Downtown Halifax in Halifax Region, Nova Scotia — The Atlantic Provinces (North America)
The Acadians on George Island
Halifax Citadel National Park Site
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Les Acadiens sur l'Île Georges
Citadelle d'Halifax
Inscription.
The Acadians on George Island
Georges Island National Historic Site, the small island that lies in Halifax harbor, is a culturally significant site to the Acadian community. The Acadians are descendants of French colonists who arrived in what is now Maritime Canada in the 1600s. Calling the region Acadia, they drained marshlands around the Bay of Fundy for farming, developing a distinct cultural identity while pursuing a policy of neutrality amid ongoing tensions between France and Britain. During the Seven Years War (1755-63), British authorities in Nova Scotia forcibly expelled about 10,000 Acadians to the British colonies along the Atlantic seaboard. Later groups were sent to France. The Acadian Deportation saw families separated, farms and buildings burned, and a culture torn apart. Approximately 1,000 Acadian men, women, and children who had evaded the initial deportation were later imprisoned on George Island in poor conditions. Some were there for days or even months before being deported until the war's end.
French: Le lieu historique national de l'Île-Georges, la petite île qui se trouve dans le port de Halifax, reve`t une grande importance culturelle pour la communaute` acadienne. Les Acadiens sont les descendants de colons francais qui sont arrive`s au cours des anne`es 1600 dans la re`gion qu'on appelle aujourd'hui les Maritimes. Nommant cette region "l'Acadie", ils ont draine` les marais autour de la baie de Fundy a` des fins agricoles, et ils ont de`veloppe` une identite` culturelle distincte tout en adoptant une politique de neutralite` dans un contexe de tensions constantes entre la France et la Grande-Bretagne. Durant la guerre de Sept Ans (1755-1763), les autorite`s britanniques en Nouvelle-E`cosse ont de`porte` de force environ 10000 Acadiens vers des colonies britanniques le long de la côte atlantique. Par la suite d'autres groupes ont e`te` envoye`s en France. La de`portation des Acadiens a fait en sorte que des familles ont e`te` se`pare`es, que des fermes et des bâtiments ont e`te` brûle`s, et qu'une culture a e`te` de`chire`e. Environ 1000 hommes, femmes et enfants acadians qui avaient e`chappe` a` la de`portation initiale ont e`te` plus tard emprisonne`s sur l'Île Georges dans de mauvaises conditions. Certains y ont croupi pendant des jours ou même des mois avant d'être de`porte`s-ou jusqu'a` ce que la guerre prenne fin.
Captions:
English: Dominic Serres, "Town and Harbor of Halifax in Nova Scotia as Appears from George Island (1795)." This 1760 painting of George Island, with Halifax and the Citadel in the background, depicts one of the long wooden sheds (just left of the centre) where Acadian prisoners were held.
French: Dominic Serres, "Ville et port d'Halifax", en Nouvelle-E`cosse, tells qu'ils apparaissent depuis l'ile Georges (1795) ". Dans cette peinture de 1760 representing l'Île Georges, avec Halifax et la Citadelle a` l'arrie`re-plan, on voit l'une des longues cabanes en bois (un peu a` gauche du centre ou~ less prisonniers acadiens e`taient de`tenus.
Captions:
English: Claude Picard, "Embarkations, " 1982. Acadians of the Grand Pre` region wait to board the vessels that were to carry them into exile. After 1764, many Acadians returned to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Others settled elsewhere, the largest group in Lousiana, where they became known as Cajuns.
French: Claude Picard, "L'Embarquement" 1982 Des Acadiens de la re`gion de Grand-Pre` attendant de monter dans les bateaux qui les ame`neront en exile. Apre`s 1764, de nombreux Acadiens sont retourne`s en Nouvelle-E`cosse et au Nouveau-Brunswick. D'autres se sont e`tablis ailleurs, dont le plus grand groupe en Louisiane, lequel est devenu less Cajuns.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Immigration • Peace • Wars, Non-US. A significant historical year for this entry is 1795.
Location. 44° 38.865′ N, 63° 34.732′ W. Marker is in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in Halifax Region. It is in Downtown Halifax. It is on Sackville Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5425 Sackville St, Halifax NS B3J 3Y3, Canada. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Maritimes and in Atlantic Canada. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony, the Viceroyalty of New France, and Acadia.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Fortress Halifax/La forteresse Halifax (here, next to this marker); The Convoys / Les convois (here, next to this marker); The Saluting Battery / La batterie de salut (here, next to this marker); The Jamaican Maroons/Les Marrons de la Jamaique (a few steps from this marker); The Halifax Explosion/L'explosion d'Halifax (a few steps from this marker); Citadel Hill/La Colline de la Citadelle/Kuowaqe'jk (a few steps from this marker); Halifax Citadel / La Citadelle d’Halifax (within shouting distance of this marker); Women and the Second World War/Les femmes et la Seconde Guerre mondiale (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Halifax.
Also see . . . Seven Years' War. However, the British had some success in Acadia, capturing Fort Beauséjour with its small garrison in 1755. The Acadian settlers were then deported, as the British viewed them as potential rebels (see History of Acadia). (Submitted on October 29, 2024, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA.)
Credits. This page was last revised on March 17, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 29, 2024, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. This page has been viewed 274 times since then and 35 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on October 29, 2024, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
