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Fort Mississauga National Historic Site of Canada

223 Queen Street, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada

Formally Recognized: 1960/05/30

General view of Fort Mississauga showing the square massing of the tower.; Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada.
General view
General view of Fort Mississauga showing the brick construction materials and skilled craftsmanship of the tower.; Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada.
General view
Aerial view of Fort Mississauga showing the strategic location beside the lake at the mouth of the Niagara River.; Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada.
Aerial view

Other Name(s)

Fort Mississauga
Fort Mississauga
Niagara National Historic Sites of Canada
Fort Mississauga National Historic Site of Canada
Lieux historiques nationaux du Canada du Niagara

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1814/01/01 to 1840/01/01

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2007/06/19

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

Fort Mississauga is a large, square, brick defensive tower set within the remains of earthworks on the shoreline of the Niagara River. On the landward side, it is surrounded by golfing greens located within the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Heritage Value

Fort Mississauga was declared a national historic site because:
- it is an important example of military construction within a military complex of national historic importance,
- completed after the War of 1812, the fort and its central tower were located in a strategic position at the mouth of the Niagara River to protect the British/Canadian side of the frontier and to serve as a counterpoise to Fort Niagara on the American side,
-it is the only remaining example in Canada of its type of fortification - a square tower within a star-shaped earthwork.

The heritage value of Fort Mississauga lies in its illustration of a rare type of military structure located in a strategic position.

Sources: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes, May 1960, October 1963, June 1994; Commemorative Integrity Statement.

Character-Defining Elements

Key features contributing to the heritage value of this site include:

- the strategic location beside the lake at the mouth of the Niagara River,
- the square massing of the tower,
- the outline (both profile and footprint), and composition of the star-shaped earthwork,
- the defensive design elements of the tower such as the smooth non-combustible walls, elevated entry and fireproof roofing,
- the brick construction materials and skilled craftsmanship of the tower,
- the volume of the powder magazine and its bomb and fire-proof construction,
- the remains of casemates, and built landscape features including the earthworks with its glacis, ravelin, gate and sallyport,
- the spatial and functional relationships between the tower and earthworks,
- the archaeological remains of other structures such as the footprint and remnants of former buildings within the fort earthworks and the 1804 lighthouse and lightkeeper's residence,
- the viewplanes to the mouth of the Niagara River and to Fort Niagara.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

Federal

Recognition Authority

Government of Canada

Recognition Statute

Historic Sites and Monuments Act

Recognition Type

National Historic Site of Canada

Recognition Date

1960/05/30

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

n/a

Theme - Category and Type

Governing Canada
Military and Defence

Function - Category and Type

Current

Leisure
Museum

Historic

Defence
Military Defence Installation

Architect / Designer

n/a

Builder

n/a

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

National Historic Sites Directorate, Documentation Centre, 5th Floor, Room 89, 25 Eddy Street, Gatineau, Quebec

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

433

Status

Published

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General view

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