Levis Fort No. 3

 (1865-1905) - A British colonial fort established in 1865 in present day Levis City, Quebec, Canada. Abandoned in 1905.

History
One of four forts originally proposed for the south bank of the Saint Lawrence River across from Quebec City. The forts were to be a linked defense against any American attempt to take Quebec via a land route.

The Fort No. 1 was to be built by the Royal Engineers while Forts No. 2 and No. 3 were to be built by civilian contractors under the supervision of the Royal Engineers. Fort No. 4 was cancelled before any work was contemplated. The contractor chosen was James and George Worthington of Toronto and Hamilton.

Construction began on Fort No. 3 on 7 Aug 1865. Only about 1.5 feet of earth covered the shale and rock below the site so blasting was required to construct the ditch. By October 1865 the contractors had removed some 127,000 cubic yards of earth and rock from both sites. The short Canadian construction season meant that during the harsh winter months little or no construction work could be done but prep work continued.

All of the forts were of similar but not identical design, differing sites and the necessity to protect one another dictated the differences. Fort No. 3 had earthen ramparts on three sides and a masonry wall along the back side and a 40' wide ditch surrounded the perimeter. Outside the ditch a 45% sloped earthwork hid the ditch from the enemy. Two interior caponiers provided protection for the ditches should the enemy penetrate that far. Interior casemates provided quarters for a garrison of about 170 officers and men.

Fort No. 3 was essentially complete by 1 Jul 1869 except for the bridges over the ditch and the doors. The contractors had finished work on both their forts before the Royal Engineers had finished work on Fort No. 1.

In 1878 all three of the forts received a single 7-inch breechloading (BL) gun. Since all three of the forts faced America and not the Saint Lawrence River they were of little defensive value and by 1905 they were deactivated.

The Canadian Department of Defense turned over the three fort sites to the Department of Mines and Resources on 15 Nov 1947. Fort No. 2 was overbuilt by a financial building and Fort No. 3 became a concrete plant. Only Fort No. 1 became a historic site.

Current Status
Destroyed and overbuilt by a concrete plant in Levis City, Quebec, Canada.

Sources:

Links:
 * North American Forts - Fort Levis Fort No. 3