W&M ScholarWorks Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects 2006 Enshrining the Past: Archaeology, History and Memory at Fort St Anne, Isle La Motte, Vermont Jessica Rose Desany College of William & Mary - Arts & Sciences Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd Part of the History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons, and the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Desany, Jessica Rose, "Enshrining the Past: Archaeology, History and Memory at Fort St Anne, Isle La Motte, Vermont" (2006). Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects. Paper 1539626510. https://dx.doi.org/doi:10.21220/s2-5rdk-4r65 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects at W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ENSHRINING THE PAST ARCHAEOLOGY, HISTORY AND MEMORY AT FORT ST. ANNE, ISLE LA MOTTE, VERMONT A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Department of Anthropology The College of William and Mary in Virginia In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts By Jessica Rose Desany 2006 APPROVAL SHEET This thesis is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Jessica Rose Desany Approved by the Committee, May 2006 -fcmmeiLr 8<(iqd — Dr. Kathleen Bragdon, Chair Dr. Martin Gallivan For my Parents, Without whose love and support I could never have accomplished this And to Dr. Marjory Power. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The writer wishes to express her deep appreciation to Dr. Kathleen Bragdon for her patience and guidance through this investigation and to David Schafer and John Crock for all their understanding, encouragement and support; Martha Pinello for teaching me so much and our numerous discussions; Charles Brooks for encouragement, technical support, photography, and mapping assistance; The author is also grateful to Dr. Kathleen Bragdon, John Crock, Carol Grosky, Joanne Desany and Tilly Laskey for their careful reading and criticism of this manuscript. The writer would also like to thank the following people and organizations for their assistance in research: Elizabeth Scott at the St. Michael’s College Archives; Reverend Maurice Boucher; the staff at the Vermont Historical Society Library; the staff of St. Anne’s Shrine, Tori Cranner and the Peabody Museum at Andover, Massachusetts; Gloria and Bob Mcewen of the Isle La Motte Historical Society; Giovanna Peebles, Vermont State Archaeologist; Tom Jamison; Mary Dupre; The Consulting Archaeology Program at the University of Vermont; The Bailey-Howe Library at the University of Vermont; The Tozzer Library at Harvard; and to Dr. James Axtell. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Acknowledgments .............................................................................................................. iv List of Figures.................................................................................................................. viii Abstract ............................................................................................................................... xi Introduction..........................................................................................................................2 Literature Review............................................................................................................ 6 French Studies in Vermont...................................................................................... 10 Chapter 1. Prehistoric Context..........................................................................................13 Environmental Setting.................................................................................................. 13 Paleoindians Periods ca. 9000-7000 B.C .....................................................................15 Archaic Periods ca. 7000-1000 B.C .............................................................................17 Early Archaic .............................................................................................................17 Middle Archaic .......................................................................................................... 17 Late Archaic ...............................................................................................................18 Woodland Period (1000 B.C. - A.D. 1600)............................................................... 19 Early Woodland........................................................................................................ 19 Middle Woodland......................................................................................................20 Late Woodland.......................................................................................................... 25 Pre-contact Period.........................................................................................................27 Abenaki......................................................................................................................27 Iroquois......................................................................................................................29 Isle La Motte at the Time of Contact.......................................................................... 34 Chapter 2. The History of Fort St. Anne......................................................................... 37 v The Fur Trade and Religion in Canada ....................................................................... 38 The Four Forts............................................................................................................... 42 Peace.............................................................................................................................. 49 Abandonment ................................................................................................................ 53 French and English Settlement on Isle La Motte....................................................... 54 Chapter 3. Reconstructing the Fort Ruins: Archaeology at Sandy Point.....................................................................................................................57 Father Joseph Kerlidou.................................................................................................57 1895 Excavations.......................................................................................................... 59 1896 Excavations.......................................................................................................... 62 The Plan of the Fort......................................................................................................67 Construction Material...................................................................................................69 Chapter 4. Artifacts........................................................................................................... 73 Architectural Features...................................................................................................73 Fireplaces..................................................................................................................73 Possible Oven............................................................................................................ 74 Smithy .........................................................................................................................75 Other ..........................................................................................................................76 Artifact Identification....................................................................................................76 Architecture................................................................................................................77 Armament...................................................................................................................80 Ceramics ....................................................................................................................82 Foodways...................................................................................................................87 Personal.....................................................................................................................90 vi Tools 95 Later Excavations........................................................................................................ 100 The University o f Vermont Consulting Archaeology Program Excavations.... 101 Conclusion...................................................................................................................101 Chapter 5. Collective memory at Sandy Point..............................................................106 The Theory of Collective memory.............................................................................107 Archaeology and Collective memory....................................................................... 108 Memory as Identity ..................................................................................................... 110 Place..............................................................................................................................116 Collective memory.....................................................................................................