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The History of Shediac

The story of Shediac and the city around it.

Shediac (official name in both French and English; Shédiac is colloquial French) is a town in Westmorland County, New Brunswick known as the "Lobster Capital of the World". It hosts an annual festival every July which promotes its ties to lobster fishing. At the western entrance to the town is a 90-ton sculpture called The World's Largest Lobster. It is believed that chiac, a well-known Acadian French patois, was named after Shediac. Since its founding it has expanded several times, most recently in 2023, when it annexed all or part of four local service districts. Revised census figures have not been released.

Bell Homestead National Historic Site

Alexander Graham Bell made the world's first long-distance telephone call from his father's homestead in Tutela Heights, just minutes from West Brant. The Bell Homestead National Historic Site preserves the farmhouse and coach house where Bell conducted his early telephone experiments in the 1870s. Open seasonally for tours.

Timeline

1751
Acadians first arrived at Shediac in 1751 as a result of the Acadian Exodus from peninsular Nova Scotia.
1755
In the autumn of 1755, Boishebert established himself on the south shore of Cocagne Bay, a place known as Boishebert's Camp.
1767
After the war, Acadians returned to the region in 1767.

Photos

Shediac, New Brunswick, Canada
Shediac, New Brunswick, Canada
The world's largest lobster sculpture located in Shediac, New Brunswick.
The world's largest lobster sculpture located in Shediac, New Brunswick.

Full History

Hundreds of years ago, the Mi'kmaq encampment of "Es-ed-ei-ik" was one of the major camps in southeast New Brunswick. The Mi'kmaq word , which means "running far in", in reference to its position where the coastline turns between running north-south and east-west, eventually transformed into Gédaique. Acadians first arrived at Shediac in 1751 as a result of the Acadian Exodus from peninsular Nova Scotia. During the French and Indian War, French officer Charles Deschamps de Boishebert made his headquarters at both Shediac and Cocagne, New Brunswick. In the autumn of 1755, Boishebert established himself on the south shore of Cocagne Bay, a place known as Boishebert's Camp. The following year, Boishebert moved to Miramichi, New Brunswick, specifically to Beaubears Island. After the war, Acadians returned to the region in 1767. Today many francophones use the spelling ; 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.

Source: Wikipedia