To explore the Fortifications of Quebec City is to peel back the layers of history. Archaeologists and historians take viewers on an intriguing journey back over three centuries, and provide a window onto fascinating cultures and personalities. The walls that surrounded the entire old town included barracks, powder magazines, even a small apartment believed to have been the hangman's quarters. As Quebec's strategic importance grew, new fortifications were hastily built outside the old ones to accommodate the expanding city. So hastily in fact, that some believe General Montcalm's tragic decision to battle the British outside the city's fortifications may have been because he doubted their security. Quebec's fortifications still exist today because of Lord Dufferin, Canada' s Governor General from 1872-1876. The citizens were anxious to have the fortifications torn down, but with remarkable foresight, Dufferin saw great possibilities in the walls as recreational walking paths, and as an attraction for visitors.