Frédéric Gate

Through the ornate arch that has been dominating your view down the length of Rue Toulouse came most of the people, news and merchandise of the colony. Orders from the king arrived here ⁠— the gate’s name honours the royal minister who managed France’s colonies and navy. So important an entrance naturally reflected Bourbon majesty in its proud bulk and careful proportions. Construction of the gate in 1742 completed Louisbourg’s circle of fortifications on the eve of war.

Most large ships anchored offshore. The crews launched boats and then pushed and carried their cargo over the wharf and through the narrow gateway. The sailors who landed here represented a score of ports. On a busy summer’s day you might have heard them speaking French, English, Portuguese, Basque and Breton, joined by the German of the Swiss troops and the Mi’kmaw of the Indigenous people. Business houses, inns and taverns made the quay a gathering place for townspeople as well as mariners. Idling or going about your business here, you would have seen public announcements, auctions and even the punishment of criminals.

In the open square stands a carcan ⁠— a post with an iron collar ⁠— where those found guilty of petty crimes, such as minor theft, might be sentenced to stay so that the public could witness their punishment. The purpose of public punishment was to show people that justice was carried out, to enforce order, and to deter others from crime.

Destouches Property

The military engineers hoped to see imposing masonry houses enhancing their quayside facade, and the 1737 fire that destroyed three wooden buildings here seemed to provide their opportunity. But by 1745 only one house stood in the gap ⁠— the straightforward rubblestone home built for retired soldier Nicolas Pugnant dit Destouches. Destouches ran a commercial bakery, and fire prevention may have been his motive for going to the extra expense of building in stone.

Like his neighbour Grandchamp, Destouches left a home and business to support his family when he died in 1740. Women worked in Louisbourg. Marie Brunet, the baker’s widow, had probably been active in the business long before his death and, like Jeanne Galbarette and the widow Grandchamp, she successfully managed the family business for years. One son lived here, and the rest of the house could have housed apprentices, indentured workmen and lodgers.