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One of New Brunswick's most controversial pieces of history will be re-enacted Saturday and Sunday at Kings Landing Historical Settlement.

The pauper auction will create turmoil in the small village as the overseer of the poor and yankee moral crusader, George Francis Train, go head to head in the moral dilemma of how to deal with the poor people of the community.

A re-enactment of a public auction is set to take place each afternoon at Kings Landing, where impoverished citizens will be auctioned off to those who will accept the least amount of tax money for their care.

In the late 19th century, each county in New Brunswick was responsible for finding solutions for caring for their less fortunate citizens. Many counties built almshouses, but at least one community chose the morally precarious path of "selling" the poor at auction. Citizens who bid at the auction received tax money in return for taking the poor into their homes to care for them.

Train was opposed to this method and spoke against the humiliation he felt the auctions created for the paupers. Those in support of the auction method felt it was the most responsible way to allocate their tax dollars.

Kings Landing will recreate this tempestuous time in history with demonstrations by Train and his supporters, an encounter between Train and the overseer of the poor, and finally with the auction itself. Activities are set to take place between 1:30 and 3 p.m. at various locations within the village Saturday and Sunday.

Visitors will be asked to make up their minds on this troubling issue: does bidding on a pauper save them from poverty, or does it make them lose all dignity as they step up on the auction block?