Port La-Joye / Fort Amherst
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Port La-Joye - Fort Amherst is a National Historic Site located in central Prince Edward Island, Canada on the province's south shore along the Northumberland Strait. It is the site of the first French settlement on the island, as well as the first British military fortification.
- (The copyright of the following sections may be in question. Content appears to have been copied from Parks Canada.)
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[edit] Port La-Joye
Port La-Joye (French for "Port of Joy") was the first permanent settlement on Prince Edward Island. It was inhabited by the Acadians from the 1720s until the deportations during the Seven Years' War.
In 1720, the Compte de St. Pierre arrived at Port-la-Joye with 3 ships and 300 settlers to establish the first European settlement on Prince Edward Island, then called Ile-St-Jean. The ships were owned by the Compagnie de l'Isle Saint-Jean and officials hoped the combined efforts of these settlers would result in a thriving agricultural community capable of supplying French centres like Fortress Louisbourg. The Compte experienced financial failures and lack of support and abandoned the colony in 1724.
Thereafter, those who chose to stay saw the island recognized as a crown colony with its own commandant sent from Louisbourg in 1726. Suitable structures were erected to accommodate the garrison and civil authorities; such as a chapel, store-house, bakery forge powder magazine, barracks and the commandant's lodgings. In 1720, Michel Haché-Gallant formerly of Beaubassin in Acadia established his holdings between the French post and the creek flowing into the landing cove. Michel Haché's household and those of his sons and daughters constituted the core of Port-la-Joye civilian community. They and their neighbours remained at Port-la-Joye until the autumn of 1744 when the threat of British attack compelled them to relocate inland. Another group of French colonists led by Jean Pierre Roma arrived in the 1730s and established a settlement at Trois-Rivières (now known as Brudenell Point). Port-la-Joye served as a point of entry to the colony, as well as a meeting place for French, Acadian, and Mi'kmaq allies and activists.
In 1745, a force of New Englanders fresh from victory at Fortress Louisbourg arrived to take possession of the Island. The settlements at Trois-Rivières and Port-la-Joye were attacked and burnt. Much weaker Acadians and Mi'kmaq forces fought the invaders but were forced to retreat and the population came under British rule. The French garrison departed for Quebec but returned again in 1748 following the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle which saw the British relinquish control over the island.
The struggle for control continued between the English and French in the 1750s and many Acadians were forced to abandon their homes on the mainland and fled to the island. These numbers increased dramatically after the expulsion of the Acadians from Nova Scotia in 1755. However, following the fall of Fortress Louisbourg in 1758, the commandant at Port-la-Joye surrendered peacabley to Lieutenant-Colonel Rollo commander of the British forces which menaced offshore.
Following the British conquest, Rollo used part of his force of 500 soldiers to collect an estimated 3,500 inhabitants and refugees for transport to France. Of the total exiled, at least 700 drowned and many others died of sickness en route. Some families managed to escape by fleeing to safer French territories or by hiding. Thirty families of one parish escaped the deportation and the thousands of Acadians who live on the island today are descended from these families and from others who returned after the Treaty of Paris was implemented in 1764.
[edit] Fort Amherst
Rollo established Fort Amherst as a temporary (some might say rudimentary) defensive position on the same bluff as the French outpost and settlement. It served as the primary military facility for British forces on the island, guarding the narrow entrance into the harbour. With the return of peace in 1763, Fort Amherst's importance as a military fort declined and it feel into disrepair. Soldiers from the fort assisted Captain Samuel Holland with his survey of the island in 1764 and 1765. British settlers chose the new town site named Charlottetown across the harbour and at the mouth of the Hillsborough river north of Fort Amherst as the colony's capital. In 1768 military authorities ordered the withdrawal of the garrison from Fort Amherst. Following the withdrawal of the garrison the land was leased for agricultural purposes. A blockhouse and battery were built at the harbour entrance to protect Charlottetown from French and American privateers during the Napoleonic Wars but these fell into disuse shortly after the War of 1812. The Fort Edward battery was subsequently constructed west of the Charlottetown waterfront to serve as harbour protection for the remainder of the 19th century.
[edit] Current use
The properties adjacent to the Fort Amherst ruins were united under one Leasee in the late 1800s and the land associated with the fort property was purchased by the same Leasee, John Newson in 1892. The property was sold to the Government of Prince Edward Island in 1959.
The Historic Sites and Monuments Board recognized the site's national historic significance in 1958. The following "Statement of Commemorative Intent" was created indicating the significance of the site. "Fort Amherst/Port-la-Joye is on national historic significance because, from 1720 to 1770, it served as the seat of government and port of entry for settlers to the island, and because of its role as a colonial outpost in the Franco-British struggle for dominance in North America." The site was proclaimed a national historic site in 1967 and was officially opened in 1973 and is administered by Parks Canada.
Today, visitors may stroll the large waterfront property overlooking Charlottetown and its picturesque harbour. The earthworks for the small British-built fort remain, as do some of the armament used at the later 19th century blockhouse and battery on the eastern edge of the property. An interpretive centre housing a collection of period artifacts and a café are also located at the site.
[edit] Trivia
- In 1720, Prince Edward Island was under French rule and was known as Ile-St-Jean. Port-la-Joye was established as its capital.
- Michel Haché-Gallant, an early Acadian settler at Port-la-Joye, had 100 grandchildren and is the ancestor of the "Gallants" on Prince Edward Island today.
- In 1746, the Mi'kmaq fought alongside the Acadians during a British attack on Port-la-Joye. The Mi'kmaq also helped many Acadians to escape to Malpeque during the expulsion.
- Early fishermen stood in a large barrel lashed to the outside of their boat. This put them closer to the water and they could throw the fish over their shoulder into the boat. NOTE: This is a mis-interpretation of early sketches showing the wet fishery on the Grand Banks. The ships are shown with the side removed to show how the fishermen worked in barrels. The barrels were actually on the deck of the ship.
- The common cattail was an important source of food to early colonists. The stems and roots were cooked, eaten raw and even ground into flour.
- In 1758, the British constructed an underground tunnel leading from the shore to the centre of Fort Amherst. NOTE: There is no tunnel from the fort to the shore. This is a myth commonly associated with forts. The Halifax Citadel is a classic case in Atlantic Canada.
- The flag flown during the British reign at Fort Amherst was known as "Queen Anne's Jack", or the "Great Union Flag". It lacked the red "X" representative of Ireland that is present on the "Union Jack" of today.
- For one week in July 1989, Port-La-Joye/Fort Amherst was host to the second largest population centre in PEI when Scouts Canada held its national jamboree on the site (10,000 + attendees). This population was larger than the then-town of Summerside at the time.
