NEWS FEED

• It was a little hard to find but...

  Guestbook/ Explore150 Team/ Nov 11, 2013

  Fort Townshend became "famous" again in St. John's when it's former address became the designated area for the city's museum, The Rooms. There was lots of controversy about the placement and if the building would compromise the historical site but it seems that The Rooms has done a great job in celebrating the story of this historic Fort.
  
  The fort once formed a central part of the 18th-century British defence network, consisting of forts and smaller batteries strategically positioned throughout the area. The fort was part of an effort on behalf of the British Empire to protect the residential fishery of Newfoundland from threat of the French. As the threat of the French became larger, so did the fort. In 1796 the French came through the Narrows in St. John's but were deterred by the appearance of the Fort. The fort was abandoned in 1871, and now is simply part of the downtown landscape of St. John's. What was left of the Fort is now owned by The Rooms for future study. When visiting the museum make sure to ask a guide who I'm sure will be happy to enlighten you more about the history of the site!