ERIC KRAUSE

In business since 1996
- © Krause House Info-Research Solutions -

62 Woodill Street, Sydney, NS,
Canada, B1P 4N9

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ERIC KRAUSE REPORTS

MY HISTORICAL REPORTS
PUBLISHED ON THE INTERNET

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REPORT 2004 - N/A

PROPERTY DEVELOPMENTS FRONTING
 RUE D'ESTRÉES AND RUE ST. LOUIS
 
LOUISBOURG:

1713 - 1768

BY

ERIC KRAUSE

KRAUSE HOUSE INFO-RESEARCH SOLUTIONS

DECEMBER 31, 2004

(FORTRESS OF LOUISBOURG
REPORT: HB701K72004)


HISTORICAL STREET FRONTAGE: CHECK LIST

PART ONE

AN INTERPRETATION OF BUILT EVENTS

CONSTRUCTION DETAILS BY LOT, BLOCK, AND STREET


(III)

STREETS: RUE ST. LOUIS AND RUE D’ESTRÉES

CHRONOLOGY


GENERAL

1713  The Town of Louisbourg was founded
1713-1715  The Town of Louisbourg functioned as the principal establishment on the Island
1713-1717  Initial construction happened nearest the harbour first. Most of the town within the interior remained undeveloped.
1713-1720  Many informal, meandering streets served existing buildings and external areas such as Cap Noir

1715-1717 

Port Dauphin functioned as the principal establishment on the Island
1717-1758  The Town of Louisbourg functioned as the principal establishment on the Island
1717 The streets and properties were first surveyed and marked with piquet or large posts, 7-8 pieds long, pointed at one end. However, that winter, unknown persons removed them.
1718  The streets and properties were again surveyed and marked with piquet or large posts, 7-8 pieds long, pointed at one end. A ditch 1/2 pieds deep was cut from one piquet to the other in case the posts were again removed.
1720

A regulation required that property owners:

(i) Construct buildings - within the year of a registered property concession - to the street property line - with at least a 3 pieds separation between wooden buildings

(ii) Develop the street in front of their conceded property to the centre of the street

(iii) Build 1/2 [the other 1/2 by the owner opposite] of the dry-stone drain - for channelling water - that was to extend down the centre of the street

(iv) Place roof drains so that they emptied upon the street or upon the rear of the property and not upon a neighbour's property

(v) Not place struts (commonly of piquet) in the streets to support [piquet] buildings

1721  A regulation directed that property owners were to enclose their concessions and maintain the 6-8 pouce thick boundary posts, which were to be 3 pieds below the ground and 4 pieds above, with the squared-off posts - each face to be 5 pouces - marked with the number of their land. Beneath might be found a piece of coal, clinker, or brick.
1725  The crown had paid for the first pavé along the houses on the principal streets. By inference, after that first undertaking, owners were responsible.
1727  The fortification contractor received a supplementary contract describing his allowable charges for the building and street pavé (cobblestone) he had undertaken but not mentioned in his February contract of 1725 (i.e. until 1727, contacts had not included such work)
1737 The fortification contractor received a contract describing his allowable charges for building and street pavé (cobblestone)
1737 A previous regulation that owners were to clean the streets in front of their properties was affirmed
1745  Siege
1745  The town was considered to be in a ruinous state following the siege
1745  The windows of every house in the town were shattered
1745-1746 (Winter) Many houses and fences were pulled down for fuel
1746  A regulation that the inhabitants of each house clean their streets, that the dirt be carried out of the city, and that canals be cut around each house to drain off melted snow and water
c. 1746-1747 Several of the principal streets, which were dirty and in poor condition, were cleaned and mended
1749 It was reported that, generally, piquet boundary markers had been removed [presumably during the 1745-1748 English occupational period], and it was ordered that properties be re-surveyed and markers replaced
1752 A regulation directed that property owners remove ice from in front of their houses and dispose of it into the middle of the streets, and that, generally, they keep clean the street in front of their houses
1753  Several streets were declared as populated with public wells
1753  The fortification contractor received a contract describing his allowable charges for building and street pavé (cobblestone)
1758  Breastworks were raised in several streets
1758  Siege
1758-1759 The town was considered to be in a ruinous state because - according to disputed evidence - it was the English method to destroy houses during the course of a siege
 1760 Orders directed that houses were not to be demolished unless required during the destruction of fortification features
1762  A fire broke out nearly at the centre of the town, with twelve wooden houses burned, and four or five wooden ones pulled down
1784  The town was described as in a ruinous state
1849 The streets were declared to be no longer visible
1911  Rows of stone, almost hidden, show the location of the former streets
1931  Plans called for the marking of all streets and the opening of certain streets , thus allowing one to drive from the Dauphin Gate to Rochefort Point

  RUE ST. LOUIS

1718  A stream springs out of Rue St. Louis just south of the corner of Blocks 18 and 19 to feed a large garden in Block 15. Blocks 18 and 19 appear undeveloped.
1720 Chemin de la Plaine et de la Pte. Blanche crosses future Rue St. Louis somewhere near the vicinity of future blocks 36 and 45. 
c. 1757-1758 A possible zig-zig military traverse work was placed to the south and south-west of block 36 that terminated in Rue St. Louis opposite Lot E

RUE D'ESTRÉES

1713-1720 Many informal meandering roads crossed the planned streets and town blocks in every direction, serving existing buildings and external areas such as Cap Noir
1717 An un-named Rue d'Estrées was first illustrated this year, but it does not extend this far south
1718  A named Rue d'Estrées was first illustrated this year, but it does not extend this far south
1720 Chemin du Cap Noir crosses future Rue d'Estrées somewhere near future blocks 31 and 32.
1728 Somewhere, there was pavé work associated with the construction of the Block Thirteen Hospital
1767  A drain which originated from two wells in the Rue de Scatary, continued down Rue de l'Hôpital, entered a small covered building placed in Rue de France, exited it, turned east, ran along Rue de France and entered another small covered building in the street, exited it, turned north, and continued down Rue d'Estrées to the Grand Étang.
1767 The street is grass covered from Rue de Scatary southward