Fort Saint-Jean (Quebec)

Fort Saint-Jean is a fortification in Quebec built from 1666 to 1775. It is one of the oldest permanent military facilities in North America. The fort has been continually occupied since 1666.

History

The site was fortified in the 17th century. Fort Saint-Jean was built on the west shore of the Richelieu River by soldiers of the régiment de Carignan-Salières in 1665-1666. A series of military posts were built along the Richelieu, which gave the Haut-Richelieu Region its name: “Valley of the Forts”. Initially, the forts were built as protection against repeated conflicts with the Iroquois Indians throughout the Richelieu Valley. It provided an important communication link during the French and Indian Wars. Fort Saint-Jean was rebuilt several times. In the 1750s, the fort consists of palisades with four large bastions. Fort Saint-Jean was surrendered to the British in 1760. During the American Revolutionary War, Fort Saint-Jean inhabitants delayed the American troops marching on Québec City. The control of the town changed hands several times as the British and American forces moved through the area.

General Richard Montgomery’s American army took Fort Saint-Jean after the battle of Fort Saint-Jean in 1775. British troops reoccupied Fort Saint-Jean in 1776. Fort Saint-Jean was a military base in the 19th and 20th century. The 22nd Royal Regiment was created in the last century. [http://www.ville.saint-jean-sur-richelieu.qc.ca/cgi-bin/index.cgi?page=f0_3_1 Fort Saint-Jean ] The Canadian Armed Forces arrived in 1941. The Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean was founded in 1952. It was the site of the Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean from 1952 to 1995. Since 1979, the Général-Jean-Victor-Allard Building has housed the Saint-Jean Garrison. The building houses the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School, the Canadian Forces Language School, and the Canadian Forces Management Development School. Fort Saint-Jean is currently the site of the Royal Military College de Saint-Jean from 2007-present. The original British buildings date back to 1839. [http://cmhg.gc.ca/cmh/en/image_178.asp?page_id=219 Fort Saint-Jean ]

The DeLery Building academic classrooms were named after Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Léry, a military engineer who built Fort Saint-Jean in 1748. The ruins of the ramparts of Fort Saint-Jean date to 1748. The British buildings, which are still intact, date back to 1839. The dormitories where the soldiers used to sleep are also intact. [www.monteregie-travelguide.com/haut-richelieu/Musee-du-Fort+Saint-Jean/ Museum of Fort Saint-Jean]

The RMC Saint-Jean infrastructure is currently used by the Canadian Forces located at ASU Saint-Jean and by a non-profit corporation called Campus du Fort Saint-Jean, which arranges for the upkeep of many of the educational facilities and leases them out to educational institutions such as the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM) for their local programmes while also renting out others for short events such as large banquets or conventions.

Museum of Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean

The museum is located in Fort Saint-Jean on the campus of the Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean. The museum mandate is to collect, conserve, research and display material relating to the history of the CMR, its former cadets and its site, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. The museum contains collections of military memorabilia and military artefacts. The site has been occupied since 1666 by different garrisons, a shipyard and a military college. [http://www.cmrstjean.com/musee/ CMR ] ]

The CMR Ex-Cadet Foundation manages the museum which recognizes more than 325 years (1666–1995) of military history at the fortifications located on the Richelieu River. The flora and centennial trees enhance the site.

The museum was located in the old guardhouse from 1974–1998. The museum was closed from 1998– 2003. It is now situated in the former Protestant chapel. The Museum is opened Wednesday to Sunday, from 10h00 to 17h00, from May 24th until September 1st.

*Collège militaire royal Museum
*Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean,
*Richelain, Que, 15 Jacques-Cartier nord,
*St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, J3B 8R8
*Tel: [phone] poste 5769.

The museum is a member of the Canadian Museums Association and the Organization of Military Museums of Canada Inc. The museum is an accredited museum within the Canadian Forces Museum System. [www.rmc.ca/other/museum/index_e.html Museum of the Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean ] The museum has formed a cooperating association of friends of the museum to assist with projects. [ Canadian Forces Museums http://www.admfincs.forces.gc.ca/admfincs/subjects/cfao/027-05_e.asp ]

ee also

*Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean

References