Fort Montgomery (Hudson River)
Fort Montgomery State Historic Site | |
Location | Fort Montgomery, Highlands, New York, USA |
---|---|
Nearest city | Peekskill |
Coordinates | 41°19′26″N 73°59′13″W / 41.32389°N 73.98694°W |
Built | 1776 |
NRHP reference No. | 72000897 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | November 28, 1972[1] |
Designated NHL | November 28, 1972[2] |
Fort Montgomery was a fortification built on the west bank of the Hudson River in Highlands, New York by the Continental Army during the American Revolution. Erected in 1776, Fort Montgomery was one of the first major investments by the Americans in strategic construction projects.
Declared a National Historic Landmark, it is part of the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area, owned and operated by the state of New York as the Fort Montgomery State Historic Site.
Background
The strategic importance of the ability to control navigation along the Hudson River was obvious to both the Americans and the British from the outbreak of open hostilities. The Hudson was the major means for transportation of supplies and troops throughout a large portion of the northeast. The fort was constructed at a site noted as early as the seventeenth century for its strategic advantage in controlling navigation along the river.
A month after the first open armed conflict in
Fort Constitution
Fort Montgomery
Fort Montgomery was located at the
The strategic importance of the opposite bank of Popolopen Creek was quickly realized, as it was an elevated cliff terrace with a full view of the Fort Montgomery site and could not be left undefended. These two forts and their associated cannon batteries effectively controlled this stretch of the Hudson River. The Army also conceived a major engineering project to effectively blockade any naval traffic headed north on the river. In 1776 a
In July 1776, the New York convention[
Battle of Fort Montgomery
On October 6, 1777, a combined force of roughly 2,100
The battle was strategically barren for the British, however. Their campaign against the forts caused delays in reinforcing
Historic Site
The site was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1972. A system of trails and interpretive signs guides visitors through the ruins of the fort.[2] Designed by the architect Salvatore Cuciti, the 5,700-square-foot (530 m2) Visitor Center opened in October 2006. The timber frame building is oriented to provide visitors with a "gun sight" view down the Hudson. Operated as a state museum, it contains artifacts from the site, mannequins representing military units and a detailed model of the fort.
See also
- Bear Mountain State Park
- List of National Historic Landmarks in New York
- List of New York State Historic Sites
References
Notes
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
- ^ a b "Fort Montgomery". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. 2007-09-12. Archived from the original on 2011-06-05.
- ^ "Congressional Resolution to build forts on the Hudson" Archived 2004-11-27 at the Wayback Machine, Hudson River Valley
- ^ ""Fort Constitution", New York State Military Museum".
Further reading
- Fisher, C. (2004). The Most Advantageous Situation in the Highlands: An Archaeological Study of Fort Montgomery State Historic Site, Cultural Resources Survey Program Series No. 2, New York State Museum. ISBN 1-55557-174-3
- Roberts, R. (1980). New York's Forts in the Revolution, Fairleigh Dickinson University Press. ISBN 0-8386-2063-9
External links
- Fort Montgomery State Historic Site, NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
- Twin Forts of the Popolopen, Hudson River Valley website
- "Fort Montgomery", Palisades Park Conservancy