Louisbourg is the only major colonial town in North America not to have had a modern city built on top of its foundations. There are an estimated five-and-a-half million documented artifacts in the Louisbourg collection. And, they are accessible for research groups worldwide. The most common artifacts are glass, ceramics, cloth, leather, wood, pewter, lead (often in the form of shot) and silver (usually buckles or coinage). There are approximately 1,000 identified surface archaeological sites in Louisbourg that have not been excavated.
The Louisbourg Public Archaeology Program provides a unique opportunity for archaeology enthusiasts to join supervised digs at the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site of Canada. The 2010 season will focus on field study at the De la Valliere property which was occupied by French, British and New Englanders between 1720 and 1758. The program will consist of two 5-day field sessions in early-mid August. During each session, a crew of 10-12 participants will excavate a portion of the De la Valliere property, learn about archaeological field and lab techniques, and attend presentations addressing current historical research at the Fortress. Although the crew will spend much of their time with trowels in hand, there will be ample opportunity for experiencing the sites and sounds of Fortress Louisbourg and exploring the rugged Cape Breton coastline.
Please click here to visit the Louisbourg Archaeology Program website.
According to J.S. McLennan, the expenditure of Louisbourg’s fortifications during the period 1714 to 1758 was slightly over four million livres (or roughly 200,000 pounds in English currency during that era.
