The Acadian Memorial

de Robert Dafford

The Acadian Memorial building, on the Bayou Teche in the center of St. Martinville, was originally built as an open air city market, and was later used as St. Martinville's City Hall. Renovation of the building for the memorial site began in 1993. A photograph of May 14, 1995 shows one phase of the building renovation. A formal opening ceremony was held on April 29, 1996.

The Acadian Memorial consists of three components. 1) A mural which depicts actual persons documented in Louisiana history as Acadian refugees. 2) A wall of names that identifies the several thousand refugees who settled in Louisiana. 3) An eternal flame to symbolize the ability of a culture to rekindle itself despite great hardship.

Work is in progress on a fourth component: an Acadian/Cajun research center and an interactive computerized data system which will provide information on all aspects of Acadian life in Louisiana. This element will be realized through a Louisiana Capital Outlay Budget Request which granted $255,000 in the 1996-97 fiscal year to complete the center.

The Acadian Memorial Poster Unveiled

A poster describing the four elements of the Acadian Memorial, with a French translation by the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana, was officially unveiled in a formal presentation in New Brunswick, Canada. Printed in sepia ink on heavy cream-colored stock it is a beautiful reminder of the Acadian Memorial.

Background

The odyssey of the Acadians following their expulsion from Nova Scotia by the British in the 18th century is familiar to some, misunderstood by many and a passion to others. A desire to create a memorial to the exiled Acadians began as a concept of the St. Martinville Tourism Commission, but has grown into a project with international support.

In 1991 the Louisiana legislature designated St. Martinville as the home of "The World Memorial to All Acadian Refugees Who Ended Their Exile in Louisiana." The Acadian Memorial is the only tribute in Louisiana to the real-life Acadians - those same men and women who have been both romanticized and immortalized by Longfellow's characters, Evangeline and Gabriel. While acknowledging the deprivation and despair of the exile, we can also focus on the joy when families were finally reunited in Louisiana, their "promised land." As the names of all the exiled Acadians are brought together for the first time, this Acadian Memorial indeed becomes another reunion.

Ensemble Encore: The Acadian Memorial Multimedia Archive is a factual account of Louisiana's Acadian legacy telling how the Acadian exiles arrived, adapted and contributed to the colony. The Archive features a biographical sketch on each of the 3000 Names listed on the Wall of Names.

Visit the Memorial in downtown St. Martinville, Louisiana.

Or, visit their website at:http://www.pwcweb.com/usapages/acadian