Murney Tower facts for kids
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| Established | 1846 |
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| Location | Murney Point, Kingston, Ontario, Canada |
| Type | Martello tower |
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
| Official name | Murney Tower, Kingston |
| Part of | Rideau Canal |
| Criteria | Cultural: (i)(iv) |
| Inscription | 2007 (31st Session) |
| Area | 0.17 ha (18,000 sq ft) |
| Buffer zone | 2.71 ha (292,000 sq ft) |
| Designated: | 1930 |
The Murney Tower is a cool old building in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. It's a type of fort called a Martello tower. Construction started way back in January 1846. This tower was built because of something called the Oregon Crisis. This was a big disagreement between British North America (which included Canada) and the United States over their border in the 1840s.
Murney Tower is one of five important forts that protected Kingston Harbour. It also guarded the Naval Dockyard, a military supply area, and the southern entrance of the Rideau Canal. The Murney Tower worked with other forts like Fort Henry, Ontario, Cathcart Tower on Cedar Island, Shoal Tower in Confederation Basin, and Fort Frederick. These forts were designed to protect Kingston and also to focus their cannons on Gardiners Island. That island was the only place where enemies could easily land their big guns back then.
Contents
History of Murney Tower
How the Tower Got Its Name
When the tower was first being built, people planned to call it Murray Tower. This was after the Master General of Ordnance, a high-ranking military official. However, the land where the tower stood belonged to the Murney family. Locals already called the spot Murney Point. So, they started calling the new building Murney Tower, and the name stuck!
The original stone above the door actually said 'Murray Tower'. Someone later added an 'N' over the first 'R'. So now, the sign reads 'MURNAY TOWER'. It's a mix of both names!
Construction of the tower began on February 7, 1846. A few months later, on June 15, the Oregon dispute was settled. This made things less tense with the Americans. Just four days later, on June 19, the tower's walls were finished. The entire tower was completed on November 10, 1846.
Life Inside the Tower
Soldiers lived in Murney Tower from 1848 until 1885. The main floor was like a barracks. This is where soldiers and their families lived, ate, and slept. The Royal Canadian Rifle Regiment stayed there until 1870. After that, Battery A lived there until 1880, and then Battery B until 1884. After 1885, the Princess of Wales Own Regiment watched over it. The tower could hold up to 24 soldiers and one officer. Sometimes, multiple soldiers and their families lived there together.
A baby was even born in the tower in 1882! Sergeant Thomas Pugh and his wife Martha Mary lived there with their seven children. Their daughter, Murney May Pugh, was born in May while the family was in the tower. She later became a nurse and served overseas in the First World War. The Pugh family has a long history of military service in Canada, with over 470 years of service!
Tower Design and Defenses
Murney Tower is surrounded by a dry ditch, which is like a moat without water. You can only get to the tower by crossing a bridge. When the tower was first built, there was no bridge. Soldiers likely used two ladders to get across the ditch.
The tower was built using limestone from local quarries. The inside of the barracks and basement levels have special brickwork. On its strongest side, the walls are about 15 feet thick at the bottom. They are still 13 feet thick at the top. On the weaker side, the walls are about 8 feet thick. The south side walls are thicker because an attack from American ships was the biggest worry. Cannonballs from enemy ships were supposed to bounce right off these super-thick walls!
Cannons and Protection
Inside the barracks, there are two carronade cannons. These cannons would have fired heavy 32-pound cannonballs out of special windows. Carronades could shoot up to 400 meters. They were used to fight against enemy soldiers if there was a land attack. These cannons could be moved around inside. This allowed them to cover different areas, including the bridge.
The lower floor of the tower held gunpowder and artillery supplies. It also had storage rooms. This level also had four "caponieres." These were special defense systems for the dry ditch around the tower. Soldiers could fire through small openings, called loopholes, at enemies attacking the tower's base. Caponieres were unique to the Martello Towers in Kingston. Their walls were thinner than the rest of the tower, making them more vulnerable. However, they gave soldiers a way to protect the ditch. They also had extra doors and rifle holes to stop any enemy who got inside.
The very top level is the gun platform. Here, a large Blomefield cannon was placed. This cannon also fired 32-pound cannonballs. It could spin around on an iron track. This meant it could shoot in any direction around the tower. The Blomefield cannon was designed to be simpler and lighter than older cannons. It also had better recoil control. This cannon weighs a huge 6,429 pounds and could shoot up to 2,000 meters!
The Tower's Roof
Martello towers usually had open tops, but a temporary snow roof was added to Murney Tower. This happened two years after it was built. The roof protected the cannon and kept out heavy snow. Adding a roof was common for Canadian Martello towers. The first roof was put on in 1849. In 1921, a strong windstorm blew off the original wooden and tin roof. Parts of the current roof are from a reconstruction in 1925. However, most of the roof you see today was built in the 1970s. It cannot be removed for safety reasons.
Even though Murney Tower was very well-designed, it quickly became outdated. This was because military weapons and ship designs kept getting better and better.
Murney Tower Today
In 1925, the Kingston Historical Society opened Murney Tower as a museum for everyone to visit. The Kingston Historical Society still runs the Murney Tower Museum today. It's open during the summer months, from May until Labour Day in September. Inside, you can see three cannons, old military uniforms, muskets, and other items from the mid-1800s.
Fourteen Martello towers were built in Canada, but only nine are still standing. Four of these are in Kingston! Right now, only the Murney Tower Museum is open to the public. Fort Henry has two towers that look like Martello towers, but they are a different type called branch ditch towers.
Special Recognitions
In 1930, Murney Tower was named a national historic site. This was because of its clever design.
In 1989, all of Kingston's fortifications, including Murney Tower, were recognized as a National Historic Site of Canada.
In 2007, the Rideau Canal and Kingston Fortifications (which includes Murney Tower) became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This means they are recognized as very important to the world. They played a big part in defending British North America. They also helped Canada become its own country with its own culture.
