National Historic Site of Canada

Boishébert National Historic Site of Canada

Miramichi, New Brunswick

Also known as Boishébert, Beaubears Island, Île-Beaubears

View of Boishébert, showing the viewplanes between Wilsons Point and Beaubears Island that are reminiscent of their shared history as an Acadian refuge, 1999.

View of Boishébert, showing the viewplanes between Wilsons Point and Beaubears Island that are reminiscent of their shared history as an Acadian refuge, 1999.

Photo: Agence Parcs Canada / Parks Canada Agency, Ian Doull, 1999.

Built
1755–1756
Recognized
1930
By
Government of Canada

The register’s text, word for word

Description

Boishébert National Historic Site of Canada is a wooded area with archaeological evidence of an 18th century Acadian refugee camp situated on Wilsons Point and Beaubears Island at the confluence of the Southwest and Northwest Miramichi River in New Brunswick. Official recognition refers to the area of Wilsons Point delineated at the time of designation.

Heritage value

Boishébert was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1930 because:

  • the Acadians, under the leadership of Charles Deschamps de Boishébert, had sought refuge on Wilsons Point from 1756 to 1760, and that Beaubears Island was an integral, functional component of this settlement which importantly relates the significance of the Acadian experience.

The heritage value of Boishébert lies in the landscapes which includes below-ground cultural resources of the settlement of refugee Acadians, historic viewplanes and a relatively undisturbed natural setting.

SourceHistoric Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes, November 2001.

Character‑defining elements

Elements which characterize the heritage value of this historic site include:

  • the geographical location of Beaubears Island at the confluence of the Northwest and the Southwest Miramichi River, just downstream from Wilsons Point;
  • viewplanes between Wilsons Point and Beaubears Island that are reminiscent of their shared history as an Acadian refuge and its supply and reconnaissance point;
  • viewplanes from Beaubears Island downstream along the Miramichi River towards other areas of mid 18th-century Acadian settlement speaking to the accessibility and security of this place as a point of refuge;
  • the integrity of a pathway that pre-dates 1840, extending the length of Beaubears Island approximately in its centre;
  • the location and rare surface traces of occupancy on the mid 18th-century Acadian settlement site on Wilsons Point (Enclosure Park) including remnants of a cemetery and church site, smaller cleared areas and pathways within the wooded cover on the eastern extremity of the Wilsons Point opposite Beaubears Island;
  • the integrity and materials of the surviving archaeological remains, features and artefacts in their original placement and extent representing tangible evidence of the activities, lifestyle and material culture of Acadian settlers, notably the rectangular house site, and remains of a communal fire hearth;
  • the relatively undisturbed terrain of the meadow and wooded point at Wilsons Point;
  • the relatively undisturbed biological diversity of the island.

End of the register’s text

Location

Highway 8, Northwest Bridge, Miramichi, New Brunswick, Canada

46.97208° N, 65.57322° W

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Nearby

All 110 places in Miramichi

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From the Canadian Register of Historic Places, as last updated on December 12, 2025. The register’s text is shown word for word.