The answer to this question would open new avenues of research for archaeologists and historians who, for over a century, have been looking for traces of the old Saint-Charles-des-Mines church. The size and whereabouts of this special church intrigued John Frederic Herbin in the early 1900s when he first walked on the land he bought in Grand-Pré.
In an attempt to answer this question, the Société Promotion Grand-Pré is organizing an activity that will enable people of all ages to visualize the footprint of the old church and to participate in a living history lesson.
We know that 418 Acadian men and boys were assembled in the church at Grand-Pré on the 5th of September 1755, under the orders of Lieutenant Colonel John Winslow. They were then declared prisoners and the Order of Deportation was read to them by Winslow, with the help of an interpreter. About 200 of these Acadians were held in the church for a month and the others were held on board transport ships until the actual deportation began.
The Société Promotion Grand-Pré wants to recruit at least 418 people who would like to participate in an historical re-enactment of the assembling that took place in the old church on that fateful day of September 5th, 1755. An archaeologist, an historian, and a photographer will be present to document the event in a scientific manner.
This living history event will take place at Grand-Pré on Sunday, September 5th, 2010. Admission to Grand-Pré National Historic Site will be free for every one. People are invited to arrive by 1:30 pm so that the process of assembling can be finished at exactly 3 o’clock in time for the annual reading of the Order of Deportation. Period costumes are encouraged but not compulsory. The event will be followed by a commemorative walk from Grand-Pré to the Deportation Cross in Horton Landing (approx. 2 km).
Any family or individual who would like to help visualize the size of the original church in Grand-Pré is invited to register in advance. You just have to indicate your intention to participate by sending an e-mail to
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
and we will keep you informed about the re-enactment of this key moment in Canadian history.
For information on activities at Grand-Pré National Historic Site, please visit:
www.grand-pre.com
