Exploring Garrison Graveyard
Fort Anne
Step foot onto one of the most hotly contested pieces of land on the entire continent which became Canada’s first administered National Historic Site in 1917: Fort Anne. The land on which Fort Anne now stands is part of the traditional homeland of the Mi’kmaq.
In recent centuries, a succession of Scottish, French, and English settlers clashed over this prize on the banks of Nova Scotia’s Annapolis River, often drawing the Mi’kmaq into their conflict. Fort Anne was the site of thirteen attacks, seven change of hands, and the ratification of the Treaty of Boston.
Today, visitors can walk the earthen walls, explore the 1797 Officers’ Quarters Museum and soak up thousands of years of Canadian history.
Garrison Graveyard
The Garrison Graveyard is located within Fort Anne National Historic Site in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia.
Although more than 2,000 people were buried at this site, only 234 English grave markers stand today. From the early 1600s to 1755 this land served as a French and Acadian burial site. There are no grave markers or detailed information about these specific individuals.
Explore this page to learn more about the Garrison Graveyard, the individuals buried there, and the MAPANNAPOLIS projects dedicated to documenting their history.
Secrets of the Dead: stories from the Garrison Graveyard
Explore
Whether you are exploring from home or on-site at the Garrison Graveyard, the application below will provide insight into the individuals buried here. To interact with this map you can pan around the area, zoom in and out, and click/tap on a symbol to learn more about it.
For more information on the individuals buried here, click on a symbol or choose a record from the list on the right. As you zoom in further on this map, marker number labels will appear and the list on the right will filter to include only the markers visible.
What Lies Beneath
A joint project of MAPANNAPOLIS and Parks Canadas’ Fort Anne National Historic Site in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, resulted in a Garrison Graveyards map, identifying 306 persons named on 234 still-standing grave markers. About 2000 people were buried there over the centuries. The map above shows the probable location of Acadian and French burial sites from the early 1600s to 1755, though there were no markers or other visible clues.
We wondered: What lies beneath?
Boreas Heritage, in partnership with MAPANNAPOLIS and Parks Canada, expanded its earlier geophysical site survey - employing Ground-Penetrating Radar [GPR] and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data - to search for other buried features. Boreas first located nineteen burial sites, then a small excavation was done that revealed the original ground surface on which Saint-Jean-Baptiste church was built and artifacts dating to the Acadian occupation.
Revealing the most-recent findings of the search for Acadian Ancestral graves and probable Acadian church site in the Garrison Graveyard at Fort Anne National Historic Site. To view the results click here .
Learn more about the "What Lies Beneath" project? Explore this StoryMap!
