Evangeline, the prototype of the Acadian maiden, was immortalized by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his epic poem of the same name. The monument was donated by Delores del Rio after she starred in the motion picture production of Evangeline, which was filmed in the area in 1929. The statue was sculpted by Marcelle Rebecchini, cast at the Departo Studios in Chicago, Illinois, and dedicated by Miss Del Rio in St. Martinville on April 19, 1931.