Jillian Chantal

Fort Montagu is the oldest fort in the Bahamas and was finished in 1742. At the time, the island was under British control and the fort was used to protect the outer end of the island. It had a number of cannons that were used for the purpose.

This fort also was involved a bit in the history of the United States of America when the Continental Congress sent some marines down to capture some gunpowder for the war effort. The governor of the Bahamas was able to keep the powder away from the rebels when the Bahamians retreated to another fort but 46 cannons were captured as well as thousands of round shot were brought back for George Washington’s Army’s use.

I was lucky enough to see this place on my recent trip. I was a but sad about the graffiti etched on the side but our guide said they sandblast the side every few years and start over.