The timeline of Kingston history shows the significant events in the history of Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Aboriginal period About 500 CE to 1600s – The First Nations settlements
17th century 1673 – Established as Fort Cataraqui; later renamed Fort Frontenac 1688 – The Iroquois siege, the French destroyed the fort, but rebuilt it later
18th century 1758 – The British destroyed the fort during the Battle of Fort Frontenac (Seven Years’ War) and its ruins remained abandoned 1783 – The British took possession and partially reconstructed the fort 1783 – The Crawford Purchase, an agreement with the Mississaugas, to purchase land east of the Bay of Quinte,Osborne 2011, pp. 19–21 to lay out a settlement for displaced British colonists, or Loyalists, who were fleeing north because of the American Revolutionary WarOsborne 2011, p. 18 1784 – Influx of Loyalist settlers 1787 – Cataraqui was referred to as “the King’s Town” in honour of King George III 1788 – The name was abbreviated to “Kingston”Armstrong 1973, p. 67. 1792 – The first high school (grammar school) of Ontario was established (evolved into Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute)
19th century 1812 – The first Fort Henry was built to protect the dockyards in Navy Bay 1812, November – American naval forces attacked the British sloop Royal George in Kingston harbour but the ship took refuge in the harbour and the American forces withdrew 1813 – Fort Henry was replaced by a more extensive fort on Point HenryMika 1987, p. 68. (Kingston population was 2,250) 1832–1836 – The construction of Fort Henry’s limestone citadelOntario Heritage Plaque – Fort Henry Retrieved September 2, 2015 1832 – Rideau Canal completion 1835 – Kingston Penitentiary, Canada’s first large federal penitentiary, was established (operated until 2013) 1838 – Kingston incorporated as town 1840, April 18 – a dock fire, fanned by high winds, resulted in explosion and spread of the fire throughout the city’s downtown area, destroying a large number of buildings, including the old city hallKingston Public Market History Retrieved October 8, 2015Osborne 2011, p. 99 1840s and later – “the Limestone Revolution” (to prevent similar incidents from occurring in future), Kingston’s nickname became “The Limestone City” since then 1840s – Construction of several defensive fortifications because of tensions with the United States (among them are Fort Henry, four Martello towers – Cathcart Tower, Shoal Tower, Murney Tower, and Fort Frederick – and the Market Battery) 1841–1844 – Kingston served as the first capital of the united Canadas (the capital then was moved to Montreal) 1841, June 13 – The first meeting of the Parliament of the Province of Canada was held on the site of what is now Kingston General Hospital 1842 – Queen’s University (originally Queen's College) first held classes 1844 – The City Hall completed 1846 – Kingston incorporated as city (with a population of 6,123) 1847 – North American typhus epidemic; Hotel Dieu and Kingston General Hospital cared for victims 1856 – The Grand Trunk Railway reached Kingston 1876 – The Royal Military College of Canada was founded 1881 – A telephone system began operation; at that time the population was 14,091 1888 – Electricity reached Kingston
20th century 1914 – Camp Barriefield, now McNaughton Barracks, was constructed 1914–1917 – Fort Henry served as an internment camp for “enemy aliens” 1936 – Fort Henry restoration, now part of a World Heritage Site 1937 – Vimy Barracks was established for the Royal Canadian School of Signals 1939–1943 – Fort Henry was again an internment camp (Camp 31) 1959 – The Royal Military College of Canada became the first military college in the Commonwealth with the right to confer University degrees 1995 – Kingston General Hospital was designated a National Historic Site of Canada because it is “the oldest public hospital in Canada still in operation with most of its buildings intact” 1998 – Amalgamation with Kingston and Pittsburgh Townships
21st century 2024 – The La Salle Causeway, including a bascule lift bridge, was demolished (temporarily replaced by a modular bridge)
Notes
Bibliography
Adams, Nick.Iroquois Settlement at Fort Frontenac in the Seventeenth and Early Eighteenth Centuries . Ontario Archaeology, No. 46: 4–20. 1986. Armstrong, Alvin. Buckskin to Broadloom – Kingston Grows Up. Kingston Whig-Standard, 1973. No ISBN. Mika, Nick and Helma et al. Kingston, Historic City. Belleville: Mika Publishing Co., 1987. . Mika, Nick and Helma. Kingston Heritage, Buildings, Monuments, Plaques Belleville: Mika Publishing Co., 1983, 160 pages. Osborne, Brian S. and Donald Swainson. Kingston, Building on the Past for the Future. Quarry Heritage Books, 2011. Roy, James. Kingston: The King's Town. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1952. Turner, Larry. "The Founding of Kingston, Ontario" . The Loyalist Gazette, Volume XXII, No. 1. Retrieved 2015-01-14 Preston, Richard. Kingston Before the War of 1812: A Collection of Documents . Toronto: Champlain Society Publications, 1959. The Heritage Ambassadors of Kingston