Fort Holmes/ Fort George

 scenic lookout, fortification

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Fort Holmes was a fortified redoubt located on the highest point of Mackinac Island. Originally built by British forces during the opening days of the War of 1812, the redoubt was improved by that army throughout the course of the war (1812-1814) to help defend the adjacent Fort Mackinac from a possible attack by the U.S. Army.

The British named the redoubt Fort George and reinforced it with cannon, a blockhouse, and a magazine for gunpowder and other munitions. However, it never functioned as an independent military fortification and was always dependent on nearby Fort Mackinac.

When United States armed forces reoccupied Mackinac Island in 1815 under the terms of the Treaty of Ghent, they took possession of Fort George. They surveyed and measured their prize, which they renamed Fort Holmes, in honor of Major Andrew Holmes, a casualty in the 1814 Battle of Mackinac Island. However, the American army soon abandoned Fort Holmes. The earthworks and buildings of the former redoubt slowly eroded and disappeared over the course of more than a century.

In the 1930s, as part of efforts to fight the nationwide Great Depression, a corps of CCC workers were assigned to Mackinac Island. Using the original 1815 American survey and plans, they rebuilt Fort Holmes to its War of 1812 appearance.

As of 2008, Fort Holmes had almost once again disappeared, except for the timbered gateway to the interior of the redoubt and the earthen walls. Many visitors come to the fort site for a view of the Straits of Mackinac, much of which is visible from this lookout point approximately 310 feet above the surface of Lake Huron.

In 2015, the Fort Holmes blockhouse was rebuilt and the earthworks restored to their original appearance as part of the 200th observance of the end of the War of 1812.