Louisbourg and Halloween

NSCAD students create ghost-inspired art after visit to Fortress Louisbourg

Looking to history for inspiration

By Peggy MacDonald, CBC News Posted: Oct 29, 2015 6:00 AM AT Last Updated: Oct 29, 2015 6:00 AM AT

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(novascotia.com)

Eight students from NSCAD University have immersed themselves in history for the sake of their art.

The students spent a few days this week at the Fortress of Louisbourg in Cape Breton and even stayed over alone — except for one night watchman.

"We pretty much had the town to ourselves," said 18-year-old Kenzie Lefaivre of Canmore, Alta. "We walked around and we were allowed into the buildings, actually, and it was quite dark at night but we kind of had the run of the town."

The students will use elements of their experience at the fortress in an exhibition called Ghosts in House, said LeFaivre.

It will be about "the relationship between the ghosts of the past and the house, where the ghosts are actually, like, staying, or like, trapped,"she said.

Students from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design soak up the atmosphere while drawing artistic inspiration from a stay at Fortress Louisbourg. (Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site)

Lefaivre said the fortress provided real inspiration for the project.

"There's definitely a lot of creepy, ghost-like things there," she said.

The fortress was a military hub for New France starting about 300 years ago. Some believe several spirts haunt the fortress including a wailing baby, a sea captain, a weeping nurse, and a poltergeist that locks doors and moves heavy objects.

The students also summoned some "ghosts" at Louisbourg by using an app purported to be manipulated by spirits to communicate.

Nineteen-year-old Kira Sark of Waycobah, C.B., said her perception has been changed by the experience.

"I think it gives everything more depth of feeling," she said. "Like, if you take a picture of an empty room, it might be empty but it's still full of all this history and it adds a different feeling to it."

The students were also treated to a "white glove" tour of the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site in Baddeck, where they were allowed to handle and examine the museum's artifacts.

Grand Pre search for original village

Archeologists searching for Grand-Pré Acadian church site

Researchers measure magnetism of soil to uncover Acadian villages at Grand-Pré

By Phlis McGregor, CBC News Posted: Oct 27, 2015 7:53 PM AT Last Updated: Oct 27, 2015 11:12 PM AT

Saint Mary's University students undertake a geophysical survey at Grand Pré National Historic Site in May 2015. (Jonathan Fowler)

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For 15 years, archeologists have been searching for what remains of a 17th century Acadian parish church in Grand Pré. 

And by using modern archeological techniques, including equipment that searches for the "magnetic footprint" of a building, researchers believe they are getting closer to the site of the long-ago destroyed church.

The research is lead by Jonathan Fowler, the president of the Nova Scotia Archeology Society and an associate professor in anthropology at Saint Mary's University. 

The Grand Pré National Historic Site memorial church, built in the 1920s, was thought by its builders to sit on the ruins of the original.

Fowler and his team are testing that theory by analysing the soil on the site. In addition to digging up physical artifacts, the team uses electromagnetic sensing equipment (the EM38B), which measures the ability of the soil to conduct a magnetic force.

Clay wall fill (daub), hardened by fire, was detected by electromagnetic sensing equipment. It is likely from the remains of an Acadian building from the pre-deportation period. (Jonathan Fowler)

The device was developed by retired geophysicist Duncan McNeill, who volunteers at the site. Soil, he says, "can, to an extent can be magnetized." Which means a building that burned many years ago can still leave traces.

"Burning soil increases this magnetic property of the soil, and soils which might not have been detectable before being burnt can often be seen after the event," he says.

"Our surveys in the Grand Pré area suggest that, yes, indeed there is evidence of burning and we're picking it up geophysically." 

Search for Acadian villages

As well as the church, the team is looking for evidence of Acadian villages that once stood in the area. Fowler says there were approximately 3,000 Acadians who lived in the area before 1755.

"Piece by piece we'll put it together," he says. "And in each new piece we add gives more context and more meaning to the next piece.

"Overall, the intention is to try to map this destroyed community. There were about 30 villages in that area in 1755. Not just in the national historic site, but in the broader landscape. We know where almost none of those are. Very little work has been done."

McNeill, who has been volunteering at the site for 15 years, says the work is "extremely exciting".

"It looks like we're actually finding the real locations of where these buildings are and thus are able to learn more about the occupants by virtue of doing the archeology," he says.

"It's a very, very exciting thing to help elucidate the past. There's much to be learn of that site. And bit by bit we hope to put together a useful picture of how the Acadians lived."

Fowler says there's a science dimension, but also a "heritage dimension and a value to knowing where these things were and being at a place where important historical events took place. It's a powerful thing.

My RAFM minatures have been found

My father found them in his shop, so I shall be collecting them next week. I have British line troops, American Colonial, Rangers, Militia, French Regulars, Compaigne france Milice, and Amerindians.

 RA with a Battalion gun

AWI Highlanders

80th Gage's Light Infantry

Compaigne Frances de La Marine

40th Regiment

Marines

Amerindians

77th Highlanders

Characters

Montcalm and Washington

American colonials

French

77th Pipes and Drums

the rest of the box!

Canada Votes today

Today, the Federal election takes place. This means the national government. This is the first election I have been able to vote in since the mid 1990s as I lived outside the country until now.
It was great to take part, I was able to vote way back in an early advance poll. Democracy in action!

Ah the joys of working night and graveyard shifts

As a new Security officer, most of my postings are in the late evenings or past midnight until the morning. It sure helps with getting back into my reading. Luckily, my children are at school when I come home to sleep in the daytime.
My wife teases me that I am like a big baby, I sleep, eat and go to the toilet.
At least I get paid to stay awake at night.

Grand Pre October, 1755

A map showing the areas the Acadians were deported to

Ian dressed as an Acadian boy circa 1755 in front of the exhibit showing children being boarded onto ships.

Leena and Ian dressed as Acadian children circa 1755

 a loft and roof of an Acadian house, the first floor level show the kitchen and working area of a family home in the 18th century.

Pirates attack a Ghost Castle

The night before last, prior to my departure for work, Ian and I played a game with his castle and pirate ship

He was really happy that we could play before I went off to work.

This shot is supposed to be us in a Toys R Us with some Zombie Nerf stuff, but it didn't seem to load well.

basing basing and more basing

I'm still sorting out what I had here in storage in Canada, and what I sent back from Japan.
With the cold weather coming, and my work schedule going to stabilise, I should be back into 18th century gaming soon.

Man cave update

My themed storage begins, under my table. At least I have my little boxes out of the shipping parcels

My military history library, up off the floor, I still don't have book shelves yet.

 Work in progress figures, the blue ones are French Foreign Legion, but may also get painted as early Great War French. My goal is to base every one of my figures. I have the time, on weekends