Hillsborough, New Brunswick

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Hillsborough is a village in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. It has a population of 1,288(as of 2005) and is located in Albert County. The village is situated on a hill overlooking the Petitcodiac River. It is home to the Hillsborough elementary school and Caledonia Regional high school. The Village of Hillsborough's economy is primarily based on tourism.

[edit] History

Origionally established c 1700, it was called Blanchard's Village. Acadian farmers lived here for sixty years building dykes that are still in use. Before the Great Expulsion of the Acadians in 1755, the area was almost 100% French. Now, few Acadians live in Hillsborough; however, there are several Acadian settlements on the opposite bank of the Petitcodiac River. On September 4th, 1755 the Battle of Petitcodiac was fought near Hillsborough. After the capture of Fort Beausejour during the Seven Years War, in an attempt to gain control over the region, the British sent a punitive expedition consisting of two companies of British colonial troops into the Petitcodiac River Valley to destroy the Acadian settlements located there. While the main body finished their operation on the eastern bank, a detachment was despatched to the western bank. When the detachment under Major Frye approached Blanchard's Village, located near where Hillsborough now stands, it encountered a French forces under command of Captain Charles Deschamps de Boishebert and was driven off with heavy losses. The site is marked by a National Historic Sites and Monument plaque.