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Fort-Liberté on the Eve of Haitian Independence
Fine example of this detailed plan of the Bay of Fort Dauphin, oriented with south at the top, published in Paris in 1786.
The map provides an exceptionally detailed look at the Bay and environs, which would be captured 8 years later by a Spanish Naval expedition led by Gabriel de Aristzabal during the French Revolution. The port was returned to France in 1801 and then surrendered to the British September 8, 1803, just 2 months before Haiti's declaration of Independence from France.
The town went through a number of name changes over the years, including Bayaja (1578), Fort-Dauphin (1732), Fort St. Joseph (1804), Fort-Royal (1811) and finally Fort-Liberté (1820), to honor its role as the place of Haiti's first declaration of independence on November 29, 1803.
![[ Cap-Haïtien, Haiti ] An Authentic Plan of the Town and Harbour of Cap-Francois in the Isle of St. Domingo .](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/98889.jpg)
![[Turks & Caicos, Bahamas, Hispaniola and Cuba]. Carte Reduite Des Debouquements, De St. Domingue, Levee, Dressee et Publiee par Ordre du Roi . . . 1787](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/83475.jpg)
