Fort Anne " For a similarly named fort in New York City see : Fort Amsterdam " Fort Anne is a typical star fort built to protect the harbour of Annapolis Royal , Nova Scotia . The fort repelled all French attacks during the early stages of King George ' s War . Now designated a National Historic Site of Canada , it is managed by Parks Canada . The 1797 officer ' s quarters was renovated in the 1930s and now house the museum with exhibits about the fort ' s history and historic artifacts from the area . A 1 / 2 km trail runs along the fort ' s earthen walls , and provides a view of the Annapolis River and basin . History . The site has been fortified since 1629 , when the Scots came to colonize Nova Scotia ( New Scotland ) and built Charles Fort . The region was reverted to French control in the 1630s and Charles de Menou d ' Aulnay began work on the first of four forts on the same site , then known as Port Royal . In 1702 , the French began construction of the current Vauban earthwork that is found there today . Queen Anne ' s War . During Queen Anne ' s War , the fort fell to British and New England troops after a week - long siege in 1710 which marked the British conquest of Acadia . A British governor and garrison replaced the French at the fort renaming the Port Royal settlement Annapolis Royal after Queen Anne . With the Treaty of Utrecht three years later , the British gained full control of mainland Nova Scotia and kept Annapolis Royal as the capital until the founding of Halifax in 1749 . King Georges War . During King George ' s War , the French launched three expeditions against the capital to regain the fort with no success , the most famous being the Duc d ' Anville Expedition . Father Le Loutre ' s War During Father Le Loutre ' s War , the capital of Acadia was moved from Annapolis Royal to Halifax . Fort Edward , Fort Lawrence and Fort Anne were all supplied by and dependent on the arrival of Captains Cobb , Rogers or Taggart , in one of the government sloops . These vessels took the annual or semi - annual relief to their destination . They carried the officers and their families to and fro , as required . Captain John Hamilton was a son of Major Otho Hamilton of the 4Oth Regiment , of the Hamiltons of Olivestob , East Lothian , Scotland . Captain Hamilton had some time before been made a prisoner by the Indians and taken to Quebec , but had lately been ransomed . On 15 August 1752 , John Handfield , Esq . , widower , married Miss Mary Handfield , spinster . French and Indian War . During the French and Indian War , the British engaged in the Bay of Fundy Campaign ( 1755 ) and deported the Acadians living in the area . With the fall of Quebec in 1759 , the fort no longer held the same military importance . It was however still used as an outpost during the American Revolution , where the 84th Regiment of Foot ( Royal Highland Emigrants ) was stationed , and the War of 1812 in defence of the town from American privateers . The fort acquired the name Fort Anne in the 19th century . National Historic Site . In 1917 , Fort Anne was acquired by the Dominion Parks Branch , the predecessor organization to Parks Canada , and was designated as Canada ' s second " National Historic Park " ( Fort Howe in Saint John , New Brunswick was the first ) . Two years later , a new national program of National Historic Sites of Canada was established in 1919 to replace the incipient system of historic parks , and Fort Anne was designated a National Historic Site in 1920 . Although Fort Anne was neither the first National Historic Park ( Fort Howe was designated three years earlier ) , nor was it the first site designated under the replacement National Historic Site program , it is nonetheless sometimes referred to as Canada ' s " first national historic site " or the " first administered national historic site " , because it was the first site acquired by the federal government for national historic purposes that has subsequently remained under Parks Canada administration ( Fort Howe was eventually conveyed to the municipality ) . Legacy . On 28 June 1985 Canada Post issued ' Fort Anne , N . S . , circa 1763 . ' one of the 20 stamps in the “ Forts Across Canada Series ” ( 1983 & 1985 ) . The stamps are perforated 12Â½ x 13 and were printed by Ashton - Potter Limited based on the designs by Rolf P . Harder .