Today, we ventured a short distance from Gananoque to the former capital of Canada, Kingston, Ontario only a 20 minute drive west. Our first stop was Fort Henry. Fort Henry was built during the War of 1812 (1812-1814), between Great Britain (Canada being a British colony at the time) and the United States of America. During the War of 1812, the British anticipated an attack on Fort Henry due to its proximity to the Royal Naval Dockyards (at the site of the present-day Royal Military College) and to the mouth of the St. Lawrence River. The fort's location was advantageous, and the loss of this vital trading route would have cut off communication between Kingston and everything to the east of the city. Fort Henry is at the intersection of three important waterways: the Rideau Canal, the St. Lawrence River, and Lake Ontario. At top of Fort Henry you get a great view of the downtown of Kingston and the Royal Military College. Founded in 1876, the Royal Military College of Canada is now one of Canada’s most prestigious post-secondary schools, offering a university degree as part of a rigorous four-year officer training program. We spent quite a while touring the fort and then headed into Kingston. Heading to downtown, we passed the City Hall, St. George’s Cathedral, visited the Murney (Martello) Tower on the shores of Lake Ontario, Queens University, the historic Portsmouth Village, overlooking the Olympic harbor and the limestone walls of Kingston Penitentiary. The weather was simply spectacular, once again, for touring this historic city. It was another great day with “the Sisters”!
