Fort Henry

Commemoration

National 

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 fort was therefore replaced by the present structure of advanced design which was complete in 1836 at the cost of over £70,000.  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.

Provincial 

The first Fort Henry was built during the War of 1812 to protect the British dockyards in Navy Bay.  The present limestone citadel, constructed between 1832 and 1837, replaced the old fort as part of a larger plan for the defence of the recent completed Rideau Canal.  Commissariat stores were built to join the advanced battery with the main fort in 1841-42.  Fort Henry was garrisoned by British troops until 1871 when Canadian Gunnery Schools (the forerunner of the Royal Canadian Artillery) took over.  Abandoned by the militia in 1891, the fort fell into disrepair.  Restoration work began in 1936, and two years later Fort Henry opened as a historical museum.