Fêtes patrimoniales de l’Acadie, jour 1

On August 5-6, history buffs will head to the Acadia Heritage Festival (Fêtes patrimoniales de l’Acadie), for a journey through history in the town of L’Acadie, near Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.

Enjoy a program of activities and services in celebration of the town’s Acadian heritage: historical exhibitions, music, lectures, artisans, brunch, dinner, and much more!

A dinner invitation

The mayor of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu has invited AFLCR members to attend the traditional Souper Cochon braisé. Please contact Stan Bradeen at stanatmoonlake@icloud.com if you plan to attend the supper, so that we can give them some idea of how many of us to expect. You need not contact Stan if you are going for the other events.

What was Acadia?

Acadia was a colony of France that included parts of what are now the Maritime provinces, the Gaspé Peninsula, and Maine to the Kennebec River. In 1604 French settlers claimed these Miꞌkmaq lands for the king of France. The Mi’kmaq tolerated their presence in exchange for favors and trade. For the next 150 years French and Mi’kmaqs farmed the rich soil of Acadia.

In the mid-18th century the British took control, but the Acadians refused to swear allegiance to the British crown.  So in 1755 the British expelled six to seven thousand Acadians from Nova Scotia. Some fled into the wilderness or to French-controlled Canada. Expelled Acadians founded the town of L’Acadie, now a sector of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. 

A second wave of expulsions began in 1758. The fall of Montreal in 1760 ended any notion that France might regain control over Acadia, and the 1763 Treaty of Paris permanently ceded almost all of eastern New France to Britain.  After 1764, many exiled Acadians settled in Louisiana, which  France had transferred to Spain as part of the Treaty of Paris. Britain later allowed Acadians to return to Nova Scotia, but most of those fertile lands were now occupied by British colonists.

Fêtes patrimoniales de L’Acadie