Fort Lennox is a National Historic Sites of Canada occupying most of

Île aux Noix Île aux Noix () is an island on the Richelieu River in Quebec, close to Lake Champlain. The island is the site of Fort Lennox National Historic Site of Canada. Politically, it is part of Saint-Paul-de-l'Île-aux-Noix. Background Île aux Noix ...

, an island in the middle of the

Richelieu River The Richelieu River () is a river of Quebec, Canada, and a major right-bank tributary of the St. Lawrence River. It rises at Lake Champlain, from which it flows northward through Quebec and empties into the St. Lawrence. It was formerly kn ...

in the parish of

Saint-Paul-de-l'Île-aux-Noix, Quebec Saint-Paul-de-l'Île-aux-Noix () is a municipality in southern Quebec, Canada located in the administrative area of the Montérégie. The population as of the Canada 2021 Census was 2,141. Demographics Population Language Education The So ...

, near the Canada-U.S. border. The fort features restored defence works and stonework buildings, and is surrounded by a star-shaped

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...

. It is owned by the

Government of Canada The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown-i ...

and managed by

Parks Canada Parks Canada (PC; french: Parcs Canada),Parks Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Parks Canada Agency (). is the Structure of the Canadian federal government, agency of the Government of Canada whic ...

The site of Fort Lennox was a strategic location in defending Canada against invasion from the south during colonial times. It was first fortified by the French in 1759 to defend against British invasion during the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the st ...

and the current buildings were built by the British between 1819 and 1829 to deter a U.S. invasion after the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It ...

. In 1920, it was designated a National Historic Site of Canada. and is administered by

. As of December 2022, the Fort was undergoing renovation work and closed to the public and slated to be reopened to the public in spring 2023.

History

Built by the British between 1819 and 1829, the fort was designed to protect the colony from possible American invasion. The fort was named after

Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond General Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond, 4th Duke of Lennox, 4th Duke of Aubigny, (9 December 176428 August 1819) was a Scottish peer, soldier, politician, and Governor-general of British North America. Background Richmond was born to G ...

, who died in 1819 and was

Governor General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy ...

British North America British North America comprised the colonial territories of the British Empire in North America from 1783 onwards. English overseas possessions, English colonisation of North America began in the 16th century in Newfoundland (island), Newfound ...

. An earlier 1760s fort on the same site was originally built by the French during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754– ...

. On 28 June 1985

Canada Post Canada Post Corporation (french: Société canadienne des postes), trading as Canada Post (french: Postes Canada), is a Crown corporations of Canada, Crown corporation that functions as the primary Postal administration, postal operator in Canada ...

issued 'Fort Lennox, Que.' one of the 20 stamps in the "Forts Across Canada Series" (1983 & 1985). The stamps are perforated x 13 mm and were printed by Ashton-Potter Limited based on the designs by Rolf P. Harder. Canada Post issued 'Fort Lennox, Que.'
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Museum

Visitors can tour the 1820s period officers' quarters. The north magazine features an exhibit about

military engineering Military engineering is loosely defined as the art, science, and practice of designing and building military works and maintaining lines of military transport and military communications. Military engineers are also responsible for logistics ...

and restoration work carried out at the fort. Guided tours are given of the grounds and buildings, which include an ordnance magazine and

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieg ...

magazine, a

guardhouse A guardhouse (also known as a watch house, guard building, guard booth, guard shack, security booth, security building, or sentry building) is a building used to house personnel and security equipment. Guardhouses have historically been dormi ...

, officers' quarters,

barracks Barracks are usually a group of long buildings built to house military personnel or laborers. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word "barraca" ("soldier's tent"), but today barracks are ...

and

casemates A casemate is a fortified gun emplacement or armored structure from which guns are fired, in a fortification, warship, or armoured fighting vehicle.Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary When referring to antiquity, the term "casemate wall" mean ...

. During summer weekends,

living history Living history is an activity that incorporates historical tools, activities and dress into an interactive presentation that seeks to give observers and participants a sense of stepping back in time. Although it does not necessarily seek to ree ...

demonstrations focus on fort life in the mid 19th century.

Entry

Admission to the site includes the ferry ride to the island. The parking lot and visitor reception area are located on the west shore of the river. Boaters can visit the island directly and pay a separate fee to enter the fort.

References

* Parks Canada, Fort Lennox National Historic Site brochure, 2005.

External links

Fort Lennox National Historic Site
{{Authority control National Historic Sites in Quebec Museums in Montérégie Military and war museums in Canada Military forts in Quebec Buildings and structures in Montérégie History of Montérégie History museums in Quebec Le Haut-Richelieu Regional County Municipality