Fort Edward, Military fort in Windsor, Canada

Fort Edward is a historic military site in Windsor, Nova Scotia, featuring a wooden blockhouse positioned on a hill overlooking the Avon River valley. The structure maintains its original form, and the location offers views across the surrounding landscape from its elevated position.

Fort Edward was built in 1750 on the site of the Acadian parish church of l'Assomption, which Major Charles Lawrence had destroyed that June so the fort could replace it. Captain Alexander Murray read the expulsion order to 183 imprisoned Acadian men there on 5 September 1755, and 920 Acadians from Pisiquid were loaded onto four transports that October. The fort later held Acadian prisoners including Joseph Broussard, and served as a Canadian training camp in the First World War.

The fort stands on the site of the parish of l'Assomption church, established in 1722 and destroyed by the Acadians in June 1750 so the British could build here. Captain Alexander Murray read the expulsion order to 183 imprisoned Acadian men on 5 September 1755, and 920 Acadians from Pisiquid were loaded onto four transports that October.

The fort grounds are open year-round and free to visit, so you can explore at any time. Guided tours operate from June through August if you want more detailed information about the site and its history.

The wooden blockhouse is one of the oldest surviving military buildings on the North American continent. Its straightforward, sturdy construction shows what early British fortifications looked like in this region.