Northern Maine | Acadian Heritage Preserved

Acadian Heritage, Preserved
By Lyn Michaud

Northern Maine is like a patchwork
quilt of small towns with unique
history. After the British deported the Acadians from Nova Scotia, some of them
traveled as far as Louisiana and others settled in an area that is now northern
Maine.

The Acadians were farmers and like other colonists were a resourceful group
who developed skills for survival and comfort including weaving, blacksmithing
and shoemaking.

The Acadian culture is preserved and shared at Acadian Village in Van Buren,
Maine through the restoration or replica construction of buildings, furniture and
articles of daily life. The village opened in 1976 for the bicentennial and is a
Historic National Landmark. The Living Heritage Society of Van Buren built the
village on donated land and local people are committed to maintaining the
village.

From the US Route 1, the Acadian Village might look like just a bunch of old
buildings, but to pass through the general store/gift shop entrance is a step a
model village with blacksmith shop, homes, a schoolhouse, church and other
buildings. The building that stands in a place of prominence is the church. It is a
replica of an early log church and the bell is one of the oldest in the valley. Faith
helped the Acadians survive hardships and remains an important part of their
culture.

I toured the Acadian Village for the first time as a student. To go to a historic site
requires both a sense of wonder and a vivid imagination. My teacher focused on
the one room schoolhouse. We discussed what it would have been like. I told a
story my father told me about attending a one-room schoolhouse. In winter, he
and a cousin went to school early to build a fire in the woodstove so it would
warm up for the other pupils. Someone else commented on the lack of indoor
plumbing. Then we ran to the next building to try to unearth more stories of how
real people, like us, once lived.

When my husband and I married, we toured the Acadian Village together to
share his French heritage. I experienced the village from an adult perspective,
different things were important. We talked about his musical background. The
Acadian sound is made with the violin, guitar, and accordion. His French
heritage comes out when he is playing an upbeat song. He has a habit of keeping
time with his feet and the faster a song is, the harder he stomps. When I asked
him about it, he said it’s a holdover from the days before amplifiers. When the
party was in full swing, the dancers couldn’t always hear the music so the
musicians stomped their feet to vibrate the floor boards in time to the music.

One of the homes at the Acadian Village is a late 1700s log cabin with a dirt floor.
Cooking is my passion and I’ve experimented with cooking over an open fire and
on a woodstove, but can’t imagine having to cook that way every day. Food was
a means of survival and stews were common with local ingredients. One of my
favorite meals is Chicken Fricot, a stew made with chicken, potatoes, turnips,
carrots, onions and seasoned with savory. This is an adaptation of early Acadian
stews of meat and potatoes with dumplings as is the side dish of ployes,
buckwheat pancakes.

Acadian heritage is preserved at the Acadian Village and in the surrounding
communities where customs reflect that heritage. It isn’t uncommon to hear
French spoken or find Acadian foods like Boudin, blood sausage, or ploye mix in
grocery stores.

Visit the Acadian Village in on US Route 1 in Van Buren, Maine from mid-June
through mid-September. The village is open daily from 12-5 with a small
admission.

See Also: "La Culture Acadienne du Maine" or The Culture of Acadia Maine

About the author
Lyn Michaud, who lives in Colorado, has
vacationed throughout New England for 25
years and enjoys sharing the secrets in small
towns that are rarely found in the large
travel guides. Lyn, who is a member
of the International Women's Writing
Guild has written for Home Cooking, Voice of
Harmony, Brighton Blade and others.

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