National Historical Sites of Kingston, Ontario

National Historical Sites of Kingston, Ontario

Hi everyone anybody who has viewed some of my videos will see that alician I love to travel and for me especially I love history it’s amazing what you learn when you travel to new places and see new things but I thought I’m making videos on other destinations yet I live

In one of the oldest cities in Canada and I’ve never considered putting a video together on Kingston I’ve lived in Kingston for 23 years now and I’m aware of the historical significance of the city but never really took the time to learn about or really dig deep and see

The sites that we have right here everywhere you go downtown if you look closely you’ll see these little plaques on several of the homes as well as these blue signs indicating a historical site as a resident of Kingston we see them but rarely do we stop and read them and

Learn about what happened here in the past when I started to do a little more research I was amazed to see that Kingston alone has 22 National historical sites 22 that’s a lot there are 1,4 National historical sites in Canada with 275 of them in Ontario I was

Amazed to think that 22 of those are right here in Kingston so I wanted to hit the city with the camera do some filming and learn a bit more about the city where I live here are the 22 National historical sites of Kingston number one Fort Henry the most

Recognized site of Kingston has to be Fort Henry located on Port Henry which was a strategic elevated point near the mouth of the katarak way River the fort and the point were named after Henry Hamilton who was a former lieutenant governor of the province of Quebec the fort was built during the War

Of 1812 to protect the Kingston Royal Navy dockyard from a potential American attack a large Fort replaced the original with this construction beginning in the 1830s once again to protect the naval doyard the fort was restored in the 1930s and as most of us know is now a significant tourist

Attraction Fort Henry is such a a symbol of Kingston and if you haven’t taken the time to visit you’re really missing out it is a really interesting site hosting various events throughout the year the Fort Henry guard are probably the most recognizable symbol of Fort Henry and they conduct demonstrations of British

Military life and tours for the visitors Fort Henry is administered by Parks Canada and operated by the St Lawrence Parks Commission it was designated as a National Historical Site of Canada in 2007 as well as a UNESCO world heritage site number two Fort front neck now just past

The Royal Military College and over the causeway is Fort front neck Fort front neck was built in 1673 and originally a French Trading Post located on Ontario street you will see the large Limestone wall that surrounds the fort prior to crossing over another Kingston Landmark the LEL Causeway the original Fort was

Called Fort cataro but was later named for Lou dead def Frac governor of New France who was responsible for building the the site of Fort Frac was designated as a National Historical Site of Canada in 1923 and to this day is under operation by the Canadian military

There’s quite the history to Fort front neck and I’ll leave a couple of the links in the descriptions if you want to dig a little deeper into this interesting past of this National site number three Kingston Penitentiary Kingston Penitentiary known locally as KP in Kingston pen is a former Maximum

Security Prison and to this day whenever I go by it it still captures my attention constructed in 1833 it housed its first inmates in 1835 and it was one of the oldest prisons in continuous use in the world at the time of its closure in

2013 it was one of nine prisons in the Kingston area which is another reason why Kingston is referred to as Penn City two riots occurred here one in 1954 and another in 1971 which lasted 4 days and cost the lives of two inmates and severe damage to much of the instin institution

Kingston pen is now a museum which is operated by St Lawrence Park commission and a major tourist attraction several film and television series have also been filmed here using Kingston pen as a prime location on set including the mayor of Kingstown Jack Reacher and of course Canada’s own Murdoch Mysteries Kingston Penitentiary

Was designated a National Historical Site of Canada in 1990 number four Elizabeth Cottage I have driven past this house so many times and it always got my attention because it was so different from the other homes in the area I knew this house as a retirement facility but once

I did some research I see why it was designated as a National Historical Site in 1990 the cottage is a mid1 19 century Gothic Revival Villa and built in 1841 by Kingston architect Edward horsey it’s such a beautiful house and the purpose of the design wasn’t to make an

Architectural statement but rather just to be a comfortable residence for Mr horsey and his family in 2014 The Cottage was purchased and became a nonprofit Shabad Student Center of Kingston that is utilized as a resource for Jewish young adults if you get downtown take a stroll to the corner of

Brock and Barry and check out the Elizabeth Cottage number five the Old Post Office the former Kingston post office took 3 years to build between 1856 and 1859 the building was designed as a simple yet elegant two-story building and it takes on a neoclassical style built from Limestone excavated from right here in

Kingston the old post office is situated within the St George Cathedral block and is similar in design and shape to that of the customs house which is located just meters away on the corner of Clarence Street and King Street this Downtown City Block is quite a sight to

See as buet Park separates the two historical buildings but you will see that St George’s Church shows itself as a backdrop to these National historical sites and really is a sight to see all on its own number six the customs house the customs house was designated in May 1986 and is

Situated in the Market Square Heritage District of Kingston the customs house like the old post office is of neoclassical design which is simple and balanced and it really is an amazing display of exceptional masonry and stone detailing so impressive the customs house and the post office were part of

The same building program hence why they are designed very similar the customs house and the post office are amazing buildings and both local landmarks and really are worth checking out number seven the katarra cemetery occupying an impressive 91 Acres kataro cemetery is a historic inheritage landscape founded in 1850 it

Predates Canadian Confederation the cataro cemetery is the final resting place for many notable persons including politicians businessmen humanitarians and authors the cemetery contains the war Graves of 61 service Personnel from World War I and 84 from World War II and it is a very simple yet elegant section of the cemetery to

See there are so many prominent individuals who are laid to rest here including John cter the first mayor of Kingston archabald Cameron macdanel police officer and Soldier and Alexander C the first lieutenant governor of Canada just to name a few the grounds of the katarak semetery

Are simply gorgeous and while I was here and walking around I felt such a sense of peacefulness and calm it really is a beautiful place to see and I really encourage you to pay the katarak cemetery a visit the katarra cemetery was recognized as a National Historical

Site of Canada on July 19th 2011 more than 46,000 individuals are intered here within the grounds and it is the final resting place of many prominent Canadians including the eighth National Historical Site the burial site of Canada’s first prime minister John a McDonald the grave site of Sir John A

McDonald and his family plots were recognized as a National Historical Site of Canada on May 19th 1938 number nine Anne Bailey building m Museum of healthcare located at 32 George Street the building is one of the earliest nurses residents in Canada the home was completed in 1904 for students

At Kingston General hospitals nursing school who cared for patients in the wards and the operating rooms as part of their training the building was later named in honor of Anne Bailey a graduate of the school and its superintendent from 1924 to 1942 the an Bailey building was designated a National Historical Site in

1998 and is is now a museum of healthcare it really is an impressive building and I look forward to Stepping inside and visiting the museum soon number 10 Belleview house bellw house National Historical Site was the home to Canada’s first prime minister Sir John A McDonald from 1848 to 1849

And is located at 35 Center Street which would have just been on the outskirts of the city at that time the home is quite spectacular and is designed to resemble an Italian Villa unfortunately the ground are gated at the time I filmed so I couldn’t get any good shots of the

House but if you’re ever in Kingston be sure to make this a stop on your visit bellw house is operated by Parks Canada and they’ have introduced a new visitor experience focusing on a diverse story about the early history of Canada along with examining Sir John A McDonald’s Complex

Legacy number 11 Ros laon house the Ros lawn house now known as the Donald Gordon Center Hotel is a place I had never noticed before the house was built by architect William Coverdale in 1841 and it stands as a reminder of the days when affluent kingstonians erected magnificent Country

Homes just beyond the city from 1851 to 1868 it was a residence of Sir Henry Smith solicitor general for Upper Canada and later the speaker of the legislative assembly of the province of Canada in 19 7 roson was acquired by Queens University roson house was designated a National Historical Site of Canada in 1969 number 12 front knck County Courthouse the county courthouse is an amazing building and unfortunately at the time of filming it was receiving a major restoration the courthouse is located fittingly at one Court Street and was built using Kingston Limestone it was also designed to model the neoclassical style of Kingston City Hall

A lot of history here as it is situated on land originally acquired in 1840 for a house of parliament at a time when Kingston was one of several possible sites for the capital of Canada two major fires occurred here as well as numerous Renovations over the years the

Court building opened in 1858 and is also the year the first session of Court took place the county courthouse received National designation in 1981 and it is a very prominent site of the city as it overlooks City Park number 13 Kingston City Hall in Market Square

Kingston City Hall is the seat of local government in Kingston and it occupies a full City Block facing Lake Ontario City Hall is a pretty amazing facility and lake Fort Henry is one of the most well-known sites in the city the interior of the building is divided

Into a South and a North wing with Memorial Hall being the Showcase of the building with its sheer size and historical characteristics free self-guided tours are available so be sure to drop in and see this amazing building in person Springer Market Square is located directly behind City Hall and is famous

For being the location of the oldest public market in the province the square was revitalized during 2005 and 2007 creating an outdoor skating rink which you can see is just getting set up for the season City Hall in Market Square was designated a National Historical Site of Canada in

1961 number 14 Kingston Dry Dock once an important construction and repair facility for ships on the Great Lakes the Kingston dry do was constructed in 1890 by the Canadian federal government and what had been the local writing of Canadian Prime Minister Sir John A McDonald opened in 1892 by the

Department of public works as a repair facility for Lake vessels the dry dock provided dry working access to the ship below the waterline the site consists of a solid Limestone 1891 main building which houses the dry dock pumps and engines an Annex Building added in 1915 and a smaller freestanding building

Added in 1938 the shipyard’s distinctive Square Stone chimney stands 90 ft above the downtown City Waterfront the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes is also on site and is a museum dedicated to Marine hisory history in the Great Lakes it’s located at 55 Ontario Street the Kingston Dry Dock was designated a

National Historical Site of Canada in 1978 number 15 Kingston General Hospital something else I was not aware of and that is Kingston General Hospital is one of the oldest functioning hospitals in Canada this along with that most of the original buildings that made up the original Hospital are still intact and

In use explains why kga H was designated a National Historical Site in 1995 located at 76 Stewart Street in Kingston it is located on the southern end of the Queens University campus and adjacent to Lake Ontario construction of the hospital began in 1833 and took 91 years to complete the seven buildings

That were interconnected and now surrounded by the larger wings of the hospital that were built post 1924 when Kingston was named the capital of the province of can in 1841 the Watkins wing of kgh was vacant thus being chosen as the site of Canada’s first Parliament so much history here at

Just kgh alone and I’ve included a few links in the descriptors for anyone interested in reading more about this historical facility of healthcare number 16 the Royal Navy dockyard the Kingston Royal Navy dockyard was in operation from 1788 to 1853 and is currently part of the royal Military College of Canada the Kingston

Royal Navy dockyard was the only Royal navy base on Lake Ontario countering the American navy base across the way at nearby sacket Harbor New York during the War of 1812 at the end of 1814 the Kingston Royal Navy dockyard produced the largest naval squadron on the great lakes and it staffed 1,600 Personnel

Several Boats were constructed at the Navy Yard including HMS St Lawrence HMS Prince region and HMS princess Charlotte these ships were the most powerful warships built in Canada during the War of 1812 with the HMS St Lawrence being the largest and the most heavily armed warship of its time on freshwater the

Site was designated a National Historical Site of Canada in 1928 and I can see why after visiting the site and researching the history of this location I had no idea of the significance the British Navy had played right here in Kingston and I encourage anyone to read up on the history of this

Site number 17 the RTO Canal Kingston Mills is located approximately 7 km north of downtown Kingston and is the southernmost lock station in one of 24 lock Stations of the RTO Canal system beginning in 1827 the site was cleared to begin building locks for the RTO Canal which is a UNESCO world heritage

Site a defensive Block House was constructed beginning In 1832 where itous militia and British troops from 1838 to 1841 the site is managed and operated by Parks Canada and was designated a national his hisorical site in 1925 and a world heritage site in 2007 the r Canal is a marvelous creation

And it’s hard to believe that these locks allow boers to sail from Kingston all the way to Ottawa this place is a nice spot to stop and have a lunch and walk around but even during the offseason it was still pretty incredible to walk around and get up close to these

Locks I have traveled by the Kingston Mills Lux so many times in my time here in Kingston and I never stopped to walk around and can really see it I’m glad I did this was an amazing day of filming for me and I had the whole place to Myself number 18 War of 1812 shipwrecks the ships of HMS St Lords HMS Prince region and HMS Prince Charlotte received designation in 2014 and became shipwrecks in 1817 after the Rush bagot agreen this National Historical Site is one that I can’t visit as I’m not a

Diver but if you are be sure to head down to this area of the city and visit the sites of the shipwrecks of 1812 the ships can all be found in the waters off the shoreline of the royal Military College I’ve included a few links on some Dives that people recorded on

YouTube and I really encourage you to check it out the wrecks are a clear reminder of the magnitude of the arms race for control of the lake during the War of 1812 it’s pretty fascinating stuff knowing these ships are at rest right right here in Kingston number 19 to number 22 the Kingston

Fortifications the Kingston fortification National historical sites includes Fort Henry M Tower Cathcart tower scha Tower and Fort Frederick the fortifications are located in and around the harbor area of Kingston overlooking the mouth of the katarak River Lake Ontario and the St Lawrence River the for locations are five separate 19th century military

Installations and really make a statement to the Shoreline of Kingston the towers are all constructed from Limestone and their purpose was to defend the city as well as to protect the Navy dockyard an entrance of the r Canal the towers were all built between 1832 and 1848 the fortifications were

Also designed to concentrate fire on Garden Island as it was the only place for the Americans to effectively land artillery at the time the Oregon crisis was a tense dispute between the border of what was then British North America and the United States and the towers were built to protect Kingston from potential

Invasion mnie Tower is one of the martello tower fortifications that you can visit the tower was called M Tower after the family name who owned the land at the time construction began on the tower in February 1846 and was completed 9 months later the tower never saw a

Battle as the Oregon treaty was resolved in tension today M Tower is a functioning Museum through the summer months and really is worth a visit something else I wasn’t aware of 14 martello Towers were built in Canada and only nine are still standing with four of them being right

Here in Kingston M Tower was designated a National Historical Site in 1930 the Fort Frederick martello Tower stands 45 ft tall and located on the southern tip of what is now the Royal Military College and built again to defend the Royal Navy dockyard and the RTO Canal it was the most strategically

Important of The Four Towers and although the area is under construction it is still accessible to view from a distance the tower was designated a National Historical Site in 1996 and Fort Frederick is a pretty neat place to walk around and hopefully restoration becomes a priority as this fort and the

Tower would certainly be a big draw to tourists and residents of Kingston I really enjoyed walking around the defensive walls here and just trying to imagine within the fort in the 1800s sha Tower is located in Confederation Basin directly in front of City Hall which makes for an amazing

View from the water in the summer months for water enthusiasts the fortifications are not only National historical sites but also became UNESCO world heritage sites in 2007 along with the RTO canal the one tower that I was not able to get close to was Cathcart Tower as it is

Located on Cedar Island just off the eastern shore of Fort Henry Alexander Mckenzie was a foreman on the construction of the Cathcart Tower and later went on to become Canada’s second prime minister from 1873 to 1878 so this is the end of the list it’s a very impressive list and I really

Enjoyed putting all of this together filming at this time of year allowed me to have access to most of the locations without anyone else being around which was nice as I could really soak everything in I also really enjoy digging in and reading up on the various sites to learn more about their

Significance to not only Kingston but to Canada I learned a lot about Kingston that I wasn’t aware of and I look forward to seeing more sites throughout the city thanks for watching everyone and if you have any comments I’d like to hear from me and if you’d like this

Video and would like to see more on Kingston I’m open to suggestions and would like to Explore More around the city and put together some more short videos thanks again and we’ll see you around Town

I have lived in Kingston for 23 years and creating this video allowed me to learn so much more about the City and the History that we have here. Creating this video allowed me to explore the City and really take my time seeing things up close and also reading up on the 22 National Historical Sites. I hope you enjoy this video and please be sure to leave any comments or questions or thoughts on other Kingston videos. There is a lot of information on line on all of the Historical Sites in Kingston but I have included a few that I enjoyed reading to help me prepare this video.

Fort Frontenac
https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/dnd-mdn/migration/assets/FORCES_Internet/docs/en/training-establishments/ff-history-cacsc-eng.pdf

Kingston Penitentiary
http://www.stoneskingston.ca/penitentiary-city/

7 Things You Need to Know About Kingston Penitentiary

Kingston General Hospital
https://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/page_nhs_eng.aspx?id=861#:~:text=Kingston%20General%20Hospital%20was%20designated,The%20Main%20Building%20and%20the