Long called French Cross, the village of Morden and its cross are a testimony to a people's battle for survival.
It is on this beach, during the winter of 1755-1756, that 300 Acadians from Belle-Isle take refuge to escape the Deportation.
The winter is harsh and between makeshift shelters and the struggle to find food, less than one-third of the Acadians survive. In the Spring, with the help of the Mi’kmaq, the survivors travel to Cape Chignecto and then the Isthmus of Chignecto to eventually arrive to Quebec.
Before leaving Morden, they erect a wooden cross which remains until 1820. A new cross is erected by John Moore Oprin in 1887. In 1924, a more permanent cross is built with stones at the same location where the current cross is erected.
The memorial cross you see at Morden, standing on the seafront, was erected in 1964 and built out of the pebbles found on the beach.
Photo: Pauline Naillon