Kingston Shipyards

Kingston’s waterfront has seen tremendous change over the past few decades. Once the hub of the city’s industry and a focal point for Great Lakes shipping, the waterfront has evolved along with the Kingston’s economic base. This photo, taken in 1968, shows the Kingston Shipyards, which were located nearest the foot of Lower Union off of Ontario Street. The site was first occupied by the Marine Railway Company in 1838, which built the first rudimentary dry dock at that location. The government purchased the property in 1888 to establish a much-needed dry dock to repair vessels on the Great Lakes, and they would later lease the property to other shipbuilding companies. The site expanded greatly throughout the first half of the twentieth century, but wound down after the war until its closure in the 1970s.