Creating a place of pilgrimage
One man made a difference to Grand Pre’s history
“What foresight he had. He thought it all through.”
One hundred years ago, Peter Herbin’s great-grandfather, John Frederic Herbin, sold a parcel of land and changed the face of Grand Pré forever.
Herbin and his wife Minnie sold 14 acres of largely open fields they had purchased in 1907 to the Dominion Atlantic Railway on March 15, 1917.
That land was to became a National Historic Site and a place of pilgrimage for Acadians.
Claude Degrâce, a former The memorial church in Grand Pré.
park superintendent, finds the anniversary worth noting because Herbin wanted to preserve the fields marked by what were known as an old Acadian wells and willows.
With great foresight, Herbin put one condition on the sale: the Dominion Atlantic Railway Company and its assigns ‘in perpetuum’ use the property “as a public park and be maintained, ornamented and developed in keeping with its historical association.’’
Later that month, a meeting took place at the Monumentlefebvre in Memramcook, N.B., which is now also a national historic site, between a committee of the Société Nationale l’assomption (SNA) and Mr. R. U. Parker of the Dominion Atlantic Railway. On March 23, the SNA’S executive committee met in Moncton and resolved to build a memorial church at Grand Pré. The plan was ratified and a fundraising campaign was launched.
Peter Herbin, who spent a number of years involved with UNESCO nomination, is thrilled with renewed interest in the site and the prospect of this summer’s celebration.
He believes the positive relationship between the Mi’kmaq people and the Acadians set the tone for what was to become Canada.
Proud of the role J.F. Herbin played in history, his greatgrandson says, the park “means an awful lot of us.”
Over the years, Herbin notes, the family has received many positive comments about their patriarch from members of the Acadian diaspora. He continues to operate the Wolfville store that J.F. Herbin founded.