Tony Chisholm
Special to The Lake Report
I’ve always been fascinated with Fort Mississauga. It fired my imagination to see the original structure, never fully restored, sitting unused on its own original embankments.
Long after I moved to town, I enjoyed walking the trail in the golf course to photograph the fort in its many moods on the shoreline. I loved the time at sunset when the red bricks were seemingly set on fire by the setting sun.
Fort Mississauga stands as a tower of strength on Lake Ontario. Built just after the War of 1812, this unique site reflects 150 years of British and Canadian military activity.
This treasured place is a testament to the resilience of the local community, the rubble of whose homes was used as building materials to the peoples who laboured to build this fort and protect their homes, including the Coloured Corps — and, to all nations that have called this place home since time immemorial.
In 1804, a lighthouse was erected at the site by British settlers, which had become known as Mississauga Point. The lighthouse was maintained by Dominic and Mary Henry and saw action during the Battle of Fort George in May 1813. This was the first lighthouse on the Great Lakes but was dismantled in 1814 to make way for Fort Mississauga.
When the British recaptured the Niagara Frontier in December 1813, they chose to replace Fort George which had been left in ruins. Because Fort George did not command the entrance to the mouth of the Niagara River, Fort Mississauga was meant to correct that. The location held a commanding view of Lake Ontario and the Niagara River.
The new fort started in the spring of 1814, featured a star-shaped fortification and was dominated by the massive central tower. It was built in part from the remains of the lighthouse and bricks salvaged from the town after it was burned by retreating American forces in December 1813.
With the American navy in 1814 controlling Lake Ontario, this work was crucial to the security of British forces in the Niagara Peninsula. A British officer later noted “Mississauga … is a pretty little fort and would prevent vessels coming up the river.”
It is the only remaining example of a square tower within a star-shaped earthwork in Canada.
Since 2019, Fort Mississauga National Historic Site has undergone a series of incredible restoration works to restore the site’s cultural resources and provide even more opportunities for visitors to experience a critical period in Canada’s history.
From the restored earthworks and stabilized central tower and structures, to the new pedestrian boardwalk connecting visitors to the new pathway and amazing viewscapes along the stabilized section of Lake Ontario shoreline, Fort Mississauga is now a must-see experience in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
And now, Fort Mississauga National Historic Site will be open on weekends from May 16 to June 28, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday. Join Friends of Fort George staff on-site and explore this historic gem with us.
Our interpreters will be on-site within the grounds of Fort Mississauga with replica artifacts offering tours. Learn about the history of the site, access the interior of the tower, and take part in our historic tours.
Our in-depth tours will take place at 11 a.m.; 1 p.m.; and 3 p.m., each day, and will include a visit to the Sally Port with our staff.
Visiting the site is free of charge, but accessing the interior of the site, or going on a tour costs $5 per person.
For more information, contact the Friends of Fort George at 905-468-6621 or email admin@friendsoffortgeorge.ca. All proceeds from this initiative will help to support student employment opportunities at Fort George and Brock’s Monument.
The Friends of Fort George is a non-profit organization that works with Parks Canada for the protection, preservation, interpretation of Niagara’s National Historic Sites.
Tony Chisholm is president of the Friends of Fort George in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
