In all cities there are legends that the residents swear are true.

Urban legends from Fredericton are a lively topic on the social media platform Reddit.

Specifically, users of the subreddit “Fredericton,” a page dedicated exclusively to discussions about the capital, were asked: “What fact about Fredericton sounds made up?”

The answers are interesting, but are they true?

Let’s take a look.

Floating heights

Christ Church Cathedral holds a special place in the hearts of many Fredericton residents and in the city skyline itself.

This is probably why the legend that “no building can be higher” has persisted for so long.

Unfortunately, those who hope that the church tower will permanently be the highest point in the city center must remember that there is no law prohibiting a building from rising above it.

“In short, it’s an urban legend,” says Hank Williams, a retired sexton who trains tour guides for the church.

He said the origin of the story could be a “competition” between the Anglican cathedral and the then Methodist Wilmot United Church for the tallest tower.

“Wilmot ultimately prevailed, but when the cathedral’s spire was rebuilt in 1912 after a fire in 1911, there was enough money to rebuild the spire. So they raised it 26 or 27 feet and the cathedral won,” Williams said.

City of Fredericton spokesman Wayne Knorr confirmed that there is no ordinance limiting the height of structures to less than the spire of the cathedral.

“There is nothing in the design guidelines of the monument protection regulations that applies exclusively to the cathedral,” said Knorr.

Splash, splash

A new water sports center has been a dream for many city residents for years.

But maybe the swimmers just need to go to a basement on the University of New Brunswick campus.

According to legend, there is an abandoned swimming pool in the basement of Lady Beaverbrook’s residence.

According to Kelsey Pye, a UNB spokeswoman, there is indeed a pool in the basement of the dorm.

“It was a special feature of the residence, which opened in March 1930,” said Pye.

Unfortunately, the pool is no longer used for water sports.

Falling off the edge

In 240 BC, a Greek astronomer living in Egypt named Eratosthenes of Cyrene proved that the Earth was round by calculating its circumference.

Apparently some Fredericton residents didn’t get the memo, as rumors say the city is home to the Flat Earth Society.

It turns out it’s true, but the story is a little more complicated.

According to UNB Archives and Special Collections, the Flat Earth Society of Canada was founded by Leo Ferrari, a philosophy professor at St. Thomas University.

The society also included other well-known local personalities such as the writers Alden Nowlan and Raymond Fraser.

Even though the name of the society suggests otherwise, the group did not represent a monotonous worldview.

“According to them, a prevailing problem of the new technological age is the willingness of people to “blindly believe theories and reject the evidence of their own senses,” according to materials obtained from the UNB archives.

“In order to encourage critical thinking, the society has decided to question something that ‘scientific Western civilization’ considers indisputable – namely, that the earth is round.”

As above, so below

Most myths have revolved around claims of above sea level, but could it be that downtown Fredericton is full of underground tunnels connecting neighboring buildings?

There are actually tunnels that connect some areas of the city center.

“There are underground heating tunnels that serve provincial buildings as well as the Playhouse and maybe Beaverbrook,” Knorr said. “They’re high enough to walk around in.”

Although Knorr confirmed the existence of some tunnels, he referred all further questions to the province.

CBC News reached out to the province to find out how many tunnels there are and what purpose they serve, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

A famous signature

We travel above ground to our final legend, which features one of Fredericton’s most recognizable landmarks and a famous Irish poet and playwright.

According to legend, the infamous Oscar Wilde wrote his name on the underside of the dome of the New Brunswick Parliament building.

This at least seems plausible.

Wilde actually visited the city in October 1882 and spoke to a large audience in the City Hall, which was also the city’s main performing arts venue at the time.

The parliament was opened in 1882 and replaced the former seat of government, Province Hall, which burned down in 1880.

Unfortunately, the province did not want to confirm or deny the existence of the literary autograph, so it will remain a mystery for the time being.