# Fort Holmes

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**Fort Holmes** is a fortified earthen [redoubt](/source/Redoubt) located on the highest point of [Mackinac Island](/source/Mackinac_Island). Originally built in 1814 by British forces during the [War of 1812](/source/War_of_1812), the redoubt was improved by that army throughout the course of the war (1812–1814) to help defend the adjacent [Fort Mackinac](/source/Fort_Mackinac) from a possible attack by the [U.S. Army](/source/U.S._Army).[3]

The British named the redoubt *Fort George* and reinforced it with cannon, a [blockhouse](/source/Blockhouse), and a magazine for [gunpowder](/source/Gunpowder) and other munitions. However, Fort Holmes never functioned as an independent military fortification. It was always a dependent outpost of nearby Fort Mackinac.[3]

When United States armed forces reoccupied Mackinac Island in 1815 under the terms of the [Treaty of Ghent](/source/Treaty_of_Ghent), they took possession of Fort George. They surveyed and measured their prize, which they renamed Fort Holmes in honor of Major [Andrew Holmes](/source/Andrew_Holmes_(army_officer)), a casualty in the 1814 [Battle of Mackinac Island](/source/Battle_of_Mackinac_Island_(1814)). However, the American army soon abandoned Fort Holmes. The earthworks and buildings of the former redoubt slowly eroded and disappeared over the course of more than a century.[3]

In 1936, as part of its mission to provide employment through [public works](/source/Public_works) projects during the nationwide [Great Depression](/source/Great_Depression_in_the_United_States), the [Works Progress Administration](/source/Works_Progress_Administration) used the original 1817 American survey to rebuild Fort Holmes to its War of 1812 appearance.[4] As of 1984, however, most of the reconstructed buildings of Fort Holmes had again disappeared, except for the redoubt's earthen walls.[3]

In 2015 the [Mackinac Island State Park](/source/Mackinac_Island_State_Park) completed a second reconstruction of Fort Holmes that resumes the appearance that the redoubt had in 1817.[5] The blockhouse includes interpretive panels inside, and is open in the summer. Many visitors come to the fort site for a view of the [Straits of Mackinac](/source/Straits_of_Mackinac), much of which is visible from this lookout point approximately 320 feet (98 m) above the surface of [Lake Huron](/source/Lake_Huron) and 890 feet (271 m) above [sea level](/source/Sea_level). The redoubt and blockhouse can be rented for special occasions.

## See also

- Brian Leigh Dunnigan, Fort Holmes [Reports in Mackinac History and Archeology: No. 10] (Mackinac State Historic Parks, Mackinaw City, Mich.) [\[1\]](https://web.archive.org/web/20080114193012/http://www.mackinacparks.com/books/books--museum-publications_113/fort-holmes_141/).

## References

1. ["NPS Focus"](https://web.archive.org/web/20080725123211/http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/). *National Register of Historic Places*. [National Park Service](/source/National_Park_Service). Archived from [the original](http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/) on July 25, 2008. Retrieved August 2, 2010.

1. State of Michigan (2009). ["Fort Holmes Informational Site"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120511130242/http://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/hso/sites/9135.htm). Archived from [the original](http://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/hso/sites/9135.htm) on May 11, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2010.

1. Dunnigan, Brian Leigh (1984). *Fort Holmes [Reports in Mackinac History and Archeology: Number 10]*. Mackinac Island, Mich.: [Mackinac Island State Park Commission](/source/Mackinac_Island_State_Park_Commission). pp. 7–32.

1. ["Fort Holmes"](http://www.mackinacparks.com/fort-holmes-3/). Mackinac State Historic Parks. Retrieved 2016-01-29.

1. ["Historic War of 1812 redoubt Fort Holmes rebuilt atop Mackinac Island"](http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2015/08/fort_holmes_mackinac_island.html). Michigan Live. August 17, 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2015.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Fort Holmes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Holmes) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Holmes?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.