This Thousand Islands Life story show cases an artifact recovered from underwater, detailing its history and the joint efforts of state officials, local leaders, and private individuals to return it to Cape Vincent near where it came out of the water. It now can serve as an educational tool designed to spark interest in local tourism.
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| AI depiction of the "Rose and Crown" iron gun, on the ramparts of Fort Haldimand overlooking North Bay, Carleton Island. |
Thousand Islands Life, Carleton Island Royal Shipyard (1778-1788) Volume 20, Issue 6, June 2025
The Carleton Island Royal Shipyard, operating from 1778 to 1788, was a crucial British military and logistical hub during the American Revolutionary War.
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| 1973 Fort Haldiamd last standing chimney |
By Dennis McCarthy, St. Lawrence River Historical Foundation, Inc.
Benson J. Lossing noted in his 1868 Pictorial Field Book of the War of 1812 that "a little northward of the fort (Haldimand) was the garrison cemetery; beyond this, a fourth of a mile from the ramparts, lay an ancient Indian burial-ground in a grove of small trees on the verge of the river."
From the 1770s through the War of 1812, Fort Haldimand and Carleton Island served as a vital British hub, encompassing a military fort, naval yard, and a sanctuary for Loyalists fleeing the Mohawk Valley. Its population sometimes swelled to 1,000 individuals, including British and Hessian soldiers, Indigenous peoples, Loyalist regiments, and civilians. The island's history tells of three distinct burial sites: a military cemetery holding at least 25 soldiers, an Indigenous burial ground, and a Loyalist/settler/prisoner-of-war cemetery. This last cemetery is thought to be adjacent to the military site.
Though no specific records detail who rests on the island, it's reasonable to assume those who perished there were also interred there. Historical accounts whisper tales of loss and hardship. Chief Hawksbill, a respected Mississauga warrior, met a violent end in a drunken altercation. Separate artillery accidents claimed the arms of James Bennett and George Barnhard, with Barnhard later succumbing to his injuries. Captain George McDougall, who once commanded Carleton Island, died shortly after relinquishing his commission. Lieutenant Kenneth Mackenzie passed away suddenly, while soldiers like Jacob Best and Henry Fyker died during their service on the island. Even the most vulnerable were not spared, with at least one recorded instance of infanticide.
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| Carleton Island early 1900s, Kittle Collection TIM |
While the location of the Indigenous burial ground on Carleton Island is known and protected by a conservation easement, the site of the garrison cemetery remains lost to time.
As the 250th anniversary of the American War of Independence approaches, Carleton Island's soil holds the forgotten remains of soldiers, civilians, and even infants, their individual stories slowly fading into the mists of history.
Thousand Islands Life, Historic Shipwrecks of the Thousand Islands Volume 20, Issue 2, February 2025
This article was written originally as a paper presented in 2019 at Portsmouth, England, at The Nautical Archaeology Society and the Ordnance Society co-hosting conference, examining how ship and ordnance remains found on land and under the sea help us understand our maritime past. It is the story of the iron guns found at Carleton Island and Niagara Shoal.
Haldimand by Chip Stevens
"Carleton Island has some mystery about it. When James H. Durham decided to take on uncovering the true origin of The Old Fort in 1889, he was diving into a not so clear path of discovering the easy answer.The island had several names, Buck, Deere, Isle aux Chevreuils and Carleton Island. I purchased the book titled, The Old Fort Carleton Island In The Revolution, written by James H. Durham in 1889. It was reintroduced and reprinted by the St. Lawrence River Historical Foundation in 2010."
SRHF donates design and artwork for replacement Carleton Island informational panel is East End Park, Cape Vincent NY
During a visit to Cape Vincent's East End Park this summer, Dennis & Kathi McCarthy observed that the Seaway Trail informational panel for Carleton Island was deteriorated and not readable. They advised Cape Vincent Village Mayor Jerry Golden about the condition of the panel. Aware that a replacement is no longer available from Seaway Trails Inc. Dennis & Kathi McCarthy, directors of St Lawrence River Historical Foundation, offered an updated replacement design for a new informational panel as a replacement. Mayor Golden presented the proposal at the Cape Village meeting in July. The village board approved the new panel purchase using the artwork.
The new Carleton Island information panel has been mounted and can be seen in East End Park.
