Willie O’Ree spent his formative years in this neighborhood, living across the street from the Lawrence family. From this location, Willie would often head up the hill to Odell Park to play hockey on the pond. Other times, he would skate to school on Fredericton’s icy side streets.
Both the Lawrence and O’Ree families have a long history in the Saint John River valley. From this location on Charlotte Street, the family had ties to local the Black communities in Springhill, Barker’s Point, and down river in the Black community living in Gagetown.
Image: NB Film Co-op, Echoes in the Rink: The Willie O’Ree Story – D. Stoddard
Notes from "The Hidden Black Cityscape"
