Fort Frederick is a historic military building located on
Point Frederick on the grounds of the
Royal Military College of Canada
The Royal Military College of Canada (), abbreviated in English as RMC and in French as CMR, is a Military academy#Canada, military academy and, since 1959, a List of universities in Canada#Ontario, degree-granting university of the Canadian ...
(RMC) in
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the northeastern end of Lake Ontario. It is at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River, the south end of the Rideau Canal. Kingston is near the Thousand Islands, ...
, Canada. Its construction dates to 1846 and the
Oregon boundary dispute
The Oregon boundary dispute or the Oregon Question was a 19th-century territorial dispute over the political division of the Pacific Northwest of North America between several nations that had competing territorial and commercial aspirations in ...
. The fort consists of
earthworks surrounding a
Martello tower
Martello towers are small defensive forts that were built across the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the French Revolutionary Wars onwards. Most were coastal forts.
They stand up to high (with two floors) and typica ...
. Fort Frederick is included in two separate
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 ...
:
Kingston Fortifications National Historic Site and the Point Frederick Buildings National Historic Site.
History
Fort Frederick was built on the south end of Point Frederick, the site of the
Kingston Royal Naval Dockyard. The point and fort were named after
Frederick, Prince of Wales
Frederick, Prince of Wales (Frederick Louis, German: ''Friedrich Ludwig''; 31 January 1707 – 31 March 1751) was the eldest son and heir apparent of King George II of Great Britain. He grew estranged from his parents, King George and Queen C ...
. The original fort, consisting of
earthworks, was built during 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 ...
for protection against naval attack. On November 10, 1812, the Fort Frederick battery took part in the
Battle of Kingston Harbour, repulsing an American naval squadron under Commodore
Isaac Chauncey.

Four stone Martello towers were built to strengthen Kingston's defences in 1846 during the
Oregon boundary dispute
The Oregon boundary dispute or the Oregon Question was a 19th-century territorial dispute over the political division of the Pacific Northwest of North America between several nations that had competing territorial and commercial aspirations in ...
between the United States and Britain. The towers were meant to protect the shipyard and the entrances to the
Rideau Canal
The Rideau Canal is a 202-kilometre long canal that links the Ottawa River at Ottawa with the Cataraqui River and Lake Ontario at Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Its 46 Lock (water navigation), locks raise boats from the Ottawa River 83 metres (272 ...
and
St. Lawrence River
The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawren ...
, from possible
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
aggression. Fort Frederick was one of these towers, built on the site of the original fort. The three other towers were
Cathcart Tower,
Murney Tower, and
Shoal Tower. Fort Frederick was abandoned in 1870. Fort Frederick is the RMC cadets' outdoor relaxed area, where all cadets are considered equal in rank, headdress may be removed, and cadets have free rein to relax. The
Martello tower
Martello towers are small defensive forts that were built across the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the French Revolutionary Wars onwards. Most were coastal forts.
They stand up to high (with two floors) and typica ...
houses the
RMC Museum.
Alexander Mackenzie was a foreman on the construction of the Fort Frederick Martello Tower and later went on to become Canada's second prime minister.
While on an unannounced trip to Fort Frederick to look for a possible site for a new military college, Prime Minister Mackenzie asked the then commandant, Colonel de la C.T. Irwin, if he knew the thickness of the outside wall. When the surprised commandant could not answer, Prime Minister Mackenzie said "It's 5 feet 6 inches, I know for I built it myself!".
While Archibald Macdonnell was Commandant of RMC, between 1909 and 1919, the upper floors of Fort Frederick were used as a common room. After the seniors rolled cannonballs down the common room stairs, the floor was reallocated as a recruit haven. The college's class of 1931 gifted Fort Frederick with wooden gates and a plaque in 1971 in remembrance of the days when Fort Frederick was a recruit refuge.
Legacy
On 28 June 1985 Canada Post issued 'Fort Frederick, Ont.' one of the 20 stamps in the "Forts Across Canada Series" (1983 and 1985). The stamps are perforated 12 x 13 and were printed by Ashton-Potter Limited based on the designs by Rolf P. Harder.
'Fort Frederick, Ont.' Stamp
/ref>
Affiliations
The Museum is affiliated with: CMA, CHIN
The chin is the forward pointed part of the anterior mandible (List_of_human_anatomical_regions#Regions, mental region) below the lower lip. A fully developed human skull has a chin of between 0.7 cm and 1.1 cm.
Evolution
The presence of a we ...
, and Virtual Museum of Canada
Digital Museums Canada (DMC; , ''MNC'') is a funding program in Canada "dedicated to online projects by the museum and heritage community," helping organizations to build digital capacity.
Administered by the Canadian Museum of History (CMH) wi ...
.
See also
* List of forts
This is a list for articles on notable historical forts which may or may not be under current active use by a military. There are also many towns named after a Fort, the largest being Fort Worth, Texas, United States.
Antigua and Barbuda
* F ...
* List of National Historic Sites of Canada in Kingston, Ontario
* Royal eponyms in Canada
In Canada, a number of sites and structures are named for royal individuals, whether a member of the past French royal family, British royal family, or present Canadian royal family thus reflecting the country's status as a constitutional mona ...
References
Further reading
*
* Mika, Nick and Helma et al. ''Kingston, Historic City''. Belleville: Mika Publishing Co., 1987. .
* RMC Review, 1946 "The Honourable Alexander Mackenzie in Relation to Kingston and RMC" W.R.P.B.
* Royal Military College of Canada, Fort Frederick: Facts brochure, (Kingston, 2000).
* Royal Military College of Canada, Visit Fort Frederick and the Royal Military College of Canada Museum brochure, (Kingston, 2000).
External links
Ontario Heritage Plaque
- Point Frederick Peninsula Point Frederick buildings
Kingston Fortifications National Historic Site Management Plan (Ottawa: Parks Canada, 2006)
{{Ontario parks
Military installations established in the 1810s
Military installations established in 1846
Buildings and structures in Kingston, Ontario
Frederick Frederick may refer to:
People
* Frederick (given name), the name
Given name
Nobility
= Anhalt-Harzgerode =
* Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670)
= Austria =
* Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria fro ...
Royal Military College of Canada
National Historic Sites in Ontario
Frederick Frederick may refer to:
People
* Frederick (given name), the name
Given name
Nobility
= Anhalt-Harzgerode =
* Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670)
= Austria =
* Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria fro ...