Cap Champagne

The remains of a coastal settlement were found at Boucan-Canot, on Cap Champagne hill, in Cap de La Houssaye.

One of the first properties on the island

In 1668, the Compagnie des Indes orientales awarded a concession  to the settler Gilles Launay which corresponds to the location of these remains on Cap Champagne. He built a habitation where he bred livestock. The built remains in Area 2 include quadrangular structures, building foundations and a section of perimeter walls.

Launay’s heirs, the Aubert family, are thought to have sold their home in the 18^th century to the government, which built a lookout on the site.

Remains of a lookout

The lookout posts set up around the coast from the 18^th century were designed to give advance warning of an attack from the sea. The lookout on Cap de La Houssaye was built between 1793 and 1796. It was composed of a large house with a kitchen and a signal mast. Archaeological research – surveys in 2015 and test pits in 2016 – concentrated on one section of these remains and revealed evidence of this habitation. The finds are typical of 18^th and early 19^th century domestic life.