October
3, 2006, 11:10
Hello from Nova Scotia: Local History Explored
in the Annapolis Royal Graveyard Tour
After a day packed with explorations
and a lovely dinner at the Garrison
House I was ready for my final discovery of the day: the famous
Annapolis Royal Graveyard Tour. Punctually at 9:15 pm I showed up
across the road from the my bed and breakfast at the south entrance
of Fort Anne where local historian and expert guide Alan Melanson
was ready to give his performance. About 15 people, hailing from
places such as North Carolina, California and Saskatchewan, were
equipped with candle-lit lanterns and after a brief introduction
we were ready to head out.
Alan Melanson welcomes the group at Fort Anne
Alan enlightened us that his outfit was an authentic funeral suit,
the black sash and the black scarf tied around the hat were symbols
of mourning. We learned that when children died the scarf on the
hat would be white. Alan told the group that he has been doing this
tour four nights a week, every week from June to October for 15
years and he has only missed one evening. The $7 donation for the
tour goes to the Historical Society of Annapolis Royal, and over
the years Alan has collected about $60,000 for this non-profit organization.
Alan has been a park ranger and guide at the
Fort Anne National Historic Site for about 27 years now and
in addition to historical interpretation he also does outreach to
bring history into local classrooms.
We started walking towards the cemetery, up and down through Fort
Anne’s “earthworks”, fortifications constructed
from mounds of earth which were intended to protect Annapolis Royal
from potential intruders. The cemetery is just a few steps away
from Fort Anne, and Alan collected the group at the largest gravestone,
an obelisk and started the official tour.
Catching up with the group at the obelisk
Our first stop was the oldest gravestone in the cemetery, dating
back to 1720, which belonged to a 37 year old woman. Alan explained
that gravestones feature a lot of symbolism: death was represented
for example by a winged skull, young children and babies who passed
away would be symbolized by pictures of flowers, lambs or rose buds.
Weeping willows were often used to represent death and mourning.
Alan also educated us that different types of stone were used as
gravestones over the centuries: slate, sandstone, granite and marble
were all used to immortalize the dead.
The oldest gravestone
Many of the residents of the graveyard had interesting stories:
an 83-year old woman got cheated out of her fortune by a bad husband.
Some soldiers were also buried here and Alan shed light on life
in the army in the 18th century: out of 100 soldiers only six were
allowed to bring their wives with them during deployments from England
in the colonies. The wives and children who were allowed to come
did not fare well either as they had to share bunk beds with their
husbands. Conditions for soldiers only changed during the Crimean
War when press coverage made the general public aware of the poor
living conditions of soldiers, resulting in general outrage. The
power of the press was already in evidence in the 1850s…
Some of the gravestones show some wear and tear
We also learned that large groups of volunteers regularly clean
the gravestones, carefully using wooden tools and soap to scrape
off the moss and then finishing the job with a solution made of
vinegar and water. Alan reported that very little vandalism happens
here in this historic graveyard since the local residents are extremely
proud of their heritage. As a ninth generation Acadian, as a historic
interpreter at Fort Anne and as the President of the Annapolis Royal
Historical Society, Alan Melanson can personally attest to the importance
and appreciation of history that characterizes this area.
Annapolis Royal has the biggest National Heritage District consisting
of 135 heritage buildings, it features the oldest gravestone and
the oldest National Historic Site in Canada.
The pride in local history also includes reenactments of historic
events and lifestyles. Alan told us about various historical reenactments
which served moose nose soup and smoked beaver tail, dishes very
similar to those that would have been savoured in the early 1600s
by the settlers of the Port-Royal Habitation,
incidentally the place where Wayne Melanson, Alan’s identical
twin brother, introduced me to early French history this afternoon.
Alan's theatrical talent shines through
Annapolis Royal is one of the
most historic towns on the east coast and the oldest house in town,
just east of the Historic Gardens, dates back to 1708. Alan explained
the town’s history was based around shipbuilding and of 13
wharfs only one is still in existence. The Garrison Graveyard houses
234 gravestones and more than 2000 people are buried here. Early
Acadian settlers are also interred here, but their graves did not
have gravestones – their wooden crosses have long since rotted
away.
Our local expert also informed us that a soldier dating back to
the 1780s was found buried in the riverbed. Based on historical
accounts and the burial technique, this person must have been a
criminal which is the reason why he was buried in the river. Alan
Melanson, himself a ninth generation Acadian who can trace his own
lineage back to a certain Charles Melanson who arrived in this area
in 1664, certainly has a passion for history and it shows. His theatrical
voice conveys enthusiasm for the history of this town and he injects
his presentation with humour and wittiness. Former Prime Minister
Paul Martin also enjoyed his Garrison Graveyard Tour with Alan Melanson.
A day-time view of the cemetery
After the tour was over I returned the lantern and received a certificate
attesting that I had attended the Annapolis Royal Graveyard Tour.
I came back to the Garrison House
B&B and peeked out into the dark cemetery, wondering what
life must have been like in this town in the 1700 and 1800s. I laid
down to rest up for another full day of explorations tomorrow which
would include the Tidal Power Generating Plant, the Bear River Heritage
and Cultural Centre and a coastal drive down to Yarmouth on the
western tip of this province. Nova Scotia sure has a lot of history,
interesting personalities and many fascinating human stories…
Useful books about travel to Nova Scotia:
Related articles:
My five whirlwind days in Nova Scotia
Acadian
history at the Grand Pré National Historic Site
400 years of history at Annapolis
Royal
Port-Royal, a French habitation from 1605
Dinner at the Garrison House
in Annapolis Royal
The Annapolis Royal
Graveyard Tour
The Garrison House Bed and Breakfast
Exploring the Evangeline Trail from
Annapolis Royal to Yarmouth
Learning about Mi'kmaq heritage at the
Bear River First Nation Heritage and Cultural Center
Victorian heritage in Yarmouth
The MacKinnon-Cann Inn: Where Home
and Garden Television meets the Travel Channel
Yarmouth explained - the Yarmouth
County Museum
My car is in the ditch in Chebogue
River
The Lighthouse Trail from Yarmouth
to Shelburne
The Lighthouse Trail from Shelburne
to Lunenburg
The Town of Lunenburg - a UNESCO World Heritage
Site
An interview with the owners of the
Lunenburg Inn
The Lighthouse Trail from Lunenburg to
Halifax via Mahone Bay and Peggy's Cove
Arrival in Halifax and a stunning
musical performance - DRUM!
A Halifax city tour, the city's
connection to the Titantic and the 1917 Halifax Explosion
Exploring the Halifax Harbourwalk and
Pier 21 - Canada's immigration museum
A ferry trip to Dartmouth and saying
goodbye to Halifax
An interview with Pier 21 -
Canada's immigration museum
Helpful links for travel to Nova Scotia:
Tourism
Nova Scotia
Destination
South West Nova Scotia
Halifax Tourism
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