Beaubassin, National historic site in Cumberland County, Canada
Beaubassin is an archaeological site in Cumberland County covering 43 hectares of fields and marshland, intersected by the Canadian National Railways line at Fort Lawrence Ridge. The remains of various structures and scattered objects document the layout and organization of the settlement from the 17th to 18th centuries.
Acadian settlers founded the settlement in 1672 under Jacques Bourgeois and grew it into an important trade hub connecting Nova Scotia with New England. The inhabitants burned their own buildings in 1750 to prevent British occupation, which led to the end of the settlement as an active community.
Artifacts and cellar remains show how Acadian residents lived and conducted trade with distant communities. These discoveries reveal the ordinary routines and economic connections that shaped their settlement.
Interpretive signs throughout the site explain the settlement's layout and its role in Canadian colonial history. Visitors should wear sturdy footwear as pathways cross uneven and wet terrain.
The site was partly destroyed by the inhabitants themselves, who set their own buildings on fire to deny them to the British. This unusual act of resistance directly prompted the construction of the nearby British Fort Lawrence.
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