Moncton, New Brunswick

:For the parish, please see Moncton, New Brunswick (parish)

History

The area now known as Moncton began as an Acadian settlement called "Le Coude." The Acadians first settled the area in 1733. After the deportation of the Acadians in 1755, the settlement lay empty until a group of eight immigrant families arrived from Pennsylvania in June 1766. They were armed with a land grant issued by the Philadelphia Land Company, one of the principal investors of which was Benjamin Franklin. A township gradually grew on the site and the new community was named after Lt.-Colonel Robert Monckton, the British military officer who led the capture of nearby Fort Beausejour in 1755 and then subsequently oversaw the deportation of the Acadians from the Petitcodiac and Beaubassin regions. The new community of Moncton flourished as a centre for ship-building and was incorporated as a town in 1855. However, the arrival of the age of steam and iron ships brought a quick end to local prosperity and Moncton surrendered its civic charter in 1862. A second era of prosperity came to the settlement when Moncton was chosen as the site for the headquarters of the Intercolonial Railway in 1871. Moncton was reincorporated in 1875 with the motto "Resurgo" (I rise again). Moncton achieved city status on April 23rd, 1890. The municipal coat of arms illustrates Moncton's agricultural, industrial and railway heritages, along with the world famous Tidal Bore, an ever popular tourist attraction.

Related Topics:
Led the capture - Fort Beausejour

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