MORDEN

By Jared McAndrew 2-W, Age 8 of Morden

The community of Morden is located on the shore of the Bay of Fundy. The land in Morden area was all included in a 5,000 acre grant made to James Morden on September 10, 1783. Morden was first known as French Cross. The story behind the name concerns a very unhappy event which happened at the time of the driving out of the Acadians. In the late summer of 1755, Acadian settlers in the area around Annapolis found out that other Acadians at Grand Pre had been taken prisoner and were going to be sent back to the country they immigrated from. Fearing that they might be next about 60 Acadian steelers from Upper Granville left their homes and headed eastward through the woods. After a long difficult journey they arrived at the present site of the village of Kingston. They decided to head for the Bay of Fundy, cross the Bay and continue on until they found a safer place to live. They reached the Bay of Fundy shore just as winter began to set in. They were unable to cross and were forced to stay at the present site of Morden for the winter. They built rough shelters but with disease and exposure to the winter and not enough food to eat many of the Acadians died. By spring time only a few of the settlers were left. Before they did leave a small wooden cross was put up in memory of those who had died. This cross stood for many years and the site became known as the French CrossThis cross stood for many years and the site became known as "French Cross"

The present cross is made of stone and was put up on August 1864 The present name of the community was given in honour of James Morden. Though he never had more than a summer home in the area the local people thought very highly of him. In 1847 land and money were donated by Colonel Edward K.S. Butler, a grandson of James Morden for the building of a church and school. All he asked for in return was that the name of the community be changed to Morden.

In the 1860's there were three stores in Morden, a post office, a Justice of the Peace, carpenters and of course fishermen. Morden at this time wass considered a good sized fishing port and center for local shipping.

In 1869 the railway came through the valley and the import and export trade in Morden slowly began to decrease as more goods were shipped by rail. By the 1920's Morden's days as a local shipping and trading center were pretty well over.

At one time there were three churches in the community each holding regular services. There were also two schools in the area and far more children then there are at the present time, Today Morden would not be recognized as the busy community of the 1800's and early 1900's. There is no longer a wharf, the last store closed a couple of years ago and church services are only held every second week in the United Church. The schools closed over thirty years ago when St. Mary's Elementary was opened and the children were bussed to Aylesford.

Although Morden has changed a lot over the years it is still a nice community to live in . There are still many events held here , including pancake breakfasts, mackeral suppers, card parties, variety shows and outdoor musical entertainment. Many go to enjoy the cool breezes from the Bay of Fundy and to take a look at the French Cross. There is also a Sunrise Service held each Easter at the French Cross and if you can get up early you can witness the awesome beauty of the small but frienly community of Morden.

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