Kingston Mils Blockhouse National Historic Site of Canada provides a self-guided discovery of the military lifestyle of 1839 at this restored Blockhouse on Canada’s oldest continuously operating canal.
In 1832 the construction of a blockhouse was started, one of only four built along the Rideau Canal. It was completed in about 1834. It was built to the same dimensions as those at Narrows and Newboro, 24 feet (7.3 m) on a side, designed to accommodate 20 men. It was built with a masonry base, about 3 feet (0.9 m) in thickness, with an upper storey, 28 feet (8.5 m) on a side, built of large squared timbers. Access was by a stairway to the second floor.
The blockhouse housed militia stationed at Kingston Mills in the winter of 1837-38. In the late 1800s a wooden framed wing was added to the blockhouse to make it more liveable. This wing was enlarged in 1909. It was removed during renovations in the 1960s to restore the original military characteristics of the blockhouse.
The Rideau Canal, including Kingston Mills Blockhouse, has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
