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Beneath a cold and, to some, a repellant exterior
Mr. Reed possessed a heart that throbbed with charity towards the poor and the
distressed. He gave freely and gave frequently to relieve deserving persons,
but these selfless acts of charity were done mostly in secret. His home was
frequently used by various churches and groups as a meeting place. His castle
once hosted 250 children and 100 teachers and guests comprised of the Zion's
Church Sunday School, the Orphan Asylum, and the children of the Mission School
at Milledgeville.
Mr. Reed was a great traveller and ever thirsted after that knowledge which could only be acquired by personal visits to many lands. He was familiar with the byways as well as the great routes of Europe, and knew much of the North American continent, especially Saint John. His last trip before he died was to the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. He was a zealous art student and collector who tried to establish an art institution. The institution, however, was not to be, and was converted to an annex of Mount Allison ladies' college in Sackville.
In 1894, a year after Mr. Reed's death, a ship was
named "The Robert Reed," which was a memorial for everything he had
accomplished in the shipping industry. A parade was held in his honour, and
consisted of well over three hundred men dressed in black trousers, blue serge
shirts, white belts, and black Derby hats. At the time of his death, his firm
(J&R Reed) was one of Saint John's largest collection of merchants and
shipbuilders.
Many people have come and gone from the
Reed Mansion, but none have left a mark as large as Mr. Reed. However, the
house did witness the "darker side" of society in 1910. The
resident of the house was a caretaker named Thomas Sharkey, who by all accounts
liked to celebrate late at night and participate in other unsavory activities.
Sounds of revelry and rivalry were heard late at night, which was also
accompanied by the occasional gun shot. The house seen to the right is the
building that now stands on this property. This house, previously owned by
Jamie Reed (Robert Reed's brother), is currently owned by the Irving family.
"Evil days have fallen upon my house and my battlements are crumbled until even my servants make a mockery of me."
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Brunswick Community College - Saint John.