Chasing Evangeline: How archaeology and heritage shaped the Grand-Pré National Historic Site

Abstract

This thesis examines how the relationship between archaeology and heritage impacts a historic site, using the Grand-Pré National Historic Site (GPNHS) as a case study. Particularly, looking into whether this relationship has been dominated by the heritage narratives or if new archaeological data has been incorporated into site official site interpretation. Situated where the Acadian village of the same name was located, GPNHS has a history of archaeology and tourism predating Parks Canada’s historic site designation in 1982. Early narratives focused on the poetic Acadia of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s <i>Evangeline</i>, with artifacts and features being labelled in accordance with the titular heroine’s fictional village. Longfellow’s Acadia later fell out of favour, though a romanticized history of Grand-Pré continued to dominate the narratives. Using archival tourist publications, archaeological reports, and Parks Canada management documents, I trace the change of heritage narratives at GPNHS from the 19 century until present. Through these I illustrate how narratives of Grand-Pré’s heritage have come to be, their solidification into the public memory, and the changes that have been made through modern archaeological data. There has been a history of romantic idealization at GPNHS, with Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem <i>Evangeline</i> sparking images of romantic Acadian landscapes and excavations from the later 19 century appealing to tourists seeking to escape modernity. This research suggests that heritage dominates the interpretative narratives at GPNHS, with new archaeological data slowly incorporated in favor of pre-established information.