Fort Haldimand

Fort Haldimand:

Located near the head of Carleton Island, Fort Haldimand was built in 1777 as a staging area for the British during the American Revolution. Molly Brant, a Mohawk leader who worked to keep the Iroquois Confederacy loyal to the British during the war, lived at Fort Haldimand for a time.

The Patton Corporation purchased Carleton Island (which at one time had been grazing land for Zenda Farm’s beef cattle) and created development lots. They placed conservation easements on these lots and gave Fort Haldimand to TILT in 1986 as part of the conservation agreement.

It is easy to see why the site was chosen for the Fort, given its vantage point toward Lake Ontario. It included a powder magazine, a well and several barracks. A bluff provided natural fortification on one side while man-made parapets completed its defense. All that remain of the fortifications are a few piles of stones and remnants of chimneys.

For more information, see http://www.dmna.state.ny.us/forts/fortsE_L/haldimandFort.htm