Archaeological Investigations of pre-1745 French Domestic Properties at Rochefort Point, Fortress of Louisbourg

Summary

From c. 1720 to 1745, three French domestic properties stood in the middle of Rochefort Point, a small peninsula extending beyond the east gate of the fortified town of Louisbourg. These properties were destroyed at the beginning stages of the first siege of Louisbourg in 1745 and concluded a short phase of French domestic life on Rochefort Point. Since the 18th century, climate change has heavily impacted the shoreline of Rochefort Point. Rising seas, powerful storms and shoreline erosion have narrowed the peninsula by approximately 200 feet and the remains of the three properties, two in particular, owned by Philippe-Joseph d’Allard de Sainte-Marie and André Carrerot, are now threatened by the rising seas and lie precariously close to the shore. The focus of this paper is to present the results of archaeological excavation at the Sainte Marie property in 2006-2007 and the Carrerot property in 2010 and 2013. As both properties were occupied for a short period of time prior to 1745, they provide a rare glimpse of early French domestic life at Louisbourg.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Archaeologies of Acadia: From Homeland to Diaspora   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-49,04