Kingston, On

The fort mascot

Nancy aiming the cannon to shoot an American warship coming to attack. She hit it 5/5

Married quarters, each couple had one curtained off area with 2 beds for themselves and any children. The beds folded out at night, folded up during the day to give a little more space. Girls at 16 and boys at 14 had to leave and support themselves, the military would no longer support them

Leisurely breakfast this morning, then Eddie, Nancy and I toured Fort Henry. Wayne stayed on the boat to do engine checks and clean.
Fort Henry was built first in 1814, then rebuilt in the 1830's. It's purpose was to protect Kingston and the Rideau Canal from American invasion. Students working at the fort as historical interpreters do a good job of bringing the fort as it was in 1867 to life. It has not been used for the protection of the area from Americans since shortly after 1867; it has been used to train the military in gunnery use, and for a few years, Ukraines were interned there during the 2nd world war. We watched the opening ceremonies with the raising of the flag, took the guided tour (well done), watched the shooting of the cannon at noon, then the gunnery practice at 3 pm. They have a new discovery centre at the fort with short videos on various aspects of life in the fort. Came back to a clean boat, sat out on the back to watch several boats come in and dock. Looks like several boats are here for a wedding, many people walking along the docks all dressed up and carrying gifts, and one boat down the dock has a "Just Married" sign on the back.

Firing the cannon

Enlisted men's quarters. As in other forts we have toured, not a lot of privacy. On top of the close quarters, they were locked in at night to prevent desertion, with one chamber pot that got passed around.

We have been playing with our new Garmin GPS/chartplotter, tried the automatic route tonight, looks like it has worked like a charm. Plan to go to tour Boldt Castle tomorrow, then on to Ganonoque for the night.

Raising the flag