Point of Interest
Duke of Kent's Visual Telegraph
Street Address: 4 Carters Point Rd, Westfield, NB
In 1794 Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, the fourth son of King George III, was the Commander of Halifax. An innovative officer, he recognized the value of rapid communication for an effective defence and developed an improved signalling system between the various defensive works around the harbour. In 1799, when he was appointed the Commander-in-Chief of British North America, he set about extending his communication system throughout Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. His system required the building of signal stations on high ground, every seven to eight miles, manned by six signallers. In New Brunswick the system was focussed on Saint John. Stations were located at Point Lepreau and Wolf to report on movement up the Bay of Fundy and nine stations were built to connect with Fredericton. It is believed that stations were built at the Eagle's Nest near Evandale, on Bald Mountain in Queen's County and at Telegraph Hill on the Kingston Peninsula between Milkish Creek and the St John River . The up-keep of this system was expensive, and with the departure of the Duke of Kent and the end of the Napoleonic Wars, it was abandoned.