50 Years of Memories
FORTRESS LOUISBOURG ASSOCIATION • 1976–2026
For 50 years, the Fortress Louisbourg Association has brought people together through history, community and shared experiences. Now, as we celebrate our 50th anniversary, we’re collecting the stories, photographs and memories of the people who have been part of our journey.
Share Your FLA Story
Were you part of the Children’s Program? Did you spend a summer working at the Fortress? Were you an interpreter, volunteer, student, musician, board member or community partner?
Maybe your connection is completely different.
Whether your memory is from 1976 or 2026, we’d love to hear it.
Your contribution could be a favourite memory, a funny story, a photograph from years gone by, a person who made an impact on you, or simply a reflection on what the Fortress Louisbourg Association has meant to you.
Together, these memories will help tell the story of the Association through the people who lived it.
Memories That Last a Lifetime
The stories of the Fortress Louisbourg Association are the stories of the people who have been part of it.
A Lifetime Connection to Louisbourg
Dr. Erna MacLeod
For Erna MacLeod, the Fortress of Louisbourg has been far more than a historic site — it has been a place of friendship, discovery, and lifelong connection. Her story with the Fortress began as a child in the early years of the Association’s children’s animation program, sometime in the mid-1970s. In those days, the program was wonderfully unstructured, giving children the freedom to roam, explore, and truly immerse themselves in the spirit of Louisbourg.
“We played hoops in the street, picked berries, and the Parks Canada staff would bake pies with us in the 18th-century kitchens,” she recalls. “They often made us lunch and snacks too. We had great fun.”
That early experience sparked a lasting bond with the Fortress. Erna later returned as an employee, working in the Association’s coffee shop during its very first summer of operation. Located upstairs in the DeLaPlagne House, the café served brioche with molasses and fresh apple tarts baked in the military bakery. She remembers the lively chaos of busy summer days, with visitors drizzling molasses onto bread using reproduction pewter spoons while staff hurried through the heat carrying trays and supplies through the historic streets.
“It was very busy, very hot, and quite chaotic at times,” she says with a smile.
In 1982, Erna became supervisor of the Children’s Program, continuing her connection to the place that had shaped so many of her early memories. Over the years, the Fortress would also shape the course of her personal and professional life in profound ways. While working as an interpreter, she met her husband, formed lifelong friendships, and discovered an inspiration that guided her future career. Her experiences at Louisbourg ultimately led her toward graduate studies and a career as a faculty member specializing in communication and public history.
Today, Erna continues to give back through her service on the Fortress Louisbourg Association Board of Directors, helping preserve and strengthen the community that has meant so much to her for decades.
For Erna, the magic of Louisbourg lies in the opportunities it creates — to experience history firsthand, to share stories, music, food, and traditions, and to build connections that last a lifetime.
From childhood participant to employee, interpreter and Board member, Erna’s story represents the generations of connections we hope to preserve through the 50 Years of Memories project.
Growing Up at Louisbourg
Some of our youngest participants grew up with the Fortress — returning year after year and creating memories that have lasted well beyond their childhood.
From Children’s Program participant to Apprentice
These photographs capture one participant’s journey through the Fortress Louisbourg Association’s youth programming — from childhood experiences at the Fortress to their final year as an apprentice in 2007.
One photograph from 2002 makes the memory even more special, capturing them at the Fortress alongside their grandfather, Dan MacNeil.
Years later, these photographs remain a record not only of summers spent at Louisbourg, but of family, growing up and a connection to the Fortress that continued through different stages of childhood.
Do you have photos like these?
Dig out the old photo albums! We’re looking for photographs from every decade of the Fortress Louisbourg Association’s history — whether you were a participant, employee, volunteer, performer, member or simply part of a memorable moment.