Kingston — Capital, Harbour & Fortifications
Fort Frederick and Point Frederick
Listen at the stop, then read the transcript and follow the sources behind the story.
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Transcript
Point Frederick became a major British naval base during the War of 1812. Ships were constructed here for service on Lake Ontario.
Fort Frederick, with its Martello tower, later formed part of the enlarged harbour defence system.
Today the site lies within the Royal Military College of Canada, continuing the area's military association.
The War of 1812 on Lake Ontario was unusual: both sides built increasingly large warships, often faster than they could use them effectively.
Naval construction became strategic competition in timber, labour and guns.
The fortifications of the 1840s then prepared for the next war that never came.
Point Frederick therefore records two generations of military planning: one responding to an actual conflict and another preparing for its return.
History sometimes advances through wars. Here, much of the landscape was shaped by the expectation of one.