Delving deeper into the history of the political and religious capital of 17th-century Acadie at Fort Sainte-Marie-de-Grâce National Historic Site of Canada at Fort Point, near La Have, Nova Scotia, is the subject of a new Memorandum of Understanding between Saint Mary’s University and a consortium of French research institutions.
Saint Mary’s University and a consortium of French research institutions are formalizing a new international partnership to advance archaeological and historical research at Fort Sainte-Marie-de-Grâce National Historic Site. Saint Mary’s is joining researchers from the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), University of Grenoble Alpes, and Direction des Archives et de l’Archéologie d’Indre-Loire as members of the newly established La Hève Research Consortium.
"This project aims to update knowledge - currently incomplete and little-known - regarding a historical heritage shared by Canada and France," said Dr. Frederic Aitken, Chargé de recherche hors classe CNRS. "A cross-university Franco-Canadian collaboration involving various multidisciplinary research laboratories, private-sector entities such as museums, and civil society stakeholders will enable the pooling and enrichment of diverse forms of knowledge."
From left, Nicolas Robinet,Ingénieur d’étude UGA, Wesley Weatherbee, Archaeologist and Anthropology Laboratory Technician, Saint Mary's University, Dr. Frederic Aitken, Chargé de recherche hors classe CNRS, and Dr. Adam Sarty, Dean of Graduate Studies and Research, Saint Mary's University, Jonathon Fowler, Professor of Archaeology, Saint Mary's University, gather at the university.
"This MOU is the next important step in our ongoing collaboration, said Dr. Adam Sarty, Dean of Graduate Studies and Research, Saint Mary's University. “By bringing together researchers from Saint Mary’s, France and our local community, we can apply new technologies, expertise and perspectives to a site that still has much to tell us. This partnership also creates exciting opportunities for our students and for the public to engage directly with archaeological research.”
Aerial view of the Fort Point peninsula, where Fort Sainte-Marie-de-Grâce stood in the 17th century. LaHave river to the right.
Saint Mary’s researchers have been investigating the site since 2024, combining archaeological excavations with advanced remote-sensing techniques, including electromagnetic induction, ground-penetrating radar, drone-based multispectral imagery and LiDAR. Their work provides new evidence from the surviving remains of the settlement and challenges the longstanding assumption that the fort was entirely lost to coastal erosion. To date, researchers have identified evidence of a palisade line, earthworks and ground levelling, a relatively well-preserved structure believed to be the chapel, and an artifact-rich midden containing pottery, Venetian glassware, gunflints and other materials, providing new insights into life at the fort.
The research is also bringing new context to artifacts recovered during earlier investigations and held in regional collections. Objects in the DesBrisay Museum collection in Bridgewater, including a muzzle-loading pistol barrel and a lead pilgrim token, have been re-examined in light of the current research and relocated to the Fort Point Museum for interpretation. The work builds on earlier archaeological investigations at the site, including a 1977 project in which Saint Mary’s University Anthropology students participated.
Saint Mary's University Archaeologist and Anthropology Laboratory Technician, Wesley Weatherbee, begins a ground penetrating radar survey of the 17th century chapel of Fort Sainte-Marie-de-Grâce.
"Lunenburg County Historical Society has long been committed to bringing attention to the importance of Fort Sainte-Marie-de-Grâce and its place in the history”, said Jessie Grigg-Farquhar, Executive Director, Lunenburg County Historical Society / Fort Point Museum. "We’re excited about what this new research partnership can bring to our understanding of the site and of early life in LaHave. As a small, volunteer-supported museum with limited financial and human resources, partnerships like this give us an opportunity to contribute to meaningful research and expand what we know about this important part of our history."
Community engagement has been central to the project, with Saint Mary’s researchers working closely with the Fort Point Museum and hosting public archaeology excavations that allow visitors to see the research firsthand. The La Hève Research Consortium will build on this foundation through further archaeological and historical research, artifact analysis, student learning, knowledge sharing and public engagement, with the shared goal of increasing awareness of the significance of Fort Sainte-Marie-de-Grâce in Nova Scotia, Canada and France.
Established in 1632 by French Naval Captain and Knight of Malta Isaac de Razilly, Fort Sainte-Marie-de-Grâce served as the capital of Acadia and the administrative, legal and religious centre of the French colony of La Hève. The site is an important part of the early history of the Atlantic region and Canada, as well as of the longstanding historical relationship between Canada and France. The area also has an earlier connection to French exploration as Samuel de Champlain visited the region in 1604, naming it after La Havre de Grâce in France, and it was among the earliest locations mapped during his voyages.
Media Contact: Margaret Murphy, AVP, External Affairs
Email: Margaret.Murphy@smu.ca
Phone: 902-229-2264
