Fort St. Joseph National Historic Site (ON)
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The St. Joseph Island Bridge...
A pretty bit of road on the east side of the island...
Hilltop View - Every so often I'd top a hill and get a nice view of the island...
Fort St. Joseph National Historic Site
I had to make an appearance at least once!
The visitors center at Fort St. Joseph...
Fort St. Joseph as it once looked circa 1812. It was from this fort that the British carried out their sucessful attack on Ft. Mackinac on Mackinaw Island. The British stayed at Mackinaw for the rest of the war. In 1814 the Americans landed at the abandoned fort and burned it to the ground. It was never rebuilt.
Walking up the hill to the fort ruins...
Map of the ruins...A good map to give you an idea of where I am in the following photos...
The grass was mowed to show the former outline of the fort...
Built in 1804, this building outlasted the American destruction of the fort. It was abandoned in 1828.
This is the original bakehouse for the troops at the fort. It burned down in 1802 and the soldiers were without baked goods for two years until a new bakehouse was built!
A great lakes freighter passed by as I looked over the remains of the blockhouse...that's Michigan across the channel.
Originally a two-story structure, it sits in the middle of the fort grounds. The lower level stored supplies while the upstairs was used to house the troops.
Originally a two-story structure, it sits in the middle of the fort grounds. The lower level stored supplies while the upstairs was used to house the troops.
This building served as the fort jail as well as a shelter for troops on guard duty.
Built after the burning of the original kitchen in 1804. This chimney is all that remains...the foundations have not yet been located.
Built sometime before 1802, this building stored goods and weapons.
Plaque on the Kitchen Chimney...
There was a wharf here at one time...don't believe me, believe the sign!
Fort St. Joseph National Historic Site
The beach at Ft. St. Joseph...
Fearing another fire that could damage the fort, the new bakehouse was built outside the walls of the fort.
Merchants lived outside the fort in houses built half underground. The buildings havn't been excavated but you can see evidence of them if you look closely...
I followed the road around the outskirts of the fort...
This building was lucky enough to be spared by the Americans in 1814...likely because it was owned by a wealthy American businessman...