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O U T L O O K Issue No. 18 NEWSLETTER of the
LUNENBURG HISTORICAL SOCIETY
FALL 2006 FORT POINT MUSEUM, LAHAVE - Fort Sainte -
Marie de Grace
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THE NEW MUSEUM (Photo not available on email)
Modelled after the old Fort Point Light and keepers house about 1919, it was constructed by Darrell Wentzell of Petite Riviere after a drawing by the architect Don Cash The inside , including the new exhibition displays, are still in the works and hopefully we will be able to open up in late Spring 2007
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The Fort Point Museum
in LaHave is closed now. It will open again in its finished new extension
next year. **********************************
Our next Society Meeting will be ourANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Tues,Nov 21 -at 7pm at the Fire Hall. There will be no pot luck supper, but please bring some sweets to go with coffee and tea.
Following will be an introduction to the new building. update on the Renaissance Project and It is a very important meeting, so please make an effort to attend.
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OUR NOMINATING COMMITTEE
Phil Kenny is chair of the 2007 committeeand he and his crew are very
hard at work. You will be able to admire their efforts at our Annual
General Meeting in November.
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CHRISTMAS MEETING at the LaHave Fire Hall Tues, Dec. 12 - 6.30pm for
Potluck Supper.
Bring a plate,cup and silverware. Contrary to our usual "Third Tues. of the month" meetings, we chose the second Tues as not to come too close to the busy Christmas holidays itself. We are also inviting people to bring their favourite Christmas CD and a small table decoration to make things more festive.
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President's Message
This time last year, I stated we were optimistic about receiving funding to commence our Renaissance project. This year I'm happy to report the exterior of the building is completed and significant progress has been made on the interior. Darrell Wentzell and his crew deserve a lot of credit for constructing a building we can be proud to call our Museum. They are doing an excellent job from top to bottom. We were successful in our fund raising efforts. We raised over $6,000 towards our portion of the Renaissance Project Funds. Our events included several concerts and a folk festival, a bakeless bake sale, a lobster supper, a wine tasting, and several events hosted by members, including private get-togethers at home, a boat cruise and motivational speaker. We hope to repeat many of these successful events in the upcoming year.Next year is the 375th anniversary of the establishment of Fort Ste. Marie de Grace - more about it later.
Through the Job Creation Program of Service Canada we have hired Carolyn Bush as our new Administrative Project Assistant. Carolyn has roots in the community and is very excited about the project and her local history. She is busy learning the aspects of the project and moving forward with reporting, filing and organizing the various aspects of the administration of the Renaissance Project. John Anderson, our other Service Canada employee has finished construction of the new shed and is working on various tasks inside the museum with Darrell and his crew. Many thanks to John and Carolyn for their fine efforts on our behalf.
This is the time of the year to renew your Society Membership. If you haven't already, please do so soon. The strength of our organization is through you, our valued members. It is through your continued support and participation that we achieve our shared goals. Your input keeps us on track and moving forward. We really appreciate every one of you.
In addition to the thanks that is well earned by our membership there isanother group that deserves our deepest gratitude, our Board of Directors. Every year the membership is well served by its Board. This past year, in particular, your Board has worked and sacrificed hundreds, no doubt thousands of hours on your behalf. The Renaissance Project has added many hours of effort to what is normally required. Phil, Carol, Jim, Johanna, Mary, Maggie, Donna and I have worked diligently and happily to keep the Renaissance Project moving ahead. Many thanks to our Board, keep up the good work. Finally, I would like to extend a Merry Christmas to one and all. May you have a joyful Christmas and a Safe and Happy New Year. Gary Malone
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OUTCOME OF THE SACK OF LUNENBURG
Final part from "Sagas of the Seas" by Archibald MacMechan
The only other show of resistance was at Major D.C.Jessen's house. The major was a Holsteiner, who came to Nova Scotia in 1752. He held various civil posts in Lunenburg, amongst others, collector of imposts and excise. He made a stout defence, singlehanded, at his home. The windows were smashed by musket bullets, and the door was being beaten in when he escaped by the back. Many years afterwards, when his house became Hirtle's Tavern, bullet holes were still visible. He got safely out of town, collected a number of militia-men and took post on the hill behind the town. He paid for the obstinacy of his defence. The privateers looted the greatest part of his best furniture., his plate and all the clothes, besides a good deal of his money. The statement that he lost a large sum of public money collected for impost and excise he promptly contradicted in the Nova Scotia Gazette.His quarterly account had been regularly made up, sent to Halifax and paid in there. The robbers got away with only a few shillings of government money, he declares, but he himself lost property valued;ued at seven hundred pounds. That he did not suffer greater loss was due to Sylvia, who once more showed her pluck and mother-wit. After her escape from the blockhouse], she went to Major Jessen's house and packed his money and plate in a small chest. She wore very long skirts and when the privateer men came to ransack the house, she sat down on the chest and covered it completely with her ample draperies. She feigned to be badly frightened, screaming and crying with true African abandon. One man said:" See what's under the old thing," whereat Sylvia redoubled her cries of distress. The leader said:"Let the black hag go." and the marauders went on.Then Sylvia bestowed the chest in the well, which the raiders had previously examined for loot. All that these picaroons gleaned at Major Jessen's was a small silver cream-jug and a few other trifling articles. The cream-jug has a history The raider party went on to another house, and one man took off his jacket with the jug in it and put on the militia tunic belonging to the master of the house. He forgot to transfer the jug, and this relic of the raid is preserved by one of the old Lunenburg families until this day.
III THE SACK
"The victorious party with a natural and pleasing vivacity fell to plundering" says Boston Gazette in its gleeful but imaginative account of the affair. It was not the pleasing aspect of the "vivacity" that struck the Lunenburgers. They were terrified, and knew not what to expect. Some fled to the country; some made attempts at defence; some took cover; some tried to hide their valuables. The whole town was in the greatest confusion. The privateer men entered the stores and the principal houses, taking what they wanted. Arms were the particular object of their search. These they either beat to pieces or kept them for themselves. They showed a special fancy for the scarlet regimentals of the militia and the silver-hilted dress swords. The shops were full of new Spring goods - Foster's, Bohlman's, Walnuts, Nuts heir - and these were swept clean], as well as half a dozen others. Dry-goods, provisions, gunpowder, whatever would be of use to them was carried on board their vessels. The king's stores beside the wharf yielded rich booty in ration beef, pork and flour. The powder and ammunition from the magazine were transferred to the Scammell's hold. Twenty puncheons of "good West Indian rum" mentioned in the Boston Gazette must have been welcome. All day the Americans must have been as busy as nailers, transporting their plunder down the narrow steep streets to the King's Wharf, ferrying it out in their boats to the anchored vessels, and stowing it below hatches. The stevedore job could not be carelessly done. The town itself was a spectacle. What the Americans did not want they destroyed, or left lying about. An eye-witness reported the narrow streets "strown with laces, ribbons, cottons and man more other kinds of shop goods." And the Lunenburgers were forced to look on helplessly at the wanton destruction of their property. One class of community profited by the invasion - the small boys. To them the privateers were "Very generous"- their generosity cost them nothing - giving them raisins and cakes anus other goodies from the shops, no doubt to their huge delight. The "pleasing vivacity" of the privateers showed itself also in a sort of impromptu masquerade., The wild-looking invaders, in their loose slop trousers and belts stuck full of pistols, domed the red militia uniform tunics and stuck cocked hats and women's bonnets and mob caps on their heads. The raid had a comic aspect to the raiders themselves. There is another item on the credit side of the ledger for the raiders. No woman was outraged or insulted, nor was any inhabitants assaulted or hurt. The Boston Gazette is correct in stating that " the strictest decorum was observed towards the inhabitants." There was one mild exception. Through the scenes of confusion moved the tall lank form of the Reverend Johann Gottlieb Schmeisser, in his strange, foreign, clerical garments, doing his duty as a man of God by expostulating gravely with the invaders and trying to stop the pillage. But he was fresh from Germany,he had assumed the charge only two month before, and, as his expostulations were in his native tongue, they had little effect. Still he made himself a nuisance, and a squad of impatient Yankees laid hands on him. He resigned himself to torture or death, but they only roped him, hands and feet, and left him lying like a trussed fowl in the middle of the parade. His years as a theological student at Halle could hardly have prepared him for such an experience in the wilds of America. IV THE RANSOM While the privateersmen were working their will on the captured town, measures for its relief were being taken in two different directions. Early in the morning, two men had started from Back Harbour in an open boat to carry the news to Halifax. DesBrisay says they did not reach their destination until Monday evening, which seems probable, for the distance to be covered was thirty-four miles, a long row. The Massachusetts Spy reports that armed ships started for Lunenburg the same day. As soon as intelligence reached Halifax, "the most surprising exertions were made in fitting out the Cornwallis and two armed brigs, though they were in a manner totally unrigged, and their guns and stores out, yet they sailed for the relief of Lunenburg on Monday (read Tuesday?) forenoon. Since which another armed vessel had sailed." This was commanded by Captain Douglass of the Chatham The Alacore and another vessel commanded by Captain Rupert D. George of the Charlestown, poor Evan's frigate, followed with two hundred Hessians from the regiment of Baron de Seitz. Everything possible was done, but the force arrived too late. This is evidently the "near approach of the combined fleet" which the Massachusetts Gazette refers to taking place on the Monday and motivating the retreat of the privateer flotilla. Some tern miles to the westward as the crow flies, at La Have Ferry, was Major Jospeh Pernette, an old soldier who had served, like Colonel Creighton, at Fontenoy. He heard of the attack only about noon by word of mouth, as the fugitives from Lunenburg spread the alarm throughout the countryside. He went down in a boat to the Five Houses and ordered the two twelve-pounders there to be fired in order to alarm the militia in the harbour. He gives as his reason for not acting earlier that there was no firing of great guns from Lunenburg. In the next war when another American privateer appeared at the harbour mouth, the cannon at all points, Kingsburg, Fort Boscawen and the rest were fired at once and set the militiamen in motion without delay. As soon as Major Pernette had assembled twenty men, he marched on Lunenburg, leaving orders for the rest to follow as fast as possible. But the roads] were bad, and in spite of his efforts, it was not till after four that he effected a junction with Major Jessen, who was awaiting reinforcements on the hill outside the town. The two officers were concerting their plan of attack, when a messenger came posthaste from the town, begging them not to make any move for the relief of the inhabitants, as the A,Americans had threatened to burn down every house in the place if the attempt were made. Colonel Creighton's house was actually going up on flames. Admiral Noah had demanded a ransom. In the last hour of the American occupation was carried out one of the strangest commercial transactions on record. Three of the leading citizens of Lunenburg, The Reverend Pierre de la Roche, "Ang. Presb." as he signed himself, from Geneva, Caspar Wollenhaupt and John Bohlman,, owners of the gutted shops,signed a promissory note for one thousand pounds in favour of Noah Stoddard, payable at Halifax (of all places) in thirty days. How "this sea-solicitors" expected to collect their money is a mystery. At all events, the note was signed by the three representatives of the town: Major Pernette and Jessen held their hand; and about five o'clock , from the post of their vantage on the hill, they saw the motley flotilla sail out of the harbour "deeply loaded with plunder." From the raiders point of view the invasion was a brilliant success. Their plan of attack was executed without a hitch, they lost no men, and they got away safely with loot valued variously from eight thousand to twelve thousand pounds. "The brave sons of liberty" had taught "the abettors of oppression and despotism" a lesson not to be forgotten. But they left trouble in their wake. The Lunenburgers begged Lieutenant-Governor Hammond for soldiers to protect them, and he had none to spare for an outpost. They were left a prey to fears. The three signatories of the promise to pay protested publicly that they had no means of meeting the obligation. Their fellow-townsmen were in the same case. So the town lived in constant apprehension, for "rebel" privateers were always hovering about the coast, until Captain Bethell arrived in the fall with a detachment of troops. By the end of the year the war was over and the cloud of anxiety lifted. That black Monday must have been the strangest, the most eventful, and the most vivid in the whole history of Lunenburg. The record reads like a milder page from the history of the Thirty Years' War. (Thanks to Norma and Errol MacDonald of Green Bay who let us borrow the copy of this book)
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ROBERT PERNETTE, owner of the Pernette Farm in Pernette Cove, West LaHave, died late this summer at the age of 64. The farm has been in the
family since the 1760s when Joseph Pernette received a grant in the
township of West Dublin, extending from the falls above Bridgewater down to LaHave and settled the land on the hills overlooking what is now the yacht club. The original ferry landing spot,where he operated a rowboat across the LaHave River, can still be seen on the property. If the farm closes it's barn doors now and the cattle will be gone, it will mean an end of an era in our area.
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OUR SUMMER
Our summer guides Denise Rostas and Holly Patterson were wonderful additions to the museum with positive attitudes and outgoing personalities.
Notwithstanding the construction work going on, we had many old and new
visitors to the museum with positive words to give about the site and the
museum. Lesley Anderson
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(Photo of Donna & Gary with the de Fougerolle family not available on email) Donna and I visited Paris in October. We contacted Patricia and Cedric Fougerolle, descendants of the de Razilly family. They were very excited to see us and hear about the progress of the Renaissance Project. Cedric publishes a newsletter for the whole de Razilly Family and includes any news he can about the activities of the museum. They were very pleased to see photos of the new construction. They hope they can return again to LaHave, as they had such a memorable holiday here last year. Gary Malone
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Carol Ann Cole, "The Power of You"
The Lunenburg County Historical Society hosted a very successful fundraiser. It was organized by Mary Meagher, Janice Prince, Lesley Anderson,Allison Weagle,Connie Dea and Johanna Rafuse.
Speaker and author of the bestselling book "The Power of You" Carol Ann
Cole, spoke on life lessons she has learned as a breast cancer survivor. Her very informative talk was well presented and enjoyed by all We are pleased to report that 101 tickets were sold and $1035.00 was raised for the Society. Thank you to all the workers and all those who attended our function.
Lesley Anderson
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INSIDE COMMITTEE
Some members of the Inside Museum Committee have been working on the interpretive plan for exhibits in the new space. We are making progress, but cannot proceed much further until construction reaches the point where
we can access and review the research files. Maggie Dorning
(for Marie Sundin and the Inside
Committee)
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OUR SPONSOR FOR THIS ISSUE: JOSEPH FITZPATRICK
(photo of his painting Lunenburg Harbour,No.2 ,1997, not available on email) Joseph Fitzpatrick, University of Kentucky Emeritus Professor of Art, resides in LaHave annually, from May until November, with his wife, Ruth. Long-time summer residents of Rous Island, Mahone Bay, Joe and Ruth built a charming cottage there in 1972. In 2002, they purchased the former Royal Bank of Canada, LaHave Branch and have been happily restoring it ever since. Joe is a retired professor of Painting and Drawing and former department chair, at the University of Kentucky. He continues teaching landscape painting workshops in beautiful places. He will conduct a workshop in Harbour Island, Bahamas, February 3-10, 2007 and another one in Lunenburg and surroundings, July 21-28, 2007. All interested painters and companions are invited to visit Joe's website: www.artscape.net Local area residents are always welcome to visit the Royal Apartment and Studio while the Fitzpatricks are in residence.Phone: 688.1830. The telephone number in Louisville: 800.501.1236 (access code 12
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PS.:Joseph and Ruth Fitzpatrick are the parents of renown cellist Michael Fitzpatrick who has delighted us with many concerts in our region in the past - and hopefully in the future.
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WELCOME TO OUR NEW MEMBERS
Jean Fraser McHarg of Bridgewater
Bob and Mary Fulleman of Crescent Beach
Bob and Sally Carlye, Summer residents Petite Riviere.
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WE ALWAYS WELCOME VOLUNTEERS:
We need lots of volunteers: helping out at the Museum, with garden and
yard work, with the new Oral History project, the events in the summer, calling members, new ideas for guest speakers .Please let us know if you can give us some of your time. Any assistance. is greatly appreciated.
contact Johanna Rafuse (688 1674)
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MEMBERSHIP DUES FOR 2007
Please pay your membership fees at the next meeting or mail a cheque made out to LCHS to:
Fort Point Museum - Membership Roberta Macnab RR.1.Pleasantville,
NS B0R 1G0
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IT'S EASY TO BECOME A MEMBER Just fill out the form below and
mail it:
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
Name:......................................................................
Address:..................................................................
incl. civic address Phone:home:.............................work:.....................
email:......................................................................
. Interests:.................................................................
Annual dues are $10.00 per person
Please make your cheque out to the LCHS and mail it to: Fort Point
Museum, Membership - Roberta Macnab RR 1, Pleasantville, B0R 1C0
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LUNENBURG COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY Fort Point Museum LaHave
- Ste.Marie de Grace
P.O.Box 99, LaHave, NS B0R 1C0 - (902) 688-1632 www.fortpointmuseum.com.
email: Ichs-fortpoint@ns.sympatico.ca
Officers: President: Gary Malone (688-1970) Past President: Phil Kenny
(688-2399)
Vice Pres:Johanna Rafuse
Bookkeeping:: Dick Joyce Treasurer: Carol Kenny
Recording Secretary: Donna Malone
Directors: Maggie Dorning, Carol Kenny, Mary Meagher and Jim Sewell
Newsletter: Edith Wolter (543-7702)
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