Three of St. Martinville's main attractions revolve around Longfellow's epic poem Evangeline. Understandably, over time it was adopted with great pride by local Cajuns as part of their heritage. Too bad the poem's contents -- including its heroine and her lover -- are entirely fictitious, with only a vague connection to any historical personage. To read more about the evolution of the local folklore that has sprung up around the poem, look at the informative site www.lafayettetravel.com/culture/history/legendofevangeline.
The Evangeline Monument, on Main Street, is a statue to the side and slightly to the rear of St. Martin's Church. It was donated to the town in 1929 by a movie company that came here to film the epic. The star of that movie, Dolores del Rio, supposedly posed for the statue. This also reportedly marks the spot of the grave of the "real-life" Evangeline, Emmeline Labiche, herself a work of fiction by a local author in the early 20th century. (Don't say that out loud, though!)
At Port Street and Bayou Teche is the ancient Evangeline Oak, where self-proclaimed descendants say Emmeline's boat landed at the end of her long trip from Nova Scotia. Legend has it that it was here, too, that she learned of her lover's betrothal to another. As far as a sight goes, it's just a big tree, plus it's also possibly the third such oak so designated. But we like it. And it is right on the bayou, which makes for a pretty sight indeed. If you make a left at the tree, you will soon come upon a very nice memorial to the original Cajun settlers, a mural depicting their arrival after expulsion from Nova Scotia.
Also on the banks of Bayou Teche, just north of St. Martinville on La. Highway. 31 at 1200 N. Main St., is the Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site (tel. 888/677-2900 or 337/394-3754). The 157 acres that make up the park purportedly once belonged to Louis Pierre Arceneaux, allegedly Emmeline's real-life Gabriel, but we know how valid that story is. The Olivier Plantation House on the grounds (tel. 337/394-4284), dating from about 1765, is typical of larger Acadian homes, with bricks made by hand and baked in the sun, a cypress frame and pegs (instead of nails), and bousillage construction on the upper floor. You can also see the cuisine (outdoor kitchen) and magazin (storehouse) out back. Admission to the park and house is $2 for adults, free for children 11 and under, school groups, and seniors. It's open daily from 9am to 5pm. Tours start every hour on the hour from 9am to 4pm.
