L a n d m a r k

Designated a National Historic Site, Fort Henry was included in designation of the Rideau Canal as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Photographer unidentified.

The present Fort Henry, built between 1832 and 1837, was practically new when the courts martial convened here in 1838. The citadel never saw any military action; the courts martial of the patriot prisoners remain the major historical event of the fort's history.

Construction of the fortress, like the canal, responded to international tension on the border since the American Revolution, including the War of 1812. The larger historical significance of Fort Henry is not military, however. As suggested, the Causes and Consequences of the Patriot War were rooted in ideological differences about governance--concerns that were not merely Canadian or American at the time, but pervaded Europe in an age of rebellion for freedom.

The real contest was less between the Patriots and the British; it was internal to Canada, between the vested interest of the elite Family Compact, represented by the Tories, and a growing segment of the population that felt excluded from governance. For this reason, William Lyon Mackenzie and his grandson, Mackenzie King, have been seen to represent the impulse for reform, contra the conservative establishment.

Fort Henry has not been an active military establishment since withdrawal of the British army in 1870, following Canadian Confederation (with Sir John A. Macdonald becoming Canada's first prime minister). In the 1930s Ronald Way led a campaign to restore the deteriorating structure. During World War II the fort held German prisoners of war. Thereafter the Fort Henry guard of volunteers interpreted the facility as a living museum. Military drill formation events are popular, among varied offerings.

Photographer unidentified.

Restoration continues, as funding allows, so that more areas previously closed to the public are being opening. 2009 is an estimated completion date.

Interiors are being furnished in appropriate period style, to convey the way of life at the fort in the nineteenth century.

Photograph courtesy Ontario Guide.