There were actually a series of forts built on this site, overlooking the Charlottetown Harbour, designed to protect the inhabitants from sea borne attack. The first was built in 1720 by the French settlers, established as headquarters for the protection, trade and administration of Ile-St.-Jean, as Prince Edward Island was then known, in 1720.
The fort was captured and abandoned by the British several times until 1758, when it came under permanent British control. Port-la-Joye, as the French had named it, was renamed Fort Amherst by the British and remained the administrative centre of the Island until 1770.
The site of the fort was decreed a Canadian National Historic Site on May 27th, 1958. Text from the CNHS plaque is below.
The Plaque
On this site stood Port La Joye. This post, built in 1720, was to protect French farming and fishing interests here on Isle St. Jean. Troops from Louisbourg garrisoned this outport. Morale was low. The troops were infrequently relieved and the barracks were poor protection from harsh winters when wind, rain and snow swirled between the picket walls and rotten planked roofs. The outpost was destroyed by New Englanders in 1745 and rebuilt four years later, only to fall forever to the English in 1758.
Port-la-Joye–Fort Amherst National Historic Site
DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
Port-la-Joye–Fort Amherst National Historic Site of Canada is a remnant 18th-century fort built by the French and later occupied by the British. Situated on the west side of the channel entrance to Charlottetown harbour, it is a landscape of gently rolling hills with remnants of a fort earthworks, of an early settler’s house, of at least three other French / Acadian farms, and of the French garrison, as well as 19th- and 20th-century facilities.
HERITAGE VALUE
Port-la-Joye–Fort Amherst was designated a national historic site of Canada, in 1967, because:
- from 1720 to 1770 it served as the seat of government and port of entry for settlers to the island [Ile-St-Jean/ Prince Edward Island]; and
- it played an important role as a colonial outpost in the French-British struggle for dominance in North America.
The heritage value of the site resides in its historical associations as illustrated by the site, setting and remnants of the fort and evidence of French and British military occupancy as well as early Acadian settlement. Port-la-Joye was established as headquarters for the French protection, trade and administration of Ile-St.-Jean in 1720. Despite being abandoned and captured by the British several times between 1720 and 1758, Acadians established farms in the surrounding area, and the French built a Vauban-style star-shaped fort in 1748-1758. A former farm belonging to Michel Haché-Gallant is still visible. After the British added a rectangular earthwork in front of the fort and called it Fort Amherst, it remained the major administrative centre for Prince Edward Island until 1770.
CHARACTER-DEFINING ELEMENTS
Key elements that contribute to the heritage character of the site include:
- the location of the site at the entrance to Charlottetown harbour;
- the high, picturesque setting of the site with its grassy hills;
- the evidence of British and French military as well as Acadian occupation, and remnants of 1720-1770 occupation of the site, including the earthwork of the British bastion and remains of Fort Amherst, Port-la-Joye, the Haché-Gallant residence and three Acadian farms;
- the pentathalon-shaped footprint of the French fort, the rectangular footprint and physical profile of the British bastion, their relative proportions, positions and spatial relationships;
- the dimensions, materials and construction techniques of these two military remnants;
- the relative position of military remnants to the Haché-Gallant residence and three Acadian farms on the west side of site across the creek;
- the relationship of the settlements to one another and to water transportation;
- the dimensions, materials and construction techniques of Acadian settlement / farm remnants;
- the surviving relics of Acadian agricultural practices and lifestyle;
- the artifacts, from the 1720-1770 period, displayed in the visitor centre;
- its panoramic viewscape of Charlottetown harbour;
- the viewscapes between the fort location and the settlements;
- the viewscapes from the Acadian settlements to the water;
- the visibility status of the fort site from both land and water.
From Historic Places Canada