A little bit of Canadian History: Fort Henry

As we traveled the up east coast of the United States we learned quite a bit of American history.  It’s high time to learn some Canadian history as we head east from Toronto. 

Our first stop, Fort Henry (National Historic Site of Canada) in Kingston, Ontario.

The plaque in the picture reads:

“Fort Henry

An earlier fort was built here on Point Henry during the war of 1812 primarily to defend the nearby naval dockyard. When the Rideau Canal was built as part of a military route connecting Kingston with Montreal, the strategic importance of this site increased. The old fort was therefore replaced by the present structure of stronger and more advanced design which was completed in 1836 at a cost of over 70,000 (pounds). Garrisoned by units of the British and then the Canadian army until 1890, the fort never saw action, although it was used as a prison for rebels captured during the Rebellions of 1837-38.

Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada”

And that is the history of the fort, in a nutshell. But it doesn't do the place justice. The fort is really interesting, as it is set up as a living history museum, with activities, demonstrations and guided tours going on throughout the day. (Living history museums are awesome because they are so interactive and engaging!)

As you approach the fort from the landward side, only the top of the wall is visible, and really not much to look at. That’s the defensive structure at work – it’s built to look that way! The slope up to the walls leads to a 30’ deep dry ditch that surrounds the fort. (all the better to give those attackers a nasty surprise)

We crossed the ditch via a swinging bridge, passed the gatehouse, through the thick outer wall, complete with heavy gates on either end, and rifle holes within (these guys weren't fooling around!) into the upper fort. This is mainly an open area with shops built into the walls, and cannons along the lower balustrade, and up on the grassy area near the entrance – all facing the water. Fancy restaurants, wine shops & gift stores inhabit the shops now.

A ramp down between the grassy sections leads to the lower fort, and all the really interesting stuff. We arrived just in time to watch the cannon firing. There’s a whole lot of production to prepping a cannon to fire, and then a great big KABOOM! The kids loved it. We then toured through the many, many rooms of the fort. These, for the most part, were well furnished with authentic looking equipment and furniture. Other rooms contained displays on the artillery (guns & cannons), costumes, and important figures and history of the area and fort.

North wall

When you enter the lower fort it feels like you've stepped back in time, to 1867(aside from the modern bleachers). Staff were dressed in period costume and really knew their stuff. They weren't just there for show, either. The baker explained to us that the Fort would soon be baking and selling its own bread, baked in the nearly 200 year old ovens (once it can satisfy 21^st century hygiene regulations). The leatherworker really is responsible for creating and repairing portions of the soldier’s uniforms. 

Preparing to be inspected

And the Fort Henry Guard were all very serious, and professional when performing their duties on the parade ground and during demonstrations. I was actually getting a bit confused as to whether all these people were staff (as in actors), or if they really did have jobs as the people they appeared to be, or what! (They were that convincing, and I’m still not entirely sure what exactly the Guard are.)

We took the kids for a lesson at the schoolhouse at 1 pm prompt. The schoolmistress was quite strict, but they seemed to get off easy. Their parents were the ones that got schooled! (Believe you me, I’m not going to forget what the lines on the Union Flag represent, now!)

   

The kids wanted to go to the garrisons, so after they chose their tiny cell, I closed the door behind them. They thought it was hilarious, until the door didn't open. Then they got pretty upset, pretty quick. I won’t lie, I contemplated leaving them there… just for a few minutes (hey! Who can blame a tired parent)… but they had been pretty good that day, so I let them out. “Whew!” they said, and then asked to go back in. Guess it wasn't that traumatic. (silly kids) 

After watching a second cannon demonstration, we finished our tour with a view of the Reverse Fire Chambers, which are rooms in the north wall, 20 feet underground, to enable (gun) crossfire in the dry ditch. Descending the stairs is like descending into an entirely different world. The rooms down here are damp, chill, and a bit surreal, with water dripping from the ceiling or running down the walls, and stalagmites forming in some places.

Returning to ground level, up the steep, slippery staircase, we began the walk back to the gate in the outer wall, Morgan expressing the desire to return to 2014 to everyone he passed along the way. He really did believe we’d stepped back in time. Now, how’s that for getting into a field trip?

We were too busy exploring to take many pictures – a fact I didn't realize until after we had got home.  Luckily, the Fort Henry website provides lots of excellent information, with pictures and/or descriptions of the fort’s rooms. We easily spent several hours here, and all of us quite enjoyed our visit. If you happen to be in the Kingston area, I highly recommend coming to see Fort Henry.

As a bonus, when you purchase tickets to the Fort, you can also get free tickets to Upper Canada Village, just an hour and a half up the road. Let’s go!