Brockville Historic Area: The Brock Trail

Although technically no longer an island, this park peninsula has traditionally been known by a number of names in our local history. The original REFUGE ISLAND, a bare rock with some scrub growth, became HOSPITAL ISLAND during its tenure as an isolation area during the frightful appearance of the cholera epidemic in the summer of 1832.
Later, in response to threatened raids of this area from across the river from groups of young Americans calling themselves "Patriot Hunters," the island (at that time known as GRANT ISLAND) was fortified, and a log blockhouse, as shown in the drawing, was built in January 1839. From that point it became known as BLOCKHOUSE ISLAND, and it has retained that name to the present time.
In 1860, with the opening of the southern terminus of the Brockville & Ottawa Railway and the creation of the first railway tunnel in Canada on the mainland, this area was enlarged and joined to the shore by extensive rock infill, and a set of railway buildings were built here, including a large domed roundhouse. Eventually, most of the railway buildings were eventually [sic] no longer required on the "island" and this pleasure park still known as Blockhouse Island was created for locals and visitors alike.
[Illustration caption reads]
A view of BLOCKHOUSE ISLAND



from the northeast as sketched by British officer-artist, Col. William Denny (1804-1886) while traveling between Montreal and Kingston in 1845 with the 71st Regiment.

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Blockhouse Island
The Wreck of the ROBERT GASKIN
Con Darling
Brockville Pipes & Drums
Brockville Rowing Club Regatta
SS Kingston
The Bluenose Visit, 1933 / La visite du Bluenose, 1933
5 Sunken Treasures in the Brockville Area
Blockhouse Island
Saint Lawrence, the Martyr

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