French soldiers likely built this guardhouse soon after a fire destroyed an earlier guardhouse located near the Water Gate in 1751. Both the French and their British successors used the guardhouse as the center of their daily military activities. The guardhouse served as a headquarters and break room for the soldiers posted as guards around the fort. The building also served as a prison for unruly soldiers, who were confined in an underground “black hole.” The British moved the guardhouse to Fort Mackinac in 1780-81, but it was destroyed by fire in early 1783.
Archaeologists excavated the guardhouse in 1960, discovering features such as the hearth and the black hole. The building was rebuilt in 1978.
During your visit today you may encounter a guard when you stop by!
