Belcourt, Reverend Georges-Antoine National Historic Person
Rustico, Prince Edward Island
Georges-Antoine Belcourt
(© Expired)
Address :
Church Street, Rustico, Prince Edward Island
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
1959-05-23
Life Date:
1803 to 1874
Other Name(s):
-
Belcourt, Reverend Georges-Antoine
(Designation Name)
Importance:
Roman Catholic missionary at Red River (1831-58), founded Farmers' Bank of Rustico, Prince Edward Island
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: Farmers' Bank of Rustico National Historic Site Church Street, Rustico, Prince Edward Island
Under the leadership of Rev. G.-A. Belcourt, a former pioneer missionary in the West, his parishioners erected this building to house one of the first people's banks in Canada. Chartered in 1864, and directed by farmers and fishermen, it continued to operate until 1894 and foreshadowed the development of the credit union movement. The bank, by providing cheap credit, enabled the people of this predominantly Acadian community to gain economic independence.