History

Here on this hilltop once stood soldiers’ barracks, storehouses, a kitchen and a brewery. At its peak, Fort Edward served as a small, but busy military hub.

Timeline

1750

Fort Edward was constructed in June 1750 to secure the overland route between Annapolis Royal, the old capital of Nova Scotia, and the new capital at Halifax, founded in 1749.

The British colonial officials also intended the fort to assert government authority in the Piziquid area, one of the centres of Acadian settlement in the province.

As well, Mi'kmaq frequently travelled through the area following the two rivers (the Avon and the St. Croix) that met below the hill on which the fort was constructed.

1755 – The Great Upheaval

In the autumn of 1755, Fort Edward served as a centre for the deportation of approximately 1200 Acadian men, women, and children from the villages of Pisiquid.

Some Acadians however evaded the deportation and small groups were detained at the fort over the next few years.

1775 – American Revolution

During the American Revolution, the fort was repaired and garrisoned to protect the area, now called Windsor, from attack by American raiders.

One of the captains of the British regiment occupying the fort was Allan Macdonald, husband of Flora Macdonald, who had won fame as the rescuer of Bonnie Prince Charlie following the defeat of his Highland forces at the Battle of Culloden in 1745. Flora spent the winter of 1778-79 at Fort Edward before she returned to Scotland.

War of 1812

When war broke out between Britain and the United States in 1812, military officials feared an attack on the Windsor area. Fort Edward was hastily repaired and manned.

Despite this brief revival, Fort Edward had ceased to have strategic importance in the defence of Nova Scotia decades before.

Pre-First World War

The fortifications gradually fell into disrepair but the grounds were used by the local militia for training. The grounds were also used for the Windsor Agricultural Fair.

First World War

During the First World War, the fort grounds also served as a camp for troops from the Annapolis Valley waiting to go overseas.

1920

Fort Edward was designated a national historic site because of its role in the struggle for predominance in North America from 1750 to the war of 1812.

Today

Today, the blockhouse and cannon are reminders of the fort’s important role in securing British rule in the 1750s, while Britain and France battled for control of North America.

The Fort Edward blockhouse is the oldest standing blockhouse in Canada and the oldest surviving blockhouse in North America. There were two hundred blockhouses built in Canada.