WINDMILL POINT LIGHTHOUSE LAKE ONTARIO

Known to some as the - Alamo of the North - this rubble stone structure, converted into a lighthouse in 1872, was originally built as a wind powered grist mill in the 1830s. It is however best known for the part it played in a mostly forgotten event of American/Canadian history. In the mid to later 1830s Upper Canada was experiencing a rebellion against British rule. Americans know as - Patriot Hunters - along with Canadian rebels wished to form a Canadian republic. In 1838, a group of Hunters crossed over from New York in an attempt to capture Fort Wellington which was located near Prescott in current day Ontario. When the invasion attempt went wrong they took up a defensive position at the Windmill with the expectation that they would be reinforced by insurgent Canadians. Instead they found themselves pinned down in a hopeless battle with Loyalist forces. After a five day battle they surrendered and were taken to Fort Henry at Kingston where 11 of their leaders were executed.