Fort George , Ontario Fort George National Historic Site is a historic military structure at Niagara - on - the - Lake , Ontario , that was the scene of several battles during the War of 1812 . The fort consists of earthworks and palisade s , along with internal structures , including an officer ' s quarters , blockhouse s to accommodate other ranks and their families , and a stone powder magazine , which is the only original building on the site . Opposite the fort , across the Niagara River , stands Fort Niagara in New York , which can be seen from Fort George ' s rampart s . Fort George was built by the British Army after Jay ' s Treaty ( 1796 ) required Britain to withdraw from Fort Niagara . The new fort was completed in 1802 and became the headquarters for the British Army and the local militia . Fort George was captured by U . S . forces in May 1813 at the Battle of Fort George . The American Army used the fort as a base to invade Upper Canada , but were repelled at the Battles of Stoney Creek and Beaver Dams . The fort was retaken by the British Army in December of that year after U . S . forces abandoned the British side of the river . The fortification was used by the Canadian Army as a military training base during the First World War and through the Second World War under the name Camp Niagara . The grounds were eventually abandoned by the military in 1965 . The site is now a National Historic Site of Canada , maintained by Parks Canada . The fort is open to visitors from April to October . The staff maintains the image of the fort as it was during the early 19th century , with period costumes , exhibits , and displays of that time . They train summer students in the infantry tactics and firing drills of the 41st regiment from the War of 1812 . They also have the 41st Fife and Drum Corps which provides an example of how the fife and drums were used . Every year , scouts from both the United States and Canada meet on and near the grounds of the fort and reenact the battle that took place nearly two hundred years ago . This has taken place since 1984 and has grown from a small group of 300 " troops " to over 1800 . The grounds surrounding the fort and the commons adjacent to the fort provided the site for the 8th World Scout Jamboree held in August 1955 . Fort George National Historic Site is one of a handful of sites managed under the administrative name " Niagara National Historic Sites " by Parks Canada , within the National Park System . The television show " The Girly Ghosthunters " paid a visit to the fort to investigate any paranormal activity that was allegedly documented there . The episode was shown as the second , of thirteen , episodes of the show in 2005 . Interpretation and reenactment . The interpreters and infantry members are dressed in period dress and uniforms . Infantry soldiers , officers and fifes and drums are dressed representing the 41st Regiment of Foot . The reproduction British 8 " mortars are a unique pattern found nowhere else . RMW Sr . Curator Ret . Parks Canada Affiliations . The museum is affiliated with : Canadian Museums Association , Canadian Heritage Information Network , and Virtual Museum of Canada and also the Upper Canada heritage centre . It has been a historical site since the mid 1900s .