Acadian Historic Village

Monday was our longest travel day for the whole trip at 260 miles along the coast of Gaspé into New Brunswick and continuing along the coast to Caraquet.  This is a large town with what looks like a very nice bike trail but unfortunately we don’t have time to ride on it.

This morning we visited the Acadian Historic Village learning the history of the Acadian people by visiting homes, businesses, farms and shops from the 1840's -1950's.  The Acadians are from France originally and settled here claiming the land for France.  But then the British decided they wanted this land and during the Seven Year War in the late 1800’s they systematically deported the people or they left and moved south, some as far as Louisiana where they are known as Cajuns, or they stayed and joined the protestant church.  One family’s story was the wife was Catholic and the husband was Protestant so their three girls were raised Catholic and the four boys Protestant.

Even though he’s retired John continues to research brooms throughout the world.

Each building was inhabited by a “resident" from the era and they were performing the tasks of that time.  Gardens, woodsheds, barns, fencing, and tools were what would have been in the 1840’s to 1890’s.  We visited a wood worker making cedar shake shingles by hand, several housewives with spinning wheels or carding wool or flax, a school teacher, a blacksmith, the general store which sold items made in the village, a tavern where there was no beer but wine and spirits, a print shop, and a church.

When we crossed the covered bridge we entered the 20th century with a gas station, train station, three story hotel, a wood mill, gristmill,  a cooperage, a cobbler sewing leather soled shoes, another general store, a tinsmiths shop and several large homes.  All of the buildings were brought here from around the provinces. Some were built according to original plans and some restored.

We left the caravan around 2PM and drove by ourselves to Moncton to spend the night in a Walmart parking lot so that we could be at the Ford Service department at the break of dawn (or so it seemed) to get the A/C compressor and fan belt replaced. Six hours later we were on our way to Cavendish on Prince Edward Island where we rejoined Caravan.