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Home/Acadiana/Acadian Memorial
black iron acadian memorial deportation cross with sunburst and trees

Acadian Memorial

The Acadian Memorial in St. Martinville has become something of a pilgrimage for people who have a family connection to Louisiana’s first Acadian settlers. The bayou-side museum contains family names and personal stories of Acadians exiled by the British from Canada in 1755.

iron deportation cross trees and bayou with tiles of family crests
A Louisiana replica of the Acadian Deportation cross in Nova Scotia

An iron memorial cross stands on the bank of Bayou Teche in St. Martinville. The original Deportation Cross in Grand Pre’ Nova Scotia marks the spot where Acadians were forced onto ships. 200 of those Acadians arrived near this site in Louisiana ten years after their deportation. The museum is located behind St. Martin de tours Catholic Church, known as the Mother Church of the Acadians. Pastor, Fr. Jason Vidrine, is a descendant of some of those first Louisiana Acadians. “It’s interesting to be pastor of St. Martin de tours Church now and see their records that the church maintains 250-plus years afterward,” Vidrine says.

st. martin de tours catholic church
St. Martinville’s ‘Mother Church of the Acadians’ established 1765

acadian memorial of names

The Acadian Memorial contains a large wall with a plaque listing the names and family members of approximately 3,000 Acadian refugees who came to Louisiana. It allows today’s ‘Cajuns’ to find family names and scratch an impression of a great ancestor on a piece of paper. Museum Director Danielle Fontenette says, “It’s like almost feeling your ancestor and saying, I’m here. Or for the families that do still live here to say all the hardship you went through meant something because we’re still here.”

large wall sized plaque of names at Acadian Memorial
Acadian Memorial Wall of Names of first settlers

putting a face to the first acadians

On the museum wall opposite the memorial of names, artist Robert Dafford has painted a massive mural of what the arrival of the first Acadians may have looked like. He used faces of descendants to represent those first settlers. And an audio presentation has voices telling personal stories of their deportations. “We were able to find their direct ancestors,” Fontenette explains, “so we had them be the voice of their ancestors.”

painted mural of Acadian settlers arriving in Louisiana
Part of a large mural of the arrival of first Acadian settlers near St. Martinville

acadian memorial featured on tv

Watch this Heart of Louisiana feature on the Acadian Memorial and Museum

homage to evangeline near acadian memorial

American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow brought the story of the exiled Acadians to the world in his epic poem, Evangeline, A Tale of Acadie, published in 1847. It tells the Acadians’ story by following Evangeline and her search for her lost love, Gabrielle. St. Martinville honors Evangeline with a statue in the courtyard of the Catholic Church, and a giant tree named the Evangeline oak. Both are located near the Acadian Memorial Museum and are popular stops for visitors.

statue of Evangeline on the side of a church
Statue of Evangeline at St. Martin de tours Catholic Church in St. Martinville, Louisiana
evangeline oak tree and historical marker
Evangeline Oak and historic marker near Bayou Teche and Acadian Memorial Museum

getting there

The Acadian Memorial Museum is located at 121 S. New Market Street, Saint Martinville, LA.. Phone (3370 394-2258

Acadian Louisiana

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        Written by:
        Dave McNamara
        Published on:
        December 7, 2022
        Thoughts:
        2 Comments

        Categories: Acadiana, Featured

        Reader Interactions

        Comments

        1. James A Gueno

          September 27, 2022 at 10:02 pm

          Is there a way to see the names of the first Acadians without going to the museum?

          Reply
          • Dave McNamara

            September 27, 2022 at 10:49 pm

            Hi James, Check out some of the Resources and Genealogy information available on the website of the Acadian Memorial: https://www.acadianmemorial.org/resources.php

            Reply

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