Founded by Loyalists in 1784, Prescott was for a long time an important port on the St Lawrence because of the rapids downstream. These held up the grain shipments so they had to be loaded onto barges here to continue the journey, or to be ground into flour in the town.
The main building of Fort Wellington is the restored blockhouse, but the officers' quarters and fortifications can also be seen. The fort was the scene of heavy fighting when William Lyon Mackenzie led his supporters and American allies in rebellion.
Nowadays the fort is a military museum, and stages re-enactments of the old military drill parades in the British and American uniforms of the time.
Address: Fort Wellington National Historic Site, Box 479, Prescott, ON K0E1T0, Canada
Phone: 1 (613) 925-2896, Fax: 1 (613) 925-1536
Hours:
May 20 to September 30: 10am-5pm
Tips: October 1 to Victoria Day weekend - Open for groups of 10 or more by reservation only.
East of Fort Wellington is a former windmill that was converted into a lighthouse in 1838. Mackenzie's supporters took refuge here during the uprising.
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