1852: An Acadia Tragedy Unfolds (May 28 - Jun 30/25)

May 28/25

Over the next few weeks, the 173rd anniversary of an Acadia tragedy will be marked and unfold in real time through a series of articles on this blog by Archivist Wendy Robicheau.

On 7 June 1852, four Acadia students, one professor, and one Acadia Governor set out on a day-long geological expedition to Cape Blomidon. With them were two boatmen, who navigated the small vessel from Wolfville harbour to the Cape. During the return voyage, the boat sunk in the Minas Basin. All but one person drowned. The tale is legendary on campus. Its telling shaped and reshaped each time. But what do we really know about the facts of this story?

For the past, several months, I have investigated every scrap of evidence that came to light about the College in 1852, the students, the professors, the accident, and the months that followed it. I talked with relatives and experts. I read and re-read sources far and wide. I visited sites along the Basin and the graves. I followed my intuition.

Vital to this study are the Baptist newspapers, entitled The Christian Messenger (for Nova Scotia) and The Christian Visitor (for New Brunswick).1 Being a Baptist College, Acadia’s rich history is regularly reported in these papers. The Baptist Yearbooks2 also annually report on activities at the College and the details are excellent. Collections of historical textbooks owned by the President, Rev. Dr. Cramp, proved highly valuable to understanding the early College curriculum. Documents and objects in the Acadia Archives along with testimonies in Special Collections put long-gone lives at my fingertips. Maps and diagrams of the area helped me gain perspective on the physical landscape in 1852. Gravestones served as tangible monuments for the enduring love of the families and the loss they felt so deeply. It is a loss that I share, and I hope you will too.

That’s what these social media posts are about. The research behind the story and truths it revealed. They will be posted on relevant dates for the next month. I wish you enjoyment in reading about what I have learned.

 

  1. These newspapers are available online through the University of New Brunswick Historical Newspapers Project website: https://newspapers.lib.unb.ca
  2. Baptist yearbooks are available online through the Acadia University Archives and Special Collections Digital Collections website: https://digital-archives.acadiau.ca/collections/baptist-year-books-maritimes