Fort George (7)

 (1796-1820) - A British colonial fort established in 1796 in present day Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. Abandoned in 1820.

Fort George History


Fort George was built between 1796 and 1799 as a replacement for Fort Niagara. Fort Niagara was lost to the British as one of six British western forts returned to the United States in the 1796 Jay treaty.

The fort was built as palisaded earthworks with six named bastions and three internal blockhouses. The north and south blockhouses were rectangular two story structures with the second floor overhanging the first. The middle blockhouse was a large rectangular two story structure roughly twice the size of the other blockhouses. Additional buildings included a stone magazine, an officer's quarters and mess and a guardhouse.

War of 1812 (1812-1814)
Fort George was in a vulnerable position at the beginning of the War of 1812 with Fort Niagara right across the river. Fort Niagara and Fort George traded artillery barrages in the fall of 1812 that caused damage on both sides. In the spring of 1813 the Americans mounted a invasion and took Fort George after it was abandoned by the garrison. American forces held the fort until December 1813 and when they withdrew they burned the fort and the town of Niagara to the ground, forcing the inhabitants out into a winter storm. The town of Niagara was the former capital of Upper Canada (1792-1797) and its destruction outraged the British. The British regarrisoned Fort George and went on to capture Fort Niagara. Fort George was replaced with Fort Mississauga and Butler's Barracks and by 1820 it was abandoned.

The old Fort George site was used by the Canadian Army during World War I and World War II and named Camp Niagara. The site was abandoned in 1965.

Current Status
Must See! Part of Fort George National Historic Site, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. This is a reconstructed fort with only one original structure, the stone powder magazine. Many mounted and unmounted period cannons.

Sources:

Links:
 * North American Forts - Fort George
 * Wikipedia - Fort George
 * Parks Canada - Fort George