Fort Mississauga, Niagara on the Lake, ON

Gord and I explored Fort Mississauga this morning.

The fort today consists of a box–shaped brick tower and historic star–shaped earthworks—the only one in the country. The all–brick fort was built from 1814–1816 during the War of 1812, to replace nearby Fort George. It was built on a foundation of brick and stone salvaged from rubble left after United States forces sacked the nearby town of Newark (now Niagara on the Lake) in December, 1813.

Before the fort was built, the site was used by at least three Native American tribes: the Neutral (15th century); Seneca (late 17th century); and Mississauga (18th century). In 1804, a lighthouse was erected at the site, which had become known as Mississauga Point. This was the first lighthouse on the Great Lakes but was dismantled in 1814 to make way for Fort Mississauga, which incorporated stone from the lighthouse. Mississauga Point Lighthouse was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1937 and is today commemorated within the walls of Fort Mississauga by a plaque erected by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.

The British Army was stationed at the fort from 1813 to 1855, followed by the Canadian Army, which used it as summer training ground beginning in the 1870s, then during both World Wars and the Korean War.

The block house is the only building of the original fort to survive with all other buildings destroyed or dismantled. The interior of the blockhouse is closed, but has wooden staircases leading to some upper windows.

This is looking over at Fort Niagara. Fort Niagara is a fortification originally built in 1678 to protect the interests of New France in North America. It is located near Youngstown, NY.

This is the gate from Fort Mississauga to the water ... the stone steps looked kind of dangerous so we didn't go down.

There's no cost to check this out and worth the half hour it takes to walk there and back from downtown Niagara on the Lake.