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Between 1812 and 1967 St. Andrews was an armed camp.. A Garrison, complete with palissade, cannons, and regiment topped the hill, and at water level there were three blockhouses. Though the Fort was apparently only ever occupied as a military station during the Fenian Scare, there was always a military pesence i Town. This side of the Town only ever shows up at certain public occasions, such as the Queen's Birthday, or on Sunday, when the troops would march down the hill and file off, each with his own group, to whatever church he belonged. Some of these military men were characters in their own right, as may be seen in the recollection of the garrison published by old-timers in the local papers.
Of the three blockhouses, only the one at Niger Reef survives, and this in reconstructed form after a fire several decades back. The others were located at Joe's Point (this one was levelled in the Saxby Gale of 1869), and at Indian Point (it was taken down in 1847, at the beginning of the St. Andrews and Quebec Railway).