAND, IN THE RIVER ST. JOHN, NEW BRUNSWICK.
London, Published by Wm. Sams, Bookseller to H.R.H. the Duke of York, 1 St. James St.
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Also in this painting is St. Stephen’s Anglican Church. Of this building Sussex Slipp descendant Lynn Godwin compiled the following information:
St. Stephens Anglican Church was built on Long Island, Queens County in 1790. It was located on the east side of the island at the head of Church Creek and was operated by “the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel “. Missionary Reverend Richard Clarke, pastor of this church, which served Hampstead, Long Island and Wickham. He arrived in the Gagetown area in 1786. The first Baptism on Long Island was on February 24th 1788 when George Slip, son of Leonard and Elizabeth Slip and Charlotte Gerow, daughter of James and Sarah Gerow were baptized. The last was on January 3rd 1808 when John Haynes Peters, son of William and Charlotte Peters was baptized. This information is taken from the Gagetown Parish-Anglican Church Records (1786-1901). The rest comes from the Reverend Gerry Laskey in 2004.
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After several decades the Long Island community was abandoned due to impractical living conditions around the spring freshets and poor winter ice conditions. St. Stephens Church was moved to Wickham by sixteen oxen over the ice and was used until its destruction the Saxby Gale of 1869 .
The Blizzard building was apparently cut in half and one part was towed across the ice to Hampstead and the other to Wickham where it sits near the Wickham wharf today. Long Island has been used mainly for grazing livestock ever since.
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An alternate colour version of the lithograph can be viewed at: The Koluskap Gallery
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Low quality B&W image of the 1824 Hewett painting. This lithograph is the basis of any and all colour versions of it. The lithograph was created by David Dighton, a member of a family that did these items in London, England. Lithography was invented in 1796, and was a relatively new technology when it was employed in the creation of this piece.
Information assembled by marke slipp
Updated January 2010
Marke, lots of information here which is good. The picture of the flood in the 1930′s was at Wickham and not Long Island. The Blizzard house today is sitting in the centre of the picture. Note the steam boat at the end of the wharf.
Lynn
UPDATED VERSION of ‘Meeting of the Officers of the Garrison …’ now available, with colour version of lithograph added.
Thanks for your notes, Lyn.
[...] the question arises: Where did Leonard have his establishment, the tavern/inn called ‘Blizzard‘? Was it on Long Island’s Lot No. 58? Or did he have it further north, across from his [...]
email from Peggy Slipp 30 January 2010
“I recently found a source that named someone else other than Leonard Slip as the proprietor of Blizzard. I’m sending you all the link to the website [ http://www.heustis.net/ ] as there is Clark, Merritt, VanWart, Jones & Slipp family information which is all referenced. There is even the surname Blizzard. Here, under Phillip Huestis, The River Years to 1827, it says “Service of a different sort was provided by John Watson, the Loyalist proprietor of the Blizzard, an inn of great local repute. Established prior to 1806, it had been for a long time one of the few stops along the Saint John catering to river traffic” (from Marion Gilchrist Reicker’s, Those Days Are Gone Away (Gagetown: Queens County Historical Society, 1981), p. 191). I have never heard this anywhere before, having grown up with the “known fact” that Leonard Slip, UEL, owned it. My father owned this book and the next time I’m home, I will look to see where the author got information; that is whether the source is referenced.”
Great information, cuz’. And it is an interesting web site you refered us to. Thanks. Seems there is still lots to be considered and some room for discussion about this topic of BLIZZARD. I’ll be interested to see if your Dad made any notes in the book you mention, regarding this subject, as it was he, George Wm. Slipp, that first told me about Blizzard being across the river from his home there in Central Hampstead.
Now, if we can also find out more about the 7th generation, Bicentennial property you grew up on (like when Leonard originally purchased it) that would be great!
*The Memorial of Phillip Heustis* web site [ http://www.heustis.net/ ] noted above, which Curtis Mainville built around his great-g-g-g grandfather, Phillip Heustis, is quite intriguing. It is nicely organized and laid out as well as quite well written. Besides Heutis’ early life on Long Island, NY, it also addresses his life in Parrstown (where the Loyalist stayed when the arrived from the States, across from Saint John) and the general settlement of the Long Island/River Saint John community very nicely. All that said, it is somewhat odd that the site is all about one Phillip Huestis, yet the portion written on the man himself cites his surname as “Husted”. Curious, but it is a minor bump in an otherwise entertaining read of a life of one Loyalist of whom many connected to this site have connections to.
Mainville noted that Long Island was considered “one of the most fertile agricultural areas in the county [but it]was not well suited to settlement”. This was, as we know, due to the spring freshets that, as he says, “posed a continuous threat to both life and crop”. He cites the population at about 170 in 1785 but that it “began to decline considerably during the course of the nineteenth century”.
He also notes some additional information regarding the moving of St. Stephen’s Anglican Church (i.e, they used a team of 80 oxen and it took two days to move it to Wickham.)
That the site’s references to sources is a bit off (e.g., reference to the lithograph is cited as 32 in the Narrative, but is actually 35 in the Notes) is a minor, albeit frustrating criticism. At least he has lots of source notes for this subject. I haven’t gone through the (many!) other narratives on the people he lists, but I’m sure there will be many readers of this site that will find it an invaluable resource.
All good information, certainly. As to the ownership of Blizzard, however, there is nothing substatial here. He does mention John Watson, who was indeed an owner of a lot on Long Island. He also notes that Blizzard was built prior to 1806, which we also already believed to be true (without clear source, mind you!). I think John Watson’s property on Long Island is lacking some of the potential to be a site for an inn … like a place to tie up the boats that brought the customers there (as per the painting of the period’s reference). I think walking 10 or 15 minutes across a marshy island wouldn’t appeal to travellers much, but anything’s possible until we have some more solid evidence about this.
It’s been pointed out that Leonard Slip would been 58 in 1806. Was it time for him to give up his profession as innkeeper, that he had apparently excelled at since his days on Long Island, NY, “making a large amount of money in a short period of time”? Perhaps the toll of maintaining an establishment like Blizzard, what with the fights, rowdiness and spring freshets, had run its course by the early 19th Century and he sold it. We do know that the Free Baptist Church came to the area in the early part of the 19th Century, and his family was involved with this movement. Perhaps he simply sold the place and farmed for the next couple of decades prior to his demise in 1833.
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Also it was good to note Phillip Heistis’ early connection the Merritt family in New York, although I am curious as to what Mary Merritt’s father might of thought of the union, what with her being some 20 years Phillips’ junior. Not to mention his “cowboy” affiliations on Long Island and other ‘dark’ tales related about him.
from a Comment by Carol Brown Parker 31 Jan 2010. Moved to here (from Mondo Slipp) to keep relevant to the topic:
“I called a friend who owns the book by Marion Gilchrist Reicker )Gagetown: Queens County Historical Society, 1981) PAGE 191. I asked him to check for the reference of this source. He said it was not on Page 191. So I am going to Saint John today to the library to take out the book and go through it. I also e-mailed the owner of the website to tell him that page 191 did not have the information quoted. I asked him to provide me with the reference/source for “John Watson, the Loyalist proprietor of the Blizzard Inn, an inn of great local repute. Established prior to 1806, it had been a long time one of the few stops along the Saint John catering to the river traffic.” I have not received a reply yet but will post when I do.”