Fort Chambly National Historic Site
Fort Chambly National Historic Site things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
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Fort Chambly is a historic fort in La Vallée-du-Richelieu Regional County Municipality, Quebec. It is designated as a National Historic Site of Canada. Fort Chambly was formerly known as Fort St. Louis. It was part of a series of five fortifications built along the Richelieu River that were built to protect travellers on the river from the Iroquois. The region is informally known as la Vallée-des-Forts. Fort Chambly at the foot of the Chambly rapids on the Richelieu River in Quebec, Canada, was built by the French in 1711. It was the last of three forts to be built on the same site. The first — then called Fort Saint Louis — was constructed in 1665 by captain Jacques de Chambly, to protect New France from Iroquois attacks. After minor repairs, the fort was burned by the Indians in 1702, but was reconstructed the same year. By then it was already known as Fort Chambly. However, with the Great Peace of Montreal in 1701, the war between the French and Iroquois was over. Also at this time the War of the Spanish Succession broke out, and boiled over into the colonies of France and England. Thus, to defend against a more powerful European attack, including the threat of cannon fire, Governor Philippe de Rigaud Vaudreuil ordered that the fort be rebuilt in stone in 1709. The engineer responsible for the design and construction of the new fort was Josué Boisberthelot de Beaucours. He also oversaw major improvements carried out on the fort between 1718 and 1720, modifications he felt would greatly increase the fort's defenses. For many years Fort Chambly was the main footing of the defensive chain of fortifications along the Richelieu River, which was the easiest invasion route into New France. However, with the construction of Fort Saint-Frédéric (1731) and Fort Saint-Jean (Quebec) (1748) further south, Fort Chambly lost most of its defensive purpose and so was converted into a warehouse and rally-point for soldiers, although the fort was never abandoned. With the Seven Years' War, Fort Chambly was re-fortified and reoccupied, although it failed to stop the British from approaching Montreal and Quebec City. The substantial stone structure which still stands today was lost to the British in 1760 in The Conquest of New France, also known as the French and Indian War. Captured by American forces on October 20, 1775 during the American Invasion of Canada of 1775–76, it was held until the spring of 1776 when it was evacuated and burned, as the Americans retreated southward to Fort Ticonderoga. Subsequently, prisoners-of-war from the Continental Army, including Colonel William Stacy, were held at Fort Chambly until the end of the American Revolutionary War. After the Fenian Raids in the 1860s, during which the fort was reoccupied, it was allowed to fall into ruin. In 1881 a citizen of Chambly, Joseph-Octave Dion, personally repaired and restored the site. In the 20th century the Canadian government recognized Fort Chambly's cultural and historical worth and undertook its maintenance. Between 1965 and 1985 extensive archaeological digs were carried out, and today a fully reconstructed version of the final phase of Fort Chambly (1718–1720) is maintained by Parks Canada and is open to the public as the Fort Chambly National Historic Site of Canada.
Me 1974Me 1974
210
Lovely place. Nice for the whole family. Plenty of space to do a picnic, to play, dogs are allowed. You can see the sunset there. There is one entrance to the river where you can sit on a rock and put your feet into the fresh water. There are picnic tables. There are some bathrooms and water fountains. Some people fish, but I'm not sure it is allowed. You can visit the historic building. The parking is limited and free, but I have never been forced to park outside. It is 5 min away from the restaurants and ice cream places. Nice place to take tourists. 👌
Lucia PatinoLucia Patino
30
While staying in Saint Jean Sur Richelieu my wife and I decided to take a drive along the Richelieu River which was a very pleasant drive to Fort Chambly. The fort is situated on the Richelieu River and adjacent park. We had a really great time walking in and around the fort. The history and displays made it an enjoyable experience. The guides were helpful and polite and very knowledgeable. The fort and park is very well maintained and worth visiting if you have the time.
WGBWGB
00
really nice site where you can make a picnic outside there is around 9 or 10 picnic table outside the main site and a couple inside the place is wheelchair accessible everything has been well restored you can find all the history about the fort there a bunch of quiz you can do to test your knowledge it cost around 18 $ per adult free for kid take around 1h30 if you take your time to visit
chris Audi1chris Audi1
00
Nice place to visit with family. Pretty big park to have a little walk and enjoy the picnic. Enough of parking for everyone. Easily accessible. Has a historical building to look at - Fort Chambly. We happened to see an ending event with antique cars. Pretty awesome. A bit far from Montreal. Took us around 50 minutes to drive with no traffic, but definitely worth to visit.
Andrey Akh.Andrey Akh.
20
Fort Chambly is a neat old fort near Montreal. Cool stone walls and river views. No costumed guides, but you can try on costumes yourself. They do fun activities every 30 mins - stuff about uniforms, history, and old objects. Staff's super knowledgeable and great. Good for a quick trip if you like history. Nice spot for a picnic too. Worth a visit if you're in the area!
Hetal SompuraHetal Sompura
00
Nearby Attractions Of Fort Chambly National Historic Site
Écluse de Chambly | Lieu historique national du Canal-de-Chambly
Parc des Ateliers | Lieu historique national du Canal-de-Chambly
Rapides de Chambly

Écluse de Chambly | Lieu historique national du Canal-de-Chambly
4.6
(520)Click for details

Parc des Ateliers | Lieu historique national du Canal-de-Chambly
4.5
(125)Click for details

Rapides de Chambly
4.9
(8)Click for details
Nearby Restaurants Of Fort Chambly National Historic Site
La Cochonne Rit
Restaurant Tre Colori inc.
Bedondaine & Bedons Ronds
Délires et Délices - Microbrasserie
L’Œufrier (Chambly)
Grillades Du Fort
Restaurant Au Coin De La Baie
Café MJ et Cie - Chambly
Bonté Divine
La Taverne Vieux chambly

La Cochonne Rit
4.5
(1K)$$$
Click for details

Restaurant Tre Colori inc.
4.1
(858)$$
Click for details

Bedondaine & Bedons Ronds
4.7
(405)Click for details

Délires et Délices - Microbrasserie
4.5
(387)$$
Click for details
Basic Info
Address
2 Rue de Richelieu, Chambly, QC J3L 2B9, Canada
Map
Phone
+1 450-658-1585
Call
Website
parcs.canada.ca
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Reviews
Overview
4.6
(362 reviews)
Ratings & Description
cultural
family-friendly
accessibility
Description
Fort Chambly is a historic fort in La Vallée-du-Richelieu Regional County Municipality, Quebec. It is designated as a National Historic Site of Canada. Fort Chambly was formerly known as Fort St. Louis.
attractions: Écluse de Chambly | Lieu historique national du Canal-de-Chambly, Parc des Ateliers | Lieu historique national du Canal-de-Chambly, Rapides de Chambly, restaurants: La Cochonne Rit, Restaurant Tre Colori inc., Bedondaine & Bedons Ronds, Délires et Délices - Microbrasserie, L’Œufrier (Chambly), Grillades Du Fort, Restaurant Au Coin De La Baie, Café MJ et Cie - Chambly, Bonté Divine, La Taverne Vieux chambly

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