Official Opening of Fort Henry

On August 1, 1938, the Rt. Hon. William Lyon Mackenzie King officially opened Fort Henry as an historic site. Thanks to some great work by archivist Dan Rose, we’ve been able to put together a couple of videos from that memorable day.

The first video includes the audio from the CBC Radio broadcast of the Prime Minister’s speech.  The second video combines that audio with footage from a home movie that was shot that day (special thanks to Casper Leonard for combining the audio and video).  And below the photos from opening day, you can find a couple of pages from Mackenzie King’s diary for that day.

Audio, Video, and Transcript credits
Audio: N. Rogers and William Lyon Mackenzie King at Kingston Centenary Celebrations, August 1, 1938
Sources: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (Radio), Licencing Division; Library and Archives Canada/ISN 139068.

The audio of the 1938 speech made by Mackenzie King is copyrighted, and permission was obtained by the CBC Licencing Division for the listening enjoyment of the public. The audio cannot be reproduced or used for other purposes without the permission of the CBC Licencing Division and LAC.

Home Movie: Video – Kingston – Visits by Mackenzie King and F. Delano Roosevelt: home movie, 1937
Source: Library and Archives Canada/ISN 311183

Transcripts:  The Mackenzie King Diaries, 1932-1949, pp. 584-590 (transcribed, typewritten copies)

Source:  Library and Archives Canada/MG26-J13