KINGSTON, ONTARIO - MANY SITES TO SEE

Thursday, July 9th to Friday, July 10th, 2015

Day 339-340

Miles Traveled: 0

Total Miles Traveled: 5024

  Thursday we started our tour of Kingston, Ontario.  To get a nice overview of the sites of the city, we bought a Hop-On Hop-Off Trolley Tour Pass.  We have done this in other cities we have visited and found it to be a nice way to get a broad overview of the sites to see.  Kingston is the oldest community in Canada.  It began as a trading post in the 17th century.  In the 1800's, shipbuilding and national defense prospered.

  We toured the Fort Frederick and the Royal Military College of Canada which was modeled after West Point in the United States.  The college is housed on Point Frederick which was also the location of Fort Frederick.  Fort Frederick was built in 1813, to protect the St. Lawrence River from possible U.S. invasion.  The Royal Navy took over the dockyard and continued to build ships on this site.  In 1876, the Royal Military College of Canada was formed and the first class of 18 cadets were admitted.  A tradition at the college is for all the new cadets to recite all 18 names of the founding class.  What is left of the old Fort Frederick is some stone walls and its Martello Tower.  The Martello Tower was a round structure with thick walls to withstand cannon fire.  On top of the flat roof was platforms to fire cannons that were on tracks the could move 360 degrees.

buildings at Royal Military College of Canada

Fort Fredrick Martello Tower

  We also stopped at the Penitentiary Museum housed on the old Kingston Penitentiary Warden's house.  Inside was history about Ontario's penitentiary system in addition to art and contraband obtained from the inmates.

Kingston Penitentiary's Warden's House - now the museum

  The trolley drove around some of Queen's College's ground.  The buildings in this campus were beautiful.

Clock Tower building at Queen's College

  Our last stop of the day was the Pump House Museum, housed in the old water pump house for Kingston.

Pump House Museum

  Friday was a mix of site seeing and daily living needs (i.e.- laundry and grocery shopping).  We visited the St. George Cathedral and Kingston City Hall.  The current cathedral was built in 1825.  In 1899, a fire destroyed the entire interior of the church.  However, the high altar cross survived and continues to remain at the altar today.

St. George Cathedral

Altar in St. George Cathedral with the surviving High Altar Cross

  The Kingston City Hall building was constructed in 1844.  In the Council Chambers is an impressive Sunburst Chandelier containing 373 light bulbs.

Kingston City Hall

Council Chambers with Sunburst Chandelier

  

  We had dinner at Ontario's oldest brew pub, the Kingston Brewing Company.  Out in front of the building sits an old 1947 International Paddy Wagon (made in Hamilton, Ontario) that was used as a police paddy wagon in Ottawa at one time.  We ended our day with some great BBQ ribs and brisket; and, Dan, of course, had some of their home brewed beer. 

1947 International Paddy Wagon
owned by Kingston Brewing Company