Horton Landing

Horton Landing, Grand Pre, Kings Co., Nova Scotia

At Horton Landing there are two very important monuments - The Deportation Cross and the Planter's Monument. These two monuments go hand-in-hand reprensenting a very important time in our history. The unfortunate and horrible end of one era replaced by the excitement and new beginnings of another one.

Years ago I had gone looking for the Planter's Monument on the shore of Minas Basin in Grand Pre. As I have mentioned my ancestors were New England Planters. Between 1760 and 1768 eight thousand men, women and children came from the New England States to settle on the lands left empty after the Acadian Deportation. This was where they first set foot on Nova Scotia soil and they named it Horton Landing, a name that still sticks today.

I had found the monument and had even returned to bring my father, uncle and brothers to view the spot our ancestors had first set foot on Nova Scotia soil. But that was many years ago and I was unsure how to find it again; so I asked at the Grand Pre Interpretative Centre. They told me the Acadian Memorial Deportation Cross was also located there now.

If you have any connection to either the Acadians or the New England Planters or just interested in seeing this historical piece of land, you may be interested in visiting the site also. So I will try to give you the directions.

Deportation Cross Horton Landing

Turn right onto the Grand Pre Road when you come out of the parking lot of the Historic Site. Not very far from here watch for the Old Post Road and turn left onto it. Travel approximately 1 km and you will come to a stop sign. Turn left onto the Horton Cross Road.

The road will veer right onto the King Road and you keep going until you come to another stop sign. Here you turn left onto the Wharf Road. After a turn to the right you will cross a set of railroad tracks and then the road will turn sharply to the left again. There will be a farm on your right. Just past the white farm house turn right and follow along a field until you reach the parking lot. You will see the Deportation Cross in front of you and the Planter's Monument is just off to your left.

The Deportation Cross was first erected in 1924 along the tracks of the Dominion Atlantic Railway. After Longfellow's poem Evangeline was published thousands wanted to visit the birthplace of Evangeline and would arrive here mainly by train. The cross was erected as a welcoming to these visitors and to commemorate the sad, desperate walk the Acadians took when they marched to be loaded onto the ships that would change their life forever.

Today people still travel to this area, but the automobile has replaced the train as the popular mode of travel. So the Societe Nationale de L'Acadie put in a request to have the cross moved to a more appropriate spot. In 2004 this was done and the cross was moved to this spot, which was close to the final solid soil the Acadians stood on before loading onto the ships.

What a mixture of emotions this spot of land has felt. The anguish, despair, fear and hopelessness of the poor Acadians as they were ripped from their homes and in a lot of cases torn from their families. They were sent off to the unknown. It is a truly sad place and an old barren white tree standing not far from the cross seems to really capture this feeling.

    Planter's Monument at Horton Landing

But on the other hand you have the landing of the New England Planters here also. They were full of hope and dreams, excitement and wonder as they were about to start a new life. They were promised free land, good fertile land. Some were first time land owners and others were overjoyed by the chance to start over. What better scenery than the brilliant red cliffs of Blomidon looking over the lush green marshland fields to start a new life as farmers and fishermen?

The Planter's Monument and plaque was erected by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada in 1960. This was erected as part of the celebration for the 200th anniversary of the coming of the New England Planters. This great influx of new settlers was to become very influential to our heritage and way of life.

Leave the Horton Landing Page to go look at other great Historic Sites in the Annapolis Valley.