Fort Lennox is a

National Historic Sites of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada () are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being of national historic significance. Parks C ...

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, Fort Lennox National Historic Site of Canada. Politically, it is part of Saint-Paul-de-l'Île-aux-Noix, Quebec, Saint- ...

, 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 kno ...

in the parish of Saint-Paul-de-l'Île-aux-Noix, Quebec, 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 dug around a castle, fortification, building, or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. Moats can be dry or filled with water. In some places, moats evolved into more extensive water d ...

. It is owned by the

Government of Canada The Government of Canada (), formally His Majesty's Government (), is the body responsible for the federation, federal administration of Canada. The term ''Government of Canada'' refers specifically to the executive, which includes Minister of t ...

and managed by

Parks Canada Parks Canada ()Parks Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Parks Canada Agency (). is the agency of the Government of Canada which manages the country's 37 National Parks, three National Marine Co ...

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 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

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 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

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

. As of December 2022, the Fort was still undergoing renovation work and closed to the public. It reopened to the public in spring 2023 with a new exhibition, presenting the different passages on the island, in the barrack

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 British peer, soldier, politician and Governor-General of British North America. Background Richmond was born to Gene ...

, who died in 1819 and was

Governor General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

British North America British North America comprised the colonial territories of the British Empire in North America from 1783 onwards. English colonisation of North America began in the 16th century in Newfoundland, then further south at Roanoke and Jamestown, ...

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

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

. On 28 June 1985

Canada Post Canada Post Corporation (, trading as Canada Post (), is a Canadian Crown corporation that functions as the primary postal operator in Canada. Originally known as Royal Mail Canada (the operating name of the Post Office Department of the Can ...

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

An exhibit has been presented to the public in the newly renovated barracks. By the name of ''Passages, experiences of this Island'', the exhibition split in twelve alcoves presents the multiple passages on the island. Visitors can tour the 1820s period officers' quarters during a tour given by Parks Canada's guide. The north and south

magazine A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...

are now closed to the publi

Guided tours are given of the grounds and buildings, which include an weapons, ordnance magazine and

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

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 Security guard, personnel and security equipment. Guardhouses have histori ...

, officers' quarters,

barracks Barracks are buildings used to accommodate military personnel and quasi-military personnel such as police. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word 'soldier's tent', but today barracks ar ...

and

casemates A casemate is a fortified gun emplacement or armoured 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" mea ...

. 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. There is the possibility to see a demonstration of a typical 24th British Infantry Regiment soldier uniform. It is given in the barracks on the first floor. After the demonstration, it is highly recommended to go upstairs to see the dormitary exhibit.

Entry

The admission fees to the island includes the ferr

The parking lot and visitor center are located on the west shore of the river. Boaters cannot visit the island directly. They need to pay a fee to enter the fort by going to the visitor center on the west shore.

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