Former Names Charles Fort (1629–1632) | |
.jpg) Fort Anne at sunset | |
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| Established | August 1, 1629 |
|---|---|
| Location | Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Coordinates | 44°44′28″N 65°31′05″W / 44.741°N 65.518°W |
| Official name | Fort Anne National Historic Site of Canada |
| Designated | January 30, 1920 |
Fort Anne is a historic fort protecting the harbour of Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. It was built by Scottish settlers in August 1629 as Charles Fort.[1] For the first 120 years of the fort's service period, the settlement of Port Royal, later Annapolis Royal, was the capital of the New France colony of Acadia and British North America colony of Nova Scotia. In 1917, Fort Anne became the first National Historic Site of Canada.[2] Although no longer in active service, it is the oldest extant fort in Canada. Fort Anne has provided more defensive service than any other fort in North America, having been attacked and blockaded at least 19 times over a service period of 225 years, from the Acadian Civil War through to the American Revolutionary War. The fort also contains the oldest military building in Canada and the oldest building administered by Parks Canada, the 1708 powder magazine.
The importance of Port Royal as a settlement site was first recognised by Pierre Dugua, Lieutenant General of New France, in 1604. After the nearby fortified habitation he constructed was destroyed by a raid from Virginia in 1613, a new fort was built on the current site by Scottish settlers in 1629 under the leadership of Sir William Alexander. The new construction was called Charles Fort after Charles I, King of Scotland. The fort was acquired by the French in 1632 and would later pass between the French, English and British until the area was finally ceded to Great Britain in 1713 at the end of Queen Anne's War. The last assault on the fort was from American privateers in 1781 during the American Revolutionary War. Although the possibility existed for attacks during the War of 1812, none occurred.
Fort Anne was acquired by the Dominion Parks Branch, the predecessor of Parks Canada, in 1917 and transitioned to the new designation of National Historic Site of Canada in 1920.
The grounds are open year round. Parks Canada operates a museum in the 1797 Officer's Quarters daily from mid-May until mid-October.
Numerous events take place in and around the fort during the year, normally culminating on Natal Day, the first Monday in August.