King's Town Trivia and Info

Kingston is known as "the limestone city."  After a fire devastated the downtown in the early 1800s, a new ordinance was passed that required buildings to be constructed of red brick or limestone.  Limestone, being the cheaper material option, was used most often for many of the town's historic buildings..

During and after the Revolutionary War, many Loyalists to England fled the States and moved to Canada.  With Kingston (once called "Kings Town") located above New York State across the Saint Lawrence River, logically the influx of English into this French-influenced area made a long-lasting impact. 

Comedian and actor Dan Akroyd is from Kingston and is frequently in town to attend city events.

While the 1976 Olympic Summer Games were held in Montreal; the Olympic sailing events were held in Kingston.

Other trivia:

Kingston is a beautiful town with a vibrant downtown and waterfront.  From 1841-1843, Kingston was Canada's capital city....that is until the Queen decided it was located too close to the U.S.  This was the capital building that today serves as Kingston's City Hall.

The Royal Military Academy is equivalent to our West Point.  These are some of the buildings of campus.

Similarly to our military academies, students who attend the RMA recieve a 4 year degree and a commission at graduation--all free.  Roughly 1500 students are enrolled at RMA of which 25% are women.

This is looking at the RMA from Fort Henry. 
The bay of water is known as Navy Bay, which at one time where ships were built and docked. Fort Henry was established to defend the Royal Navy yard.

Fort Henry was a fortification during the War of 1812. 
Later, it was part of the British defense system for the Rideau Canal (and therefore a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site). 
Today, Fort Henry is a National Historic Site which include paddocks, garrison cells, officers quarters, classrooms, museum exhibits, and specialty shops.  One artisan shop featured these wooden bowls--which by the way, didn't hold a candle to the artwork created by Brenda's brother, Bret.

We had a delicious lunch at Fort Henry in this shaded and cool area. (I know... this doesn't count as a trivia fact)

Throughout the day at the Fort, demonstrations and enactments take place.

At one time, Kingston was the home of Canada's oldest and most notorious maximum-security prison.
While closed today (and the land now owned by Queens College), the Kingston Penitentiary included a mens' prison and womens' prison.

There are several towers like this around the Kingston area, which once protected Kingston and the inlet into the Rideau Canal.  They were built in 1846 as part of the defensive fortifications.

Besides being the home to Canada's original Hockey Hall of Fame (first things first, right?), Kingston is also home to the esteemed Queens University, the first in Canada to grant degrees.
Its campus is beautiful and the buildings are of limestone blocks, the prominent stone of many buildings throughout Kingston.

 

Queen's University was founded in 1841 and is among Canada's most prestigious schools for study in medicine, engineering, and the arts.

This is St. George's Cathedral is the tallest structure in Kingston.

Kingston hosts many events during the summer months.  While we were there, live entertainment was going on in Confederation Park, next to the waterfront.  One block away was a Farmer's Market.  Later on in the evening in the square, the movie "La La Land" was being shown...bring your lawn chairs!

Off of the Trivia Track:  This morning as we left Kingston and got back on Lake Ontario, we passed this tiny island/shoal. What caught our attention were the hundreds of birds perched on the trees!  We will arrive in Trenton this afternoon and tomorrow begin our journey on the Trent-Severn Canal towards the Georgian Bay!