Home > Bloggers > Nova Scotia, my Oyster > Cynthia Bragg

Blogger: Cynthia Bragg

September 28, 2009

The Fortress of Louisbourg- Living, Breathing History!

By Cynthia Bragg on September 28, 2009 1:58 PM 0 0 Vote 0 Votes

I never LOVED history as a child. Like many children, I grew up as a child with a father who enjoyed many a documentary when I wanted to watch cartoons, which I found B-0-R-I-N-G, and moved on through grade and high school, memorizing important dates. Everyone tells you the importance of history. No one tells you history can be fun! It's fraught with mystery and to really understand it, you need to use flex your imagination. Who were these people, what were their lives like? Fortunately, we have many unique, historical sites in Nova Scotia, where history lives and breathes. One of my favourites... The Fortress of Louisbourg!

On a cold and windy day in March, when the weather was not cooperating with our ferry to Newfoundland, we ended up with some time on our hands. A drive towards Sydney to spend some time at the mall turned into a little adventure. While I knew the Fortress would not be yet be open, I thought we could at least drive by it to look and that is just what we did! We pulled up to a gate where a commissionaire was stationed and I asked permission to go inside. He kindly permitted with a few rules about staying away from the walls and not going inside any of the buildings.

The Fortress was like a magnificent ghost town! The wind was whipping around us and the windows were all frosted, so we wrapped ourselves in blankets over our coats and scurried from building to building, putting our camera up to the window panes trying to get a glimpse of something interesting inside. Exploring for a short time on that day certainly gave us an appreciation for how they must have lived in the past, without the warmth and comfort of our modern amenities. Back in the warmth of our car, I found a website from my blackberry to show my daughter what it would look like in the summer. We then made our plans to return...when it was much, much warmer!

If you plan to visit the Fortress, definitely go in the open season so you can experience the hustle and the bustle of life in the 1740's! I would also recommend taking a full day to explore. You'll need this to experience the re-enactments, eat an authentic meal at one of the restaurants, and to talk to all of the characters you'll meet.

The Fortress of Louisbourg is a reconstruction of one quarter of the town as it would have been in the 1740's. I found it incredible that this town could be rebuilt to this degree, all based on archeological and historical records, using original stone and French masonry techniques where possible. The first siege of the Fortress occurred in 1745 by the British. Many of the citizens you will meet will be checking to see if you are a British Soldier, best polish up your "Bonjours" before you get to the gate! The citizens themselves were most impressive. Friendly and informative, they stayed in character at all times. Many were not merely actors or characters, but historians.

We walked around the grounds, exploring all the buildings and meeting various characters. The children were told there was going to be a prisoner, and not to be caught speaking to him or they would also be thrown in jail. Of course they set about looking for this prisoner. After we witnessed the cannon firing at noon, they brought the prisoner out, marched him down to the square and sentenced him. We followed along to bare witness. It wasn't long before the ever sympathetic children, had soon moved on to being hungry for lunch!

As luck would have it, the prisoner was located across the way from the restaurant, where we shared mussels, a chicken pot pie, a delicious pea soup! The menu featured authentic cuisine, no french fries or burgers to be found, much to the chagrin of my daughter, who turned her nose up at all but a giant piece of "French toast" with real maple syrup. All were eaten with spoons, as we were told that the paupers didn't have an assortment of cutlery.

Our bellies full, it was time for more exploring! We met characters from all walks of life, the soldiers and fishermen, the servants, the blacksmith, the Friar, the prisoner, each with an interesting story to tell. And the children were anything but B-O-R-E-D!

Take a look at some of the interesting folks we met!