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  Researching the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site of Canada
  Recherche sur la Forteresse-de-Louisbourg Lieu historique national du Canada

Volume 6: Number 12

NATIONAL HISTORIC SITES OF CAPE BRETON
LIEUX HISTORIQUES NATIONAUX DU CAPE-BRETON

Vol. 6, No. 21
December - Décembre 2004

Ken Donovan, historian at Louisbourg, has recently published a number of historical essays on Cape Breton.

They include an article on slavery in Cape Breton, 1713-1758 in the French Colonial Historical Society (Michigan State University Press, 2004) and six entries on the history of Canada and Cape Breton in the Oxford Companion to Canadian History (Don Mills, Ontario: Oxford University Press, 2004).

The entries for the Oxford Companion include: Cape Breton Island; Ile Royale; Louisbourg; Angus MacAskill; Slavery in Canada; and Marie Marguerite Rose. A native of Guinea in Africa, Rose (1717-57) was a slave belonging to Louisbourg officer Jean Loppinot.  She worked in the Loppinot household for 19 years, helping to prepare meals and to raise 12 children, as well as her own son.

Freed in 1755, only two years before her death, she married Jean-Baptiste Laurent, a Mi'kmaq, and together they opened a tavern in Louisbourg. Although a slave for most of her life, Rose acquired considerable business skills. As well as managing a tavern, she was a cook and seamstress, she could knit, dye, and iron clothes, and she made her own  soap and preserves.

An inventory of her possessions at her death is unique in Canada, since it tells the story of a recently freed slave woman. As a gardener, Rose had vegetables worth 40 livres, the most valuable item in her estate.

The first meeting for the Management Plan Review for the Fortress of Louisbourg took place on December 13 and 14.  Diane Wilson, Planner with the Service Centre in Halifax who will be working with us on the review was at this meeting.

The objectives for this meeting were to review the changes in Parks Canada management planning policy and guidelines as well as reviewing the 2001 plan and assessing the strategic actions and discussing the progress.

This movie was filmed in Louisbourg in the early 1980's and is going to be shown on Global TV Christmas Day at 6:30 a.m.

Connie Leightizer, former supervisor of the military unit is featured in this film along with other employees such as Lee Price and Michael Bagnell to name a few.  

Sandy Anthony and Georgina Leslie attended a training course on Interpretation Planning with John Veverka from December 6th to 10th.

Mr.Veverka  provides interpretive consulting services world-wide, from England  to Korea and in Europe, Canada, Mexico and the United States.

An enjoyable and useful week was had by all who attended.

Barbara Buchanan, a book and paper conservator from the Ontario Service Centre Conservation Lab in Ottawa, was at the Fortress from December 6th to 17th.  

She was here to do a condition assessment of rare books in the library and curatorial collection. She spent the majority of her time conserving period books on display in the Superior Council Chamber in the King's Bastion.

Her work is part of the ongoing program by Parks Canada conservators in Ottawa, Halifax and Louisbourg to improve the condition of the curatorial collections at the Fortress.

The annual Christmas Eve Luncheon is taking place again this year.  Please contact Valerie White if you would like to attend.

The annual staff Christmas Party took place on December 18th and was a huge success! Thanks to Alice Lahey for all her hard work in putting this party together.   

Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year to One and All!

Anyone wishing to submit an article to the Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Please forward to Donna MacNeil at donna.macneil@pc.gc.ca  or telephone 733-3551.

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