They were prosperous farmers of grain and cattle. Their fertile
fields, ingeniously reclaimed from the tidal marsh, attracted
Britain's envy. Their staunch neutrality incurred Britain's wrath.
A cruel twist of international politics cast most of them
out of Acadie and into exile in the American colonies,
Britain and France. Between 1764 and 1788, shiploads of desperate
Acadians sailed to New Orleans. Settling in South Louisiana with
aid from Spain, they were the brave pioneers who founded la Nouvelle-Acadie
or New Acadia. Here they served as forebears of Cajun culture.
To tell the true story of these Acadian individuals is what
the Memorial is all about. Here you will find their
names, the facts of their lives
and for some, a visual representation.
