Fort Chambly National Historic Site

Fort Chambly Puts on its Sunday Best!

Every Sunday, from July 3 to September 4, the Fort Chambly National Historic Site invites you to take part in activities that will take you back to the New France period. Musket firing, trades of yesteryears, military demonstrations and historical interpretive activities; everything is there to ensure an unforgettable summer as the stone fort turns 300 years old.

Musket firing demonstrations will take place every weekend in July and August.

July 3 - Trades of Yesteryear:
Fort Chambly’s Storekeeper

Get inside the king’s store alongside the storekeeper and get acquainted with colonial trade and the market laws in force around 1750.

July 10 - The Firearms of New France

Learn how firearms were made during the New France period. A gunsmith will be there to share his know-how and his own collection of firearms, all while addressing the context and importance of this occupation in the 17th and 18th centuries.

July 17 - Trades of Yesteryear: Cooper

Do you know of the screw clamp and the lag bolt? Those are some of the tools used by the cooper in the fabrication of barrels and casks. Come discover this craft that is increasingly rare. Meet an artisan that will go through the various assembly and construction steps right before the visitors’ eyes.

July 24 - Trades of Yesteryear: Earthenware Potter

Come meet a potter who specializes in the conception of homemade artefacts and dishes from the 17th and 18th centuries! An internationally renowned artisan will be on site to make various pottery pieces using a kick wheel - before your eyes!

July 31 - Trades of Yesteryear:
Rope Maker

Just like nowadays, the rope was a tool essential to daily activities back in the day, but making a rope required patience and meticulousness. Come meet the rope maker and let him teach you all of his techniques.

August 7 - Trades of Yesteryear: Spoon Maker

Have you ever met a spoon maker? Even though this occupation has disappeared for a long time, Fort Chambly found a spoon maker just for you! With his melting pot, the spoon maker will show you the melting and moulding techniques used in making spoons, cups, plates, bowls and goblets.

August 14 - Archaeology Month: Stone-cutting

Take part in a demonstration of the various techniques and steps of stone-cutting. The artisan on site will present the types of tools and weapons used in the 18th century, as well as the type of projectile points that were found throughout the territory at the time.

August 20-21 - The Feast of St-Louis

The feast of St-Louis - a holy day of obligation under the French regime - is the occasion to celebrate the construction of the first wooden fort, predecessor to the current stone fort, whose 300th anniversary is celebrated this year.

Experience what it’s like to be in a French military camp and witness flintlock musket firings, all while discovering trades of yesteryears that contributed to the fort’s construction. This will be one of the rare occasions where you get to meet soldiers of the Compagnies franches de la Marine and their families.

Check out the complete schedule for this exceptional event!

August 28 - Trades of Yesteryear: Spinner

Discover the traditional spinning methods with an artisan. In addition to attending the demonstration, you can become a real apprentice and make your own piece of thread using two essential tools: the spinning wheel and the bobbin.

September 4 - Harvest Time

Discover what the arrival of the cold season meant to the inhabitants of New France. Two costumed performers share with you their preoccupations related to that period. Crops, food preservation and other domestic activities will be explained to lift the curtain on our ancestors’ secrets to survive the winter.