Tignish was originally settled by 8 Acadian families who came by boat in 1799 from the Malpeque area of PEI. They lived on the coast in an area referred to as “The Green”.
Later in 1811 the Acadians were joined by Irish immigrants. Some time later, and for various reasons, one of which was where the CN Rail decided to put their terminal, the Acadians and Irish moved more inland to cluster around the end of the railway.
In 1860, the St. Simon and St. Jude Catholic Church was built, primarily by local people, with red Island bricks, baked at a brickyard that was set up just south of the community. It was one of a few buildings to survive a devastating fire in 1896.
In 1923, the Tignish Fisheries Union was created to give local people increased buying and selling power. This Union sponsored the formation of the Credit Union and then, in 1938 the Co-op Store. The Co-op movement continues to flourish and expand in the greater Tignish area.
Tignish celebrated its bicentennial in 1999. One of the ways in which we commemorated this event was by commissioning a walking tour brochure of places of historical interest in the community. The brochure no longer exists but you can find the information here. Please note that Item Six on the map is no longer standing due to safety issues.