CaribbeanGrenada

Fort George in Grenada was the beginning of the 1983 US invasion

By September 6, 2018 No Comments
Fort George 1

Fort George 2Grenada was first settled by the French in 1649. In 1705 they built Fort George on the peninsula on the western part of St George’s harbor is Fort George. Now a days most of the buildings are used by the police. One of the rooms has been converted into a gym. Much of the fort is still intact and open to visitors, but is a bit run down.

Fort George 3The British took over the island in 1763 and was a colony until independence in 1974. Within five years the country would witness a coup by Maurice Bishop who had ties to Communist doctrine. Although he took over the country in 1979 he was reluctant to fully commit to the USSR and communism,

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which caused another coup in 1983 where he was arrested. Eventually he was allowed to address the public in his defense and was taken up to Fort George on October 19, 1983. A local told me that school was let out and everyone in town went up to the fort to listen, but instead of a speech Maurice Bishop and 15 members of his administration were executed. One week later the USA invaded the small nation to liberate it and restore democracy. The people still seem to be appreciative of this action.

Fort George 5If you make it to this historic site, make sure you check out the small white building as you exit. This building is the entrance to stairs leading down to a tunnel going in two directions. There is no way out of this tunnel and I think it was used to protect the fort from a land attack since there are rifle slits along the wall looking down the hill.

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