University Returns Louisbourg Cross to Canada

On Wednesday, the University joined in the commemoration of a 1745 raid on the French fort at Louisbourg, Nova Scotia by returning a two-foot, wrought-iron cross seized at the raid.

The "Louisbourg Cross" came into Harvard's possession "before 1800...[under]circumstances unknown," according to a document in the University Archives.

The cross was returned to Louisbourg on Permanent loan during a ceremony held Wednesday at the Charlestown Navy Yard.

The Navy Yard is the location of an exhibit commemorating the siege of Louisbourg.

The exhibit will be on display until October 10, and is sponsored by Parks Canada and the U.S. National Park Service in cooperation with a consortium of New England historical institutions.

The wrought-iron Louisbourg Cross was captured 250 years ago as part of "King George's War," in which New England militia warriors fought on behalf of the English Crown against the French-Canadian residents of Louisbourg who defended the interests of France.

The capture of the Louisbourg fort represented the first time American armed forces successfully challenged and affected European affairs, historians say.

The Louisbourg Cross was taken as a trophy to commemorate the victory. However, no one is certain of how the cross came into Harvard's possession.

Harvey Lewis, co-chair of the Louisbourg Commemoration Society, is pleased that the Louisbourg artifact was returned to the Canadian town which claims it.

"It's just a plain iron cross, but it's so symbolic," Lewis told the Associated Press.

The cross has alternately been displayed in Harvard libraries, mounted over the entrance to Gore Hall and stored in the archives of the University's libraries.

During its exhibition in Harvard Hall, the cross survived a fire in the building before being put away in storage. When retrieved and hung above the entrance to Gore Hall, it was stolen but returned to the University two years later.

Canadian officials asked for the return of the cross several times, but "the University historian thought it should remain [at Harvard] because we had captured it," Harley Holden, curator of the University Archives, told the Associated Press.

"I finally pointed out that religious objects are not the proper booty of war," Holden said.

Holden called the returning of the Louisbourg Cross "a good international gesture" on the part of the University, because "after all, the French gave us a good deal of help in our revolution."

This report was compiled with wire dispatches.