No. 2 (Centre) Blockhouse

The first structures built at Fort York during the War of 1812 were blockhouses to house the soldiers. Thick, square-timbered walls covered with weather boards offered protection from bullets, exploding shells, and small-calibre artillery. Loopholes and windows allowed defenders to fire back at attackers. When the fort’s earthworks were completed in 1814, soldiers could retreat into the blockhouses if the exterior walls were overrun. During the Rebellion of 1837, this building gained a ditch, a musket proof parapet, and bulletproof window blinds. In addition to serving as barracks, the blockhouses were used as storage facilities, emergency housing for immigrants in the 1820s, hospitals during the cholera epidemic in the 1830s, and drill sheds for the militia after 1867.

Ontario · Canada