Fort Anne National Historic Site of Canada

Virtual Tour

© Parks Canada/R. Garnett

Welcome to Fort Anne! We thought we’d give you a sneak preview of some of the amazing sites you’ll see when you visit us.

Let’s get started:

As you drive into Fort Anne, you cross the earthworks and park on the west side of the Officers' Quarters. From here you can see the parade square, part of the surrounding earthworks, and the Officers' Quarters, where the museum is housed.

Detail of Fort Anne Heritage Tapestry
© Parks Canada

Let's tour the exhibits first. We enter through the main entrance on the north side of the building. After paying our entry fee and receiving some orientation to the site, we begin the exhibits. Wow! The first thing we see is the Fort Anne Heritage Tapestry which was designed by Kyoko Grenier-Sago. Over 100 volunteers crafted this unique 8ft x 18ft (2.4m x 5.5m) work using three million stitches. Four centuries of area history are depicted through the colourful scenes and vignettes.

As we continue through the National Interpreters' Association (NIA) award-winning exhibits, we have an opportunity to see:

• © Parks Canada

  a copy of the Nova Scotia Charter from 1621 and to learn more about the early Scottish presence;

• archaeological evidence of the site of Charles de Menou d'Aulnay's fort and to learn more about the French settlement in the mid 1630's;
• artefacts uncovered at Melanson Settlement National Historic Site of Canada and learn more about the lifestyle of the Acadians and of the unique dykeland argiculture practised along the Annapolis River (formerly the Dauphin River);
• depictions of the Mi'kmaq involvement in the French/English struggle for control of Acadia;
• an excellent model of the fort in 1710 during the French period, prior to the English capture of the fort;
• a wonderful video explaining the principles and construction of Vauban style fortifications.