Gravesite uncovered at Louisbourg fort
An excavation at the Fortress of Louisbourg has uncovered a mass burial site, the first discovery of its kind at the 250-year-old fort.

The site contains the remains of about 30 people, likely New England soldiers who died in the harsh winter of 1745-46, archeologist Rebecca Duggan told CBC News.

"There were issues with supply of food and proper shelter, and in general living conditions were pretty rough. People were starting to weaken and fall ill to diseases like dysentery."

A storm surge that hit the coast last February revealed a number of archeological features at the fort. When the ground thawed, Duggan and her colleagues started excavating the site at Rochefort Point.

They returned in October to look further and discovered a communal grave in the foundation of a building, about five metres square.

About 15 bodies were carefully laid out in an east-west direction. About 15 more were laid out on top in a north-south orientation.

"When they did inter these people, they did so very carefully. At that time, they were showing respect and dignity," Duggan said.

During the 18th century, Louisbourg was one of France's key North American holdings and among the busiest harbours on the continent.

Duggan suspects the gravesite dates to the winter following the first siege by New England. The records state it was a particularly harsh time.

"We're seeing the physical evidence of that in the ground," Duggan said.

At the time the bodies were interred, the burial site was further inland, said Duggan. Over time, the wind and water eroded the coast.

'Painstaking work'

So fearing that another bad storm could wipe out the exposed site, Duggan and her colleagues are excavating the gravesite and removing the bodies.

It's time-consuming and painstaking work, with archeologists using dental picks and fine brushes to excavate body parts.

"It's a good thing that we are removing these burials and protecting them," Duggan said.

"Once these sites are gone, they're gone forever, and so is all the information that they contain."

Duggan is looking for a suitable place to rebury the bodies, though she would prefer to do so in the same area.

Louisbourg is the largest reconstructed 18th-century French fortified town in North America. About one-quarter of the fortress has been rebuilt.

   

Too cool.... it is said that the fort is hanted