Agnes welcomes artist Vanessa Dion Fletcher, professor Dr Karen Lawford, and curators Erin Sutherland and Carina Magazzeni in this moderated discussion which touches upon current issues in the art and politics of human sexuality.
During the War of 1812, land and naval forces clashed over a
huge territory, stretching as far south as the Mississippi Valley, but the
outcome of the war was decided on and around the Great Lakes. British forces
realized that they needed warships to compete with the ships being built by the
Americans at Sackets Harbor naval base. Point Frederick in Kingston, which had
been a British naval base since the 1790s, became the new site of a large naval
dockyard. This is where the HMS St. Lawrence was launched in 1814. It
was the Royal Navy’s first warship to be launched and operated entirely in
fresh water.
Today, the site of the dockyard on the eastern shore of
Point Frederick is marked by an information board. As we looked across the peaceful
bay to Fort Henry, we had to remember that this stone fortress didn’t exist in
1812. Instead, Point Henry was fortified with a wooden fort. That was the
original Fort Henry – built to protect the new Royal Naval Dockyard. A brochure
about the dockyard and the War of 1812 is available at Panet House near the
information board. You can use it to do a walking tour that focuses on the role
of the peninsula during the War of 1812. It helps you imagine that bustling
period, when 1,600 naval personnel were based here, accompanied by roughly
1,200 casual labourers.
From Panet House, we had a wonderful view of the Mackenzie
Building, the original administration centre for the Royal Military College.
This iconic building with a magnificent clock tower was completed in 1878, but the
college quickly outgrew it and plans were set in motion for a two-phase
project: first, to build a new larger edifice, the Currie Building, adjacent to it; and second, to
demolish the Mackenzie Building. However, before the demolition could take
place, the college ran into a funding problem and had to leave the Mackenzie Building
in place. As Sean snapped pictures and I admired the architecture, we were
grateful for that funding shortfall.
No matter which direction we looked, we were captivated by
the attractive limestone buildings. Just to the east of the Mackenzie Building,
we noticed the Stone Frigate, which we learned was the oldest building at RMC. Completed
in 1821, it originally served as a storage facility for naval equipment, ships
and rigging, but was converted for use by the college in time for the arrival
of the first cadets in 1876.
Crossing over to the west side of the peninsula, we passed a
hive of construction activity, as workers busied themselves restoring an old
limestone wall. Due to the construction,
there were few parking spots for visitors, but that hadn’t been an issue for us
because we had walked onto Point Frederick. There was plenty to see even though
Fort Frederick on the south end of the peninsula was closed for restoration
work.
On the west side, more information boards jogged our minds
back to the War of 1812. Sean and I read about the failed attempt of the
American forces to capture Britain’s largest ship on the Great Lakes, the Royal
George. The British ship, pursued by seven American ships, raced to safety
along the western shores of Point Frederick where land defences were strong. At
that time, the well-protected waterway and shoreline was a refuge; today, the
same spot is a different sort of refuge: a quiet place to enjoy a walk and soak
in the local history.
Text by Helen Cutts
Photographs by Sean McEvoy
Explore our Museums, Art Galleries & Historic Sites
Kingston is Canada’s museum capital with something for everyone at over 26 museums and historic sites and 4 art galleries. It’s all here, from small specialized museums to national historic treasures including the endpoint of Canada’s newest UNESCO World Heritage Site - The Rideau Canal and the Kingston Fortifications - designated in 2007.
