Location of Fort Holmes on the islandStairway up to Fort Holmes, the highest point on Mackinac Island
Fort Holmes is a fortified earthen redoubt located on the highest point of Mackinac Island. Originally built in 1814 by British forces during the War of 1812, the redoubt was improved by that army throughout the course of the war (1812–1814) to help defend the adjacent Fort Mackinac from a possible attack by the U.S. Army.[3]
The British named the redoubt Fort George and reinforced it with cannon, a blockhouse, and a magazine for gunpowder and other munitions. However, Fort Holmes never functioned as an independent military fortification. It was always a dependent outpost of nearby Fort Mackinac.[3]
When United States armed forces reoccupied Mackinac Island in 1815 under the terms of the Treaty of Ghent, they took possession of Fort George. They surveyed and measured their prize, which they renamed Fort Holmes in honor of Major Andrew Holmes, a casualty in the 1814 Battle of Mackinac Island. However, the American army soon abandoned Fort Holmes. The earthworks and buildings of the former redoubt slowly eroded and disappeared over the course of more than a century.[3]
In 1936, as part of its mission to provide employment through public works projects during the nationwide Great Depression, the Works Progress Administration used the original 1817 American survey to rebuild Fort Holmes to its War of 1812 appearance.[4] As of 1984[update], however, most of the reconstructed buildings of Fort Holmes had again disappeared, except for the redoubt's earthen walls.[3]
In 2015 the Mackinac Island State Park completed a second reconstruction of Fort Holmes that resumes the appearance that the redoubt had in 1817.[5] The blockhouse includes interpretive panels inside, and is open in the summer. Many visitors come to the fort site for a view of the Straits of Mackinac, much of which is visible from this lookout point approximately 320 feet (98 m) above the surface of Lake Huron and 890 feet (271 m) above sea level. The redoubt and blockhouse can be rented for special occasions.
See alsoedit
Brian Leigh Dunnigan, Fort Holmes [Reports in Mackinac History and Archeology: No. 10] (Mackinac State Historic Parks, Mackinaw City, Mich.) .
Referencesedit
^"NPS Focus". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. Retrieved August 2, 2010.
^State of Michigan (2009). . Archived from the original on May 11, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2010.
^ abcdDunnigan, Brian Leigh (1984). Fort Holmes [Reports in Mackinac History and Archeology: Number 10]. Mackinac Island, Mich.: Mackinac Island State Park Commission. 7–32.
^"Fort Holmes". Mackinac State Historic Parks. Retrieved 2016-01-29.
^"Historic War of 1812 redoubt Fort Holmes rebuilt atop Mackinac Island". Michigan Live. August 17, 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
April 10, 2024
fort, holmes, 858336, 616442, 858336, 616442, national, historic, landmark, districtcontributing, propertymichigan, state, historic, sitelocationmackinac, island, michiganpart, ofmackinac, island, id66000397, significant, datesdesignated, nhldcpoctober, 1966de. 45 51 30 N 84 36 59 W 45 858336 N 84 616442 W 45 858336 84 616442 Fort HolmesU S National Historic Landmark DistrictContributing PropertyMichigan State Historic SiteLocationMackinac Island MichiganPart ofMackinac Island ID66000397 1 Significant datesDesignated NHLDCPOctober 15 1966Designated MSHSSeptember 25 1956 2 Location of Fort Holmes on the islandStairway up to Fort Holmes the highest point on Mackinac IslandFort Holmes is a fortified earthen redoubt located on the highest point of Mackinac Island Originally built in 1814 by British forces during the War of 1812 the redoubt was improved by that army throughout the course of the war 1812 1814 to help defend the adjacent Fort Mackinac from a possible attack by the U S Army 3 The British named the redoubt Fort George and reinforced it with cannon a blockhouse and a magazine for gunpowder and other munitions However Fort Holmes never functioned as an independent military fortification It was always a dependent outpost of nearby Fort Mackinac 3 When United States armed forces reoccupied Mackinac Island in 1815 under the terms of the Treaty of Ghent they took possession of Fort George They surveyed and measured their prize which they renamed Fort Holmes in honor of Major Andrew Holmes a casualty in the 1814 Battle of Mackinac Island However the American army soon abandoned Fort Holmes The earthworks and buildings of the former redoubt slowly eroded and disappeared over the course of more than a century 3 In 1936 as part of its mission to provide employment through public works projects during the nationwide Great Depression the Works Progress Administration used the original 1817 American survey to rebuild Fort Holmes to its War of 1812 appearance 4 As of 1984 update however most of the reconstructed buildings of Fort Holmes had again disappeared except for the redoubt s earthen walls 3 In 2015 the Mackinac Island State Park completed a second reconstruction of Fort Holmes that resumes the appearance that the redoubt had in 1817 5 The blockhouse includes interpretive panels inside and is open in the summer Many visitors come to the fort site for a view of the Straits of Mackinac much of which is visible from this lookout point approximately 320 feet 98 m above the surface of Lake Huron and 890 feet 271 m above sea level The redoubt and blockhouse can be rented for special occasions See also editBrian Leigh Dunnigan Fort Holmes Reports in Mackinac History and Archeology No 10 Mackinac State Historic Parks Mackinaw City Mich 1 References edit NPS Focus National Register of Historic Places National Park Service Retrieved August 2 2010 State of Michigan 2009 Fort Holmes Informational Site Archived from the original on May 11 2012 Retrieved June 26 2010 a b c d Dunnigan Brian Leigh 1984 Fort Holmes Reports in Mackinac History and Archeology Number 10 Mackinac Island Mich Mackinac Island State Park Commission 7 32 Fort Holmes Mackinac State Historic Parks Retrieved 2016 01 29 Historic War of 1812 redoubt Fort Holmes rebuilt atop Mackinac Island Michigan Live August 17 2015 Retrieved 22 November 2015 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Fort Holmes amp oldid 1179410005, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
