Sunrise Trail Museum

Come and discover the fascinating history of Tatamagouche: from the Mi’kmaq to Acadian French, to the English Soldiers.


The Mi’kmaq were the first to visit and inhabit the shores of Tatamagouche Bay. Then came the French. Both peoples have enriched this area through their heritage and culture. Explore these at our museum and archives.

The Acadian French arrived in 1710 and remained until they were expelled by the British in 1755. In 1745 an encounter known as the Battle of Tatamagouche Bay took place between the French and the English. A force of French and Mi’kmaq on their way to Fortress Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island, were surprised in Tatamagouche Bay by Captain Donahew from New England with three armed ships under his command. Donahew drove the French ashore, preventing supplies and reinforcements from reaching Louisbourg before it fell to the English. Although short and bloodless, the battle was significant because it led to the downfall of Louisbourg.

A decade later another group of English soldiers arrived to expel the Acadians. The village was burned and the men forced to march to Fort Cumberland (Amherst).

Circa 1772 Joseph Frederick Wallet Des Barres brought Foreign Protestants (from a region of Europe called Montbéliard to occupy the lands. In 1777, a Scottish settler, Wellwood Waugh, arrived. Thus began an influx of Scottish and other settlers.

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