No. 13

DISCOVERING THE HISTORY OF TANTRAMAR

The Tantramar Region has a long and distinguished history. Earliest settlement dates back more than 2,500 years to the establishment of Mi'kmaq encampments. It is believed that Sackville was once a battlefield for skirmishes between the Mi'kmaq and Iroquois. England and France also fought for control of this strategically important region. Fort Beauséjour and Fort Gaspereaux are two remaining examples of that struggle. Wooden remnants of hand-built dykes and, indeed the dykelands themselves are reminders of the pivotal role played by Acadian settlers. Yorkshire settlers and Loyalists also made important contributions and many homes and museums stand as a testament to their efforts.

Fort Gaspereaux

Port Elgin: A cairn commemorates the site of this Fort, which was burned in 1756. Built by French troops in 1751, the Fort was originally a palisaded earthwork, 180-feet square, surrounded by a ditch eight feet deep and flanked by blockhouses.

Fort Beauséjour National Historic Site

Aulac: Visitors can explore the underground storehouses and roam the ramparts, surveying a landscape claimed from the sea by Acadian settlers in the late 1600s. These plains later became battlefields as the imperial forces of England and France struggled for control of the continent. The visitor centre features multimedia and 3-D displays depicting early settlements and clashes which eventually led to the seizure of the Fort by the British.

Campbell Carriage Factory

Middle Sackville: Designated as a Provincial and National Historic Site, the Factory is one of the best existing examples of a 19th century industrial site in Eastern North America. For over 100 years (1855-1949) the Factory was an important part of the local economy, supplying a range of wooden products, from coffins to carriage wheels.

Slack's Cove Cairn

Slack's Cove: The cairn at Slack's Cove, a short drive from Sackville towards Rockport, marks the site where 13 people from Massachusetts landed to set up the first Baptist Church in Canada in 1783. Saint James Presbyterian Church Museum Dorchester: This graceful wooden church, built in 1884, houses the Beachkirk Collection — tools and materials used to make textiles in the 1880s. Local craftspeople provide demonstrations on two working antique looms.

St. Anne's Anglican Church

Dorchester: Built in 1817, St. Anne's is the oldest surviving church in the county, and was a childhood haunt of poet Charles G. D. Robert, who immortalized the Tantramar marshes in "Tantramar Revisited".

Keillor House Museum

Dorchester: Located in Dorchester, Keillor House overlooks the scenic Memramcook Valley, Dorchester Island and Shepody Bay. This early Regency stone house was built in the 1800s by John Keillor from Yorkshire, England. The house contains 9 working fireplaces and much of the original construction such as hair plaster, split laths and a back kitchen complete with a huge fireplace and bake oven.

Monument-Lefebvre National Historic Site

Memramcook: Visit the new permanent exhibit "Reflections of a Journey Ñ the Odyssey of the Acadian People". Auditorium & Gift-Shop onsite. 480, rue Centrale, Memramcook 758-9808.

Tantramar Heritage Trust

The Trust is a non-profit, charitable organization that promotes preservation of heritage resources in the Tantramar Region.

For more information on publications and facilities developed by the Trust, visit heritage.tantramar.com, or call 536-2541.

To download a printer-friendly Adobe Acrobat version of this file — many are complete with photos and maps — visit the Touring Tantramar home page and click on the appropriate thumbnail. The Touring Tantramar Series is ©2000 The Tantramar Tourism Association TantramarTourism.com.

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