Shediac, New Brunswick
Encyclopedia
Shediac is a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
town in Westmorland County, New Brunswick
Westmorland County, New Brunswick
Westmorland County is located in southeastern New Brunswick, Canada. The county contains the fast-growing commercial centre of Moncton as well as its northern and eastern suburbs...
.
Situated on Shediac Bay, a sub-basin of the Northumberland Strait
Northumberland Strait
The Northumberland Strait is a strait in the southern part of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in eastern Canada...
, the town calls itself the "Lobster Capital of the World" and hosts an annual festival every July which promotes its ties to lobster
Lobster
Clawed lobsters comprise a family of large marine crustaceans. Highly prized as seafood, lobsters are economically important, and are often one of the most profitable commodities in coastal areas they populate.Though several groups of crustaceans are known as lobsters, the clawed lobsters are most...
fishing; the largest lobster sculpture in the world is situated at the western entrance to the town.
Francophone
The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
residents use the spelling Shédiac; however, the town's name upon its incorporation did not feature an accented "e", and correspondingly the official geographic name for the community is Shediac.
The town is located southwest and adjacent to the community of Pointe-du-Chêne
Pointe-du-Chene, New Brunswick
Pointe-du-Chêne is a small community located in south east New Brunswick near Shediac. Located on Shediac Bay, an inlet of the Northumberland Strait, Pointe-du-Chêne, also called The Point, is the home of Parlee Beach Provincial Park...
which features Parlee Beach Provincial Park as well as the Pointe-du-Chêne wharf which was once the eastern terminus of the European and North American Railway
European and North American Railway
The European and North American Railway is the name for three historic Canadian and American railways which were built in New Brunswick and Maine....
as well as a stopover for Pan-Am's trans-Atlantic "clipper" air service that featured large seaplanes.
History
Acadians first arrived at Shediac in 1749 as a result of the Acadian ExodusAcadian Exodus
The Acadian Exodus happened during Father Le Loutre’s War and involved almost half of the total Acadian population of Nova Scotia deciding to relocate to French controlled territories...
from peninsular Nova Scotia. During the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
, French officer Charles Deschamps de Boishebert
Charles Deschamps de Boishébert et de Raffetot
Charles Deschamps de Boishébert , was the leader of the Acadian resistance to the Expulsion of the Acadians. He settled and tried to protect Acadians refugees along the rivers of New Brunswick. Fort Boishebert is named after him...
made his headquarters at both Shediac and Cocagne, New Brunswick
Cocagne, New Brunswick
Cocagne is a Canadian community in Kent County, New Brunswick.It is located at the mouth of the Cocagne River on the Northumberland Strait....
. In the autumn of 1755, Boishebert established himself on the south shore of Cocagne Bay, place known as Boishebert's Camp. The following year, Boishebert moved to Miramichi, New Brunswick
Miramichi, New Brunswick
Miramichi is the largest city in northern New Brunswick, Canada. It is situated at the mouth of the Miramichi River where it enters Miramichi Bay...
, specifically to Beaubears Island
Beaubears Island
Beaubears Island is an island at the confluence of the Northwest Miramichi and Southwest Miramichi Rivers near Miramichi, New Brunswick. The island is most famous for being the site of an Acadian refugee camp during the French and Indian War. The camp was under the command of leader of the Acadian...
. After the war, Acadians returned to the region in 1767.
Notable residents
- Georges-Antoine BelcourtGeorges-Antoine BelcourtGeorges-Antoine Belcourt , also George Antoine Bellecourt, was a Canadian Jesuit missionary and priest. Born in Baie-du-Febvre, Quebec, the young Georges-Antoine was ordained in 1827. He established missions in areas of Quebec and Manitoba...
(1803–1874), missionary - Edna May Williston BestEdna May Williston BestEdna May Williston Best was a social activist and war worker born in Shediac, New Brunswick and died in Halifax, Nova Scotia.May Best was orphaned at an early age and raised by family in Boston...
(1880–1923), feminist - René Duprée, wrestler
- Placide GaudetPlacide GaudetPlacide Gaudet was a Canadian historian, educator, genealogist and journalist. He signed his name as Placide P. Gaudet...
(1850–1930), journalist, historian - Daniel Lionel HaningtonDaniel Lionel HaningtonDaniel Lionel Hanington was a New Brunswick, Canada politician and jurist.He was born at Shediac, New Brunswick, the son of Daniel Hanington, and was educated there and at Mount Allison Academy in Sackville. He went on to study law and was called to the New Brunswick bar in 1861. In that same...
(1835–1909), former Premier of New Brunswick - Joseph Leblanc, politician
- Samuel LeeSamuel Lee (judge)Samuel Lee was a businessman, judge and politician in New Brunswick. He represented Northumberland County in the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly from 1795 to 1802....
(1756–1805), judge, politician - Mathieu Melanson (1985 - ), professional ice hockey player
- Pascal PoirierPascal PoirierPascal Poirier was a Canadian author, lawyer, and the all-time longest-serving Senator.Born in Shediac, New Brunswick, he wrote books on Acadian history and language. The Pascal Poirier House, a Provincial Historic Site , is on the Canadian Register of Historic Places...
(1852–1933), writer, lawyer, senator - Jean George RobichaudJean George RobichaudJean George Robichaud was a fish merchant and political figure in New Brunswick. He represented Gloucester County in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1917 to 1922 and Gloucester in the Canadian House of Commons from 1922 to 1926 as a Liberal member.He was born in Shippegan, New...
(1883–1969), politician - Ferdinand Joseph RobidouxFerdinand Joseph RobidouxFerdinand-Joseph Robidoux was a lawyer and political figure of Acadian descent in New Brunswick, Canada. He represented Kent in the Canadian House of Commons from 1911 to 1917 as a Conservative....
(1875–1962), lawyer, politician - Albert James SmithAlbert James SmithSir Albert James Smith, PC, KCMG, QC was a New Brunswick politician and opponent of Canadian confederation...
(1822–1883), former Premier of New Brunswick - Elsie WayneElsie WayneElsie Eleanore Wayne is a Canadian politician, and a former Progressive Conservative MP for Saint John.-Political career:In 1977, she was elected to the Saint John municipal council...
(1932 - ), politician - Donald Stuart McClure (1923–2008) pilot, aviation historian, and inductee of the Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame
Further reading
- Webster. A History of Shediac. 1928
- Belliveau, John Edward (2003) Running Far In: The Story of Shediac. Halifax, Nova Scotia: Nimbus Publishing Ltd, ISBN 1551094312