Fort Ogilvie (2)

 (1793-1854, 1999-Present) - A British Colonial Coastal Fort established in 1793 in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada. Named for General James Ogilvie, Commanding Officer at Halifax and later at Sydney. Leased out in 1854 when British Regulars departed. Site became Barracks Park and then Victoria Park. Now an active military facility, housing the Sydney Garrison - Victoria Park.

History
Fort Ogilvie was constructed in 1793 on Battery Point in Sydney Harbor, Sydney, Nova Scotia. The fort was built with two small earthwork batteries mounting a total of 10 heavy guns. The batteries were not immediately armed and when they were armed it was only with 4-pounder guns taken from the mines, two in one battery and four in the other. It appears that the eastern most battery on the fort was designated as a "Salute Battery" and was probably the least armed.

A powder magazine and gun shed were completed by 1808. The first barracks burned down in 1816 and was rebuilt in 1817 for 80 men. New barracks were built in 1833. The various buildings were leased out in 1854 after the British Regulars left. The grounds became a public park, named Barracks Park, with a portion retained by the military. Barracks Park was renamed Victoria Park in 1897.

Current Status
The Canadian Forces Reserves still maintain a presence here at the Sydney Garrison - Victoria Park, renamed Fort Ogilvie in 1999. Battery point now contains an Esso petrolium storage facility, a waste treatment plant, a six block military compound with three large buildings, a parking lot and a large drill/training field.

Just outside the fence at the northwest corner of the military compound is a re-creation of one of the original battery earthworks and several reader boards explaining the two batteries and the current (as of 1999) military compound. The re-creation is simply earthworks with no display guns or even emplacements represented. Because the street names have not changed appreciably, the earth works look like they are at the correct location of the original left side battery.

Victoria Park is described on the reader boards as being the "...oldest continuing military establishment in Canada." Operating continuously since 1785, and was still in operation as of 7 Jul 2013, the date of our visit.

See Also:
 * Harbor Defense of Sydney

Sources:
 * Tennyson, Brian Douglas & Sarty, Roger, Guardian of the Gulf: Sydney, Cape Breton, and the Atlantic Wars, University of Toronto Press, 2000, 534 pages, page 30, 34-35.
 * Park Reader Boards

Links:
 * North American Forts - Fort Ogilvie