Fort Vieux Logis, British frontier fort in Hortonville, Canada.
Fort Vieux Logis was a small British frontier fort built in 1749 at present-day Hortonville, Nova Scotia, then part of Grand Pré. Ranger John Gorham moved a blockhouse he had erected at Annapolis Royal in 1744 to the site. Henry Grace's journal describes it as square timber placed piece upon piece with blockhouses inside, like Fort Edward at Pisiquid.
Ranger John Gorham moved a blockhouse built at Annapolis Royal in 1744 to the site in 1749, creating Fort Vieux Logis during Father Le Loutre's War. The low palisade was often buried by snow, and nearby hills overlooked the fort, so the British abandoned it in 1754. The blockhouse was rebuilt in 1760 and renamed Fort Montague after Montague Wilmot.
The site marks where Acadian people departed in 1755 before being forced away, and where New England settlers arrived to build a different community. Today it represents a turning point where one people left and another began to settle.
The exact location of the fort remains unclear despite numerous archaeological efforts in the Hortonville area over the years. Visitors should expect that physical remains may be limited and the site functions today mainly as a historical memorial.
The 1749 siege did not go as the fort's defenders hoped: Lieutenant John Hamilton and eighteen soldiers, including Captain John Handfield's son, were captured while surveying the surroundings. The prisoners were held for several years before being ransomed.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,815 contributors worldwide.