the french were also frequent visitors to this area and built forts to protect the lumbering operations they established - as of 1540, in the region of arraial do cabo,  the french colonists were the most active settlers in the trade of pau brasil,  since the portuguese controlled the northeastern shore of the continent.

it was at this time that the french built a small fortress, today known as casa de pedra, at the same time that they were building posts in rio de janeiro capital hoping to establish what they called french antartica. 

subsequently, with the arrival of more portuguese settlers, the region saw a fast increase of the local population, and the nearby city of santa helena was established in 1615, later renamed nossa senhora da assunção de cabo frio, today's cabo frio - this is also when casa de pedra was appropriated by the portuguese, for their own enterprises.