Bloody Creek National Historic Site of Canada
Bridgetown, Nova Scotia
General view
(© Agence Parcs Canada / Parks Canada Agency, Unité de gestion de la Nouvelle-Écosse continentale / Mainland Nova Scotia Field Unit.)
Address :
Highway 201, Bridgetown, Nova Scotia
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
1930-05-16
Dates:
-
1711 to 1711
(Significant)
-
1757 to 1757
(Significant)
Other Name(s):
-
Bloody Creek
(Designation Name)
Research Report Number:
2008-CED/SDC-26
DFRP Number:
76202 00
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: Highway 201, Bridgetown, Nova Scotia
Commemorating two combats between British Garrisons of Annapolis Royal and allied French and Indians in the half century of conflict for possession of Acadia: on the north bank of the Annapolis River, 10th June 1711; and, here, 8th December, 1757.
*Note: This designation has been identified for review. A review can be triggered for one of the following reasons - outdated language or terminology, absence of a significant layer of history, factual errors, controversial beliefs and behaviour, or significant new knowledge.
Description of Historic Place
Bloody Creek National Historic Site of Canada is located on sloping farmland in Bridgetown, Nova Scotia. Two circles of land mark the sites of two battles, which took place in 1711 and 1757, between British forces and allied French and Aboriginal forces over the possession of Acadia. The first battle site is centred on the northwest shore of the Annapolis River, and the second site is centred on the east shore of Bloody Creek. Both are comprised of land and water. A Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada stone cairn, near the site of the 1757 battle, marks the location. Official recognition refers to the two circles as they were at the time of designation in 1930.
Heritage Value
Bloody Creek was designated a national historic site of Canada in 1930. It is designated because: it commemorates the two combats between British garrisons of Annapolis Royal and allied French and Aboriginal peoples in the half century of conflict for possession of Acadia.
The British had captured Annapolis Royal, known as Port Royal under the French Regime, in 1710. On June 9, 1711 approximately 60 British soldiers of the 500 man garrison set out from their fortification of Annapolis Royal to investigate why local Acadians were only supplying half of the quota of trees required to make repairs to the fort, and to enforce the request. The next day, the British troops, who were travelling in three boats, were ambushed by pre-warned French forces at a narrow part of the LaHave River and either killed or taken prisoner.
The second attack on the British garrison from Annapolis Royal at Bloody Creek was a result of the deportation of the Acadians in 1755. Roving bands of dispossessed Acadians appeared intermittently around British fortifications to attack troops whenever possible. In 1757, 130 British soldiers sent to destroy bands of Acadians again fell prey to an ambush, this time on the west side of the bridge over the Renne Forest brook, which was later re-named Bloody Creek. The Acadians opened fire as British troops attempted to cross the bridge, killing 18 soldiers, and losing 7 of their own. The two battles are demonstrative of the guerrilla warfare tactics used by French soldiers and their allies during the volatile period of the mid- to late- 18th century in Acadia.
Sources: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes, October 2008, June 1924.
Character-Defining Elements
Key elements that contribute to the heritage character of the site include: its location within traditional Acadian lands near Bridgetown, Nova Scotia; the riverbank setting of both battles, within sloping farmland; the integrity of any surviving or as yet unidentified archaeological remains which may be found within the site in their original placement and extent; viewscapes along the Annapolis River and Bloody Creek.