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Men working on a boat on the Annapolis Royal Wharf | |
Annapolis River looking West toward the Bay of Fundy | ||
Across the causeway over the Annapolis river, where the strong tides of the Bay of Fundy are used to generate electricity, lies historic Annapolis Royal where we had lunch and toured the surroundings of Fort Anne. Here is the link to the official Annapolis Royal website. What follows below is my view of the place.
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Men working on a boat on the Annapolis Royal Wharf | |
Annapolis River looking West toward the Bay of Fundy | ||
With a digital camera you don't mind taking many pictures. So, I took advantage of that fact and took pictures of all the plaques with information, so that I would not have to take notes or try to remember.
Let's start with the information from the plaque about Annapolis Royal:
Annapolis Royal Historic District "From its strategic setting, Annapolis Royal has witnessed pivotal events in the history of European settlement in Canada. Located on a former Mi'kmaw meeting place, the townsite and its environs were known as Port-Royal by the French, who occupied the area in 1605. The distinctive Acadian settlement and agricultural patterns later developed the surrounding marshlands. As the capital of the French colony of Acadia, Port-Royal experienced a tumultuous first century. Its fortifications were repeatedly besieged, captured and rebuilt in the English-French rivalry for dominance in North America. In 1713 France ceded Acadia to Britain. Port-Royal, renamed Annapolis Royal, served until 1749 as the capital of the British colony of Nova Scotia. Annapolis Royal's richly layered history is embodied in today's well-preserved townscape. The winding French road which linked the scattered Port-Royal houses survives as St. George Street. The town's buildings provide a showcase of 18th and 19th century architecture, from the stately homes of upper St. George Street to the vernacular dwellings in the lower town." |
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"National Historic Site of Canada
In the 1600s and 1700s, the site was the center of early European colonization and settlement in the area called Acadia by the French and Nova Scotia by the British.
The French and the British in turn had their colonial capital here, which they protected by building several forts. From here, their officals interacted with the Mi'kmaw, Acadians, and the British residents. It was one of the most hotly contested areas in North America.
An exploration of the grounds will take you through one of Canada's best-preserved earthen fortifications of a classic 17th- and 18th-century fort. The 1702 earthworks are the earlies Canadian example of this style of fort."
"Since the 1740s, three wharves have been built where the ruins of the Queen's Wharf now lie. Everything the fort needed was landed on the wharf: troops, provisions, weapons and much more. It served the need of the military until the garrison was withdrawn in 1854.
Over the years, the wharf was redsigned and reconstructed as required and continued to be used by local residents into the 1900s. The ruins before you date to around 1906, when the wharf was last rebuilt.
In the 1860s, the Province of Nova Scotia redesigned and expanded the Queen's Wharf. (Illustration: Nova Scotia Archives & Records Management (239-1878)"
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"When the French first came to the Annapolis Basin, Samuel de Champlain called it "Port Royal" in recognition of its great size.
Eventually, the area surrounding the basin and along the Annapolis River became known as Port-Royal. "
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"Adjutant-General of the force under Colonel Francis Nicholson which captured Port Royal, Capital of Acadia, in 1710.
First Governor and Commander-in-Chief. A notable figure in colonial history. An able soldier and administrator.
With imperial vision, he strove to extend the realm of Britain beyond the seas."
There were 4 such canon balls at the foot of the monument, one at each corner.
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A detail of the Fort Anne Heritage Tapesty depicting two Mi'kmaw arriving at the Port-Royal Habitation. (I could not read the credit on my photo) |
"Before you, the Allain and Annapolis rivers meet, creating a stopping place used by travellers for many centuries. The Annapolis River makes access to the site easy, while the natural rise of the land provides a good view downstream.
The Mi'kmaw people used this site for over 3,000 years. Men from the Port-Royal Habitation, located downriver, grew wheat here and built a gristmill on the Allain River in the early 1600s. In 1629, Sir William Allexander chose this site for a Scottish settlement. Later, in 1636, Charles de Menou d'Aulnay relocted his settlement here from LaHave. A succession of forts protected settlements here for over 200 years."
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"When the French settled at Port-Royal in the early 1600s, the shores of the Annapolis River were bordered with tidal salt marshes. In the 1630, the French at Port-Royal started reclaiming this fertile land by building dykes.
The settlement spread up the Bay of Fundy to the Minas Basin and the Isthmus of Chignecto. Over generations, the French settles developed their own cultural identity; they became the Acadian people. They dykes and cultivated salt marshes throughout this territory."
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"A French Huguenot in the British Army, Mascarene served here from 1710 to 1750. He was a member of the Council of Nova Scotia (1720-50), lieutentant-colonel of Phillips' Regiment (1742-50), and administrator and commander in chief of the province (1740-49). Hampered by insufficient troops, a decaying fort and a lack of guidance from the authorities in England, he tried by persuasion and conciliation to ensure the neutrality of the Acadians. With the help of New England reinforcements Mascarene and his ragged garrison withstood French attempts to retake the province in 1744-46. He died in Boston."
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"Two cemetaries are located in this burial ground: the earlier Acadian parish cemetary and the later Church of England cemetary. The wooden markers once placed on most of the graves have long since decayed. The gravestones that remain represent only a small portion of the burials here.
Starting in the middle of the 1600s, the Roman Catholic parish of St. Jean Baptiste located its cemetary in this area. Acadians from the Port-Royal area, French soldiers and administrators along with their families were buried here. There are no original signs of this cemetary visible.
When the British took the fort in 1710, they established a cemetary. This burial ground served the garrision and the Town of Annapolis Royal from 1710 until 1940."
For the longest time I had now clue who this was, as my picture did not let me read the inscription. Then I received a lovely email from Sue who took the time to pass on the following information. Thank you so much Sue.
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Bust of Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons, which is at Fort Anne, Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. The bust commissioned to the artist Hamilton MacCarthy in the early 1900
© Parks Canada / Theresa Bundbury
Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons, was born in the Royan region during the time of the religious wars. As a Huguenot, he participated in the religious conflicts. In 1594, as King of France, Henri IV rewards those who supported him. Dugua is given a pension and the title of "gentilhomme ordinaire de la Maison du Roi".
In 1596, Dugua married Judith Chesnel, a Catholic. She would give him a dowry of 25 000 pounds. "It would be (...) for the Sieur de Mons, a great contribution to the project that he cherished and for which he was already trying to raise the necessary funds." (Naissance de la Nouvelle-France; Pierre Dugua de Mons, Texte : Marie-Claude Bouchet, Société du Musée de Royan, p. 7, juin 2000)
This great project was to be named Lieutenant General for the "New World". Henri IV granted him this title on 8 November 1603 and gave him the monopoly on the land located between the 40e and 46e parallels. Having sold his belongings to finance his enterprise, he agreed to "conquer" this land in the name of King Henri IV and to establish permanent French settlements.
Dugua left for l'Acadie with his crew in 1603 to establish a permanent French settlement. He would return to France in October 1605 to tell of his achievements to the King. Upon his return, De Mons faced quite a number of difficulties, one of which being that his opponents tried to discredit him before his protector and King. After years of fighting for his interest, he finally lost his trade monopoly.
Dugua was never to set foot in America again. He died on 22nd February 1628 in his house in Ardenne.
http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/nb/stcroix/natcul/natcul2_E.asp
