Hillsborough is a village

Village

A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...

 in Albert County in the Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 province of New Brunswick

New Brunswick

New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...

. It has a population of 1,292 (as of 2006). The village is situated on a hill overlooking the Petitcodiac River

Petitcodiac River

The Petitcodiac River is a Canadian river in south-eastern New Brunswick. The river runs about through the province's Westmorland, Albert, and Kings counties, draining a watershed area of about . The region around the river features valleys, ridges, and rolling hills, and is home to a diverse...

 near Riverview, New Brunswick

Riverview, New Brunswick

Riverview is a Canadian town in Albert County, New Brunswick, Canada.Riverview is located on the south side of the Petitcodiac River, across from the cities of Moncton and Dieppe. Riverview has an area of , and a population density of...

.

History

Originally established around 1700 as "Blanchard's Village" by Acadian farmers, they 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 there, though there are several Acadian settlements on the opposite bank of the Petitcodiac River, such as Pre d'en Haut, New Brunswick.

On September 4, 1755, the Battle of Petitcodiac

Battle of Petitcodiac

The Battle of Petitcodiac was fought during the Bay of Fundy Campaign of the French and Indian War. The battle was fought between the British colonial troops and Acadian resistance fighters led by French Officer Charles Deschamps de Boishébert on September 4, 1755 at the Acadian village of...

 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

Punitive expedition

A punitive expedition is a military journey undertaken to punish a state or any group of persons outside the borders of the punishing state. It is usually undertaken in response to perceived disobedient or morally wrong behavior, but may be also be a covered revenge...

 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 dispatched 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 Boishébert and was driven off with heavy losses. The site is marked by a National Historic Sites and Monument plaque.

In 1766, a group of settlers arrived in the area led by Matthias Somers, Michael Lutz, Jacob Trietz(Trites), Charles Jones, and Heinrich Stieff(Steeves). Heinrich Steeves had seven sons and the name is still common among residents.

Neil McNeil

Neil McNeil

Neil McNeil was the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Vancouver from 1910 to 1912 and Roman Catholic Archbishop of Toronto from 1912 to 1934.-Early life:...

, former catholic archbishop of Toronto, was a native of Hillsborough.

Economy

Following the Expulsion, Hillsborough was established as an English speaking community founded first on farming, and later gypsum mining and related processing, and shipbuilding. The village's economy today is primarily based on tourism

Tourism

Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...

, although forest products, agriculture and the service industry contribute significantly to the local economy.

It is home to the Hillsborough Elementary School and Caledonia Regional High School. Hillsborough is also home to the Albert County Chamber of Commerce and the historic New Brunswick Railway Museum and the William Henry Steeves Museum

William Steeves

William Henry Steeves was a merchant, lumberman, politician and Father of Canadian Confederation.-Life and career:...

.

External links

• Village of Hillsborough