Grand Pre

While in Nova Scotia, we stayed at my parents' and did many day trips, including several times into Halifax to visit with my son. The first full day, we went to Grand Pre which is a historic site.

Grand-Pré was the epicentre for one of the saddest events in Acadian history. On September 5, 1755, Acadian men and boys were summoned to the old church, where British Lieutenant-Colonel John Winslow read out an order to have all the French-speaking settlers expelled from the region. Thus began the Great Upheaval, the forced removal of Acadians from the Maritime provinces to Britain, France, and various British colonies, with thousands dying along the way."


The women and children were put on one ship...and the men were put on another so that families were torn apart.  A horrible part of history.  Thanks to Longfellow and his poem "Evangeline" (1847), people became interested in their story and the church was erected along with the statue of Evangeline.  Now descendants of the Acadians come here to celebrate their heritage.


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