Clergue Blockhouse

Clergue Blockhouse (1819-Unk) - A stone powder magazine established in 1819 by the British North West Company in present day Sault Ste. Marie, Algoma District, Ontario, Canada. The stone magazine was incorporated into a Hudson's Bay Company post and later modified into a blockhouse configuration and used as a private residence.

Clergue Blockhouse Front View.
1814 Ermatinger Old Stone House.
Clergue Blockhouse.

History

The original 1819 North West Company stone powder magazine was later incorporated into a Hudson's Bay Company trading post. The remains of the stone magazine were later topped with a cantilevered overhanging structure in 1894 by Francis H. Clergue of the St. Mary's paper company. The structure was designed as a replica of an early frontier blockhouse and served as Clergue's living quarters and office.

Clergue's Blockhouse was moved in 1996 from the original location to the current location at the Ermatinger-Clergue National Historic Site and placed near the 1814 Ermatinger Old Stone House. Charles Ermatinger builder of the 1814 stone house was associated with the North West Company until 1808 and active during the War of 1812. His house was spared by the Americans in 1814 but the nearby North West Company post was burned. The only remaining structure from that North West Company post is the stone base of this blockhouse.

Current Status

Part of Ermatinger-Clergue National Historic Site in Sault Ste. Marie, Algoma District, Ontario, Canada. Restored blockhouse structure and stone house.

Context

Location: Ermatinger-Clergue National Historic Site, 831 Queen St. East, Sault Ste. Marie, Algoma District, Ontario, Canada.
Lat: 46.506° Long: -84.324° Elevation: 630' Bing, Google, OldMapsOnline, USGS, OHM

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See Also:

Sources:

Huck, Barbara et al., Exploring the Fur Trade Routes of North America, Heartland, Winnipeg, 2012, ISBN 978-1-896150-20-8, 288 pages, page 98-101

Links: