The village was settled in 1767 by Acadians who escaped deportation and those who returned to Nova Scotia from exile. The original settlement was in an area now called Pointe-à-Rocco, where the initial settlers built a chapel and a few homes. The first Roman Catholic church in Yarmouth County was built in the community in 1784. It was replaced by a larger church in 1808, but this church was destroyed by fire on March 23, 1900. A new church was built the same year. A replica of the original chapel was built to commemorate the early settlement. The parish of Sainte-Anne is the oldest Acadian parish in Nova Scotia.