Discover West Arichat

Get to know West Arichat through its local history, religious development and community life. Several historic place names, the Couvent de la Congrégation de Notre-Dame and the Immaculate Conception Parish Cemetery provide specific points of reference for the local story. When planning your trip, you can distinguish these themes from the distinct nature and cultural attractions in the broader destination of Richmond County.

Place Names and Early Community History

West Arichat’s Mi’kmaq name, “Ligsagatjitjg,” means “Little Split Rock.” Until 1866, the place was known as Little Arichat; that year, an Act of Parliament changed the name to Acadiaville. Father Jean Baptiste Allain was the first priest to live in West Arichat. Until 1863, the place remained an integral part of the Arichat parish. An 1811 census of Little Arichat recorded fifty heads of household and listed twenty family names.

Convent, Church and Community Life

The Couvent de la Congrégation de Notre-Dame was established in West Arichat in 1863. Sister Sainte-Mélanie (Mary Purcell) and Sister Saint-Romuald (Georgianna Olivier) founded the convent and taught the children of the parish. The local history thus connects the founding of the convent with the education of local children.

A convent stood on the site of the Acadiaville Community Centre in the mid-19th century, before the site became a school. In 2007, the community took over the building and renamed it the Acadiaville Community Centre. This sequence runs from convent to school and, later, community use.

After 2014, Immaculate Conception Church in West Arichat was converted into a pastoral unit office, a meeting room, a chapel and a food bank. The Acadiaville Cemetery Society looks after Immaculate Conception Parish Cemetery; from there, the view stretches across West Arichat Harbour.

Nature and Culture in Richmond County

In Richmond County, Isle Madame is known as the “Isle of 1,000 coves.” The Point Michaud Nature Reserve consists mainly of bogs and poorly drained forests dominated by black spruce. The bogs are home to rare wetland plants such as New Jersey rush. These landscape features are quite different from the church and local history of West Arichat.

Lennox Passage offers two kilometres of shoreline, an operational lighthouse and two kilometres of hiking trails. In winter, there are opportunities for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing; park operations and access may vary seasonally. The St. Peters Canal connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Bras-d’Or Lakes. A French trading post and settlement, as well as a British fort on a hill, are also associated with the canal.

Art and crafts are also part of the region’s story: the St. John's Centre for the Arts is located in the former St. John's Anglican Church in Arichat, celebrates local talent and regularly hosts events. The LeNoir Forge Museum includes a working forge as well as a collection of tools and artefacts. The forge was built between 1780 and 1800 and was a significant business on Isle Madame. The museum’s LeNoir Landing also includes a boathouse with exhibits on the region’s maritime history.

Discover more destinations: St. Peter's, D'Escousse, Arichat

See the broader travel overview: Richmond County.