Across the bay from Charlottetown is an area of land that was the meeting place between the early residents (local natives) and the French, a French fort, and then a British fort. Today it’s called Port-La-Joye-Fort Amherst National Historic Site of Canada and is a beautiful place for taking walks and enjoying the view of the bay. And we got to learn more about the history of Prince Edward Island (PEI).
“Welcome” in 3 languages—usually it’s just 2
The Harbor Path tells us the story of settlement, struggle, and change as 2 European powers—first the French and then the British—sought to control this harbor and what today is Prince Edward Island.
the locals who lived here for hundreds of years
An aboriginal presence has been on the Island for at least 10 thousand years! The Mi’kmaq became allies and trading partners with the French in the 1600s and later sided with them against the British.
This formal relationship between the French and the natives was acknowledged and fostered at Port-la-Joye (this area) during annual gift giving ceremonies from 1726 until 1741, (or 1758 depending on the sign). The speeches, fasting, and festivities often lasted several days.
While moving around, they would look for the best place to find food and fresh water and then set up camp. This area was favored for its resources and the place to meet with the French once a year.
They waited here for the French leaders to arrive from Louisbourg on the eastern side of Nova Scotia. (We’re going to go there in a couple of days.)
The entire island was home to these people, and they moved about it following the rhythm of the seasons. Their winter camps were inland, and during the summer they settled on the coast.
The wigwam allowed them to have this migratory lifestyle, sheltering them from the elements as they moved from place to place.
Traditionally the women built and maintained the wigwams.
Many building materials were required for building their homes.
I think this is a great balance for us too!
replica of a wigwam and its meeting spot
the French
Port-la-Joye was an imperial outpost for France for 38 years before it became a fort for the British to rule from.
The timeline panels didn’t show clearly on my pictures; so sad. But . . . the French flag at that time was white. The French Revolution in 1789 gave France a new national flag. Good information for a trivia game.
In 1710, some 300 men, women, and children were brought here from France to settle. These farmers, fishermen, and tradesmen were soon joined by settlers from Acadia (New Brunswick and Nova Scotia) to make Port-la-Joye one of the Island’s first permanent European settlements. With a large, sheltered, and easy to defend harbor, this was a good location for the capital.
map of the area of the French fort and Charlottetown Harbor
By 1735, settlers had made their homes along what’s now called the Hillsborough River that was a water highway from north central part of the Island to the bay.
layout of the French fort
Port-la-Joye was chosen as the capital for 2 reasons: a sheltered harbor and narrow entrance made it easier to defend than many other Island ports, and it was an agriculture region that could support Nova Scotia and Cape Breton.
the Acadians
As we’ve said elsewhere, the Acadians are descendants of settlers from France who came primarily to PEI, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Maine in the 1600s.
As the British were winning their wars against the French here on PEI, the Acadians were forced to leave. Here is information on their deportation.
In 1745, Port-la-Joye was attacked and burned by New Englanders.
The British arrived on August 17, 1738, with 500 solders and took possession for the British. Soon after taking over, some of the British began to build Fort Amherst to protect their new base and others started rounding up the French subjects. This led to a mass deportation of Acadians from the Island.
changes in Nova Scotia
L’Acadie, established by France in 1604, was a strategically located and highly coveted colony. In 1713, it was handed over to the British and renamed Nova Scotia. When Halifax was founded in 1749, part of the Acadian population moved to French territory.
Those who stayed on Nova Scotia were seen as a threat, and in 1755, the British launched their systematic deportation, splitting up families and communities while also seizing all lands and possessions. Nearly 10,000 men, women, and children were piled into ships and deported to the Anglo-American colonies, to England, and to France. Some escaped and formed a resistance. Over the next 10 years, almost half of the Acadian nation was lost at sea or died from disease and famine. By 1765, a mere 1600 survivors remained in Nova Scotia, their fertile land now occupied by settlers from other areas.
Most never set eyes on Acadia again. Many moved to Quebec and France, while in Louisiana they became a new community that produced the rich Cajun culture. The grand deportation didn’t work completely since the Acadian spirit lives on in Atlantic Canada with those who speak French and offer the world its proud and dynamic culture.
back to the Island
The British took control of Prince Edward Island in the fall of 1758, and the Island then witnessed one of the largest deportations of Acadians at one time. Of the colony’s 4600 residents, over 3000 were deported to France, and half of those dying on the way from drowning or disease. About 1100 Acadians escaped deportation. While some remained on the Island, while others fled to what is now eastern New Brunswick and Quebec.
waiting to get on the ships
By the time France declared war on England in 1744, the port was almost deserted. During the conflict the French fort was destroyed. When the war ended in 1745, the Island was in British hands. PEI later returned to the French only to fall under British rule again. In 1758, the English carried out the Expulsion of the French and built Fort Amherst close to the site of Port-la-Joye (where we are today). When the capital was moved to Charlottetown in 1768, Fort Amherst was demolished.
England and France had been fighting The Seven Years War since 1754. By 1758, the Island was surrendered to Great Britain. Within weeks, the English began rounding up all the French and Acadian people
The Island was founded by French and Acadian settlers in 1720. Starting in 1749, it was populated primarily by Acadian refugees from Nova Scotia that were joined by hundreds of Acadians fleeing deportation from the mainland in 1755. After the fall of Louisbourg in 1758 on Nova Scotia, the Island was handed over the British.
the British
In 1758, the English built Fort Amherst close to the site that had recently been Port-la-Joye. While the new fort wasn’t large, it was protected by 18 canons and a water-less ditch running around its circumference. Entrance was gained through a drawbridge.
When the British took over the Island, every inch of it was surveyed by Captain Samuel Holland, an engineer. Holland divided the Island into 67 lots and the assigned place-names are still used. To generate revenue, the British government decided in 1767 to hold a lottery in London for ownership of these lots. Most went to wealthy, absentee landowners who then encouraged tenant farmers to settle..
But introducing absentee landlords created enduring problems for the Island’s residents who could not own the land they worked. This situation remained for over 100 years until the Island joined the Canadian Confederation in 1873, the federal government providing financial assistance to buy out the last of the absentee property owners.
site of the forts
let’s start walking
These water-less moats surround the fort.
These depressions were probably cellars for the fort’s buildings.
view of the bay
view from the red chairs put there by the parks system
today
With the Island history as our backdrop, we’re looking out at Charlottetown Harbor, the Hillsborough River, Governors Island, and the bluffs of Keppoch.
Tomorrow we take off for the ferry to Nova Scotia.
