Often Overlooked Nova Scotia & the Titanic Connection
When it comes to travel, people from the United States tend to overlook their northern neighbors. And those responses were evidence to prove it.
Before that trip, everything I knew about Canada, you could put in a thimble and have room left over. Now, I know a great deal more. After visiting this maritime province, two things stand out for me: the Titanic connection in Halifax and Evangeline.
The region known as the Evangeline Trail parallels the Fundy coastline, passing though some of North America’s earliest European settlements. The trail gets its name from the people known as Acadians and the tie-in to the classic poem “Evangeline.”
Thanks to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the rest of the world came to know the somber tale of the Acadians, through “Evangeline.” You might have a obscure memory of it from high school, since it’s often required reading. The poem was published in 1847. Longfellow never visited Nova Scotia, yet his research and creative talents were enough to produce realistic prose.
He’s nothing less than a hero to Acadians.
The Acadians were pawns in a colonial game between the bickering French and English. Because they took an oath of allegiance to France, the English forcefully expelled them from their homeland in 1755. During the deportation, loved ones were separated. In the poem, believed to be based on a true incident, Evangeline loses her beloved Gabriel. She spends a lifetime searching for her one true love, only to locate him many years later on his deathbed.
“Ye who believe in affection that hopes, and endures, and is patient,
“Ye who believe in the beauty and strength of woman’s devotion,
“List to the mournful tradition still sung by the pines of the forest;
“List to a Tale of Love in Acadie, home of the happy.”
from “Evangeline,” A Tale of Acadie by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
The area in and around the Grand Pre National Historic Site was the center of Acadian activity from 1682 to 1755 and is considered their ancestral homeland. Look for the church, built on the site of one of the original Acadian villages, the bust of Longfellow and the statue of Evangeline.
According to Donna Doucette, manager of the site, “Today, Grand Pre is the focal point of the Acadian community, and it’s the dream of many Acadians to come here. It’s become a pilgrimage site of sorts.”
From tranquil Grand Pre, we traveled south to Halifax. This city has a memorable history as a bastion of British power in the New World, meant to counterbalance the growing French presence. Bits and pieces of English predominance can still be seen.
Although not in our original plans, we made a brief stop at Fairview Cemetery in Halifax.
Since the latest Titanic movie, Fairview has become a much busier place. Buried in the cemetery are 121 victims of the disaster, primarily crew members and third-class passengers. The grave markers are situated to represent a ship’s bow. In addition, Mount Olivet cemetery contains 19 Titanic victims. Ten graves can be found at Baron De Hirsch cemetery in Halifax.
As the closest large port, recovery ships were sent from Halifax to the scene of the sinking. Bodies were retrieved from the water and brought back to the city. Interesting to note, even in death, the rigid social class system was maintained. First-class victims still got preferential treatment.
While wealthy families could afford to transport their loved ones elsewhere, the poorer families could not. Thus, they shall remain for eternity in Halifax. Others who were unidentified were also buried there.
The headstone for one crewman, J. Dawson, located in Fairview, continues to get flowers and teary-eyed visits from adolescent girls. This young man had no connection to the Jack Dawson portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio in the film Titantic.
Halifax has a roster of other attractions, enough to easily fill two or three days. Climb aboard the Harbor Hopper for a journey that traverses land and sea. These amphibious vehicles drive into the water and cruise along the waterfront, then drive out again. You can get a good look at their new casino from the water.
Prior to Harbor Hopper, we explored at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. It, too, has an exhibit on the Titanic. In the museum, you can discover more about the infamous Halifax Explosion. The disaster occurred in 1917, when two ships collided in the harbor. Following just five short years after the Titanic sinking, 2,000 people perished in the explosion.
Pier 21, Canada’s version of Ellis Island, is now an interactive, interpretive center. Known as Canada’s “front door,” the displays in this enormous structure tell tales of those who passed through on their way into a new life in a new land. The multi-media presentation, “Ocean of Hope,” depicts the process in very human terms. The stories of nervous war brides and disabled servicemen can’t help but touch you. A word of warning: You’ll leave this show with a serious goose egg in your throat! Allow at least two or three hours at Pier 21.
Spend half a day at the star-shaped Halifax Citadel. Make a point to arrive in time to watch the firing of the noon gun, a daily ritual since the mid-19th century. Here you’ll start to understand why “Nova Scotia” means “New Scotland.” In full Scottish regalia, young men march and play the pipes and drum. Guided tours are available.
