Description of Historic Place

Magnetic Hill is an unpaved rural road approximately, one-half kilometre in length, at the foot of Lutes Mountain in Moncton.

Heritage Value

Magnetic Hill was designated for its properties as a naturally occurring phenomenon and its subsequent impact on the tourism and commercial development of the area.

Due to the slopes and grades localized at the foot of Lutes Mountain, Magnetic Hill creates the illusion that automobiles and other objects, including running water, apparently travel uphill. Although known by local farmers for its odd properties since the 1800’s, Magnetic Hill did not become a tourist destination until discovered by Saint John’s Telegraph-Journal newspaper editor John Bruce and two reporters Stuart Trueman and Jack Bayley in August of 1933. Their resulting article was the first widespread report and photos of Magnetic Hill, creating a tourism industry for this area in the north end of Moncton. A local couple Muriel Lutes and her husband Lou Sikorsky are credited with understanding the value of this tourist attraction and launching the commercial development of the area surrounding Magnetic Hill.

Due its uncanny natural illusion and surrounding family oriented commercial development, Magnetic Hill is also designated for being one of the top three visited natural attractions in Canada.

Source: Moncton Museum, Moncton, New Brunswick - second floor files – “Magnetic Hill Rd.”.

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements relating to Magnetic Hill’s designation as a naturally occurring phenomenon and its subsequent impact on the tourism and commercial development of the area include:
- the illusion created by slopes and grades in natural landscape at the foot of Lutes Mountain;
- original unpaved rural road closed to thru-traffic;
- mature natural landscaping along rights-of-way.