Fort Niagara
Fort Niagara | |
Location | Fort Niagara State Park, Porter, Niagara County, New York, US |
---|---|
Nearest city | Youngstown, New York |
Coordinates | 43°15′46″N 79°03′47″W / 43.26278°N 79.06306°W |
Area | 250 acres (100 ha) |
Built | 1726 |
NRHP reference No. | 66000556 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966[1] |
Designated NHL | October 9, 1960[2] |
Fort Niagara | |
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Youngstown, New York | |
U.S. Coast Guard 1963–present | |
Site history | |
Built | 1678 |
In use | 1726–present |
Battles/wars | French and Indian War
The War of 1812 |
Garrison information | |
Past commanders | Louis-Thomas Chabert de Joncaire (1720–1726)John W. Heavey (1916–1917) |
Fort Niagara, also known as Old Fort Niagara, is a fortification originally built by New France to protect its interests in North America, specifically control of access between the Niagara River and Lake Ontario, the easternmost of the Great Lakes. The fort is on the river's eastern bank at its mouth on Lake Ontario. Youngstown, New York, later developed nearby.
The British took over the fort in 1759 during the French and Indian War. Although the United States ostensibly ceded the fort after it gained independence in the American Revolutionary War, the British stayed until 1796. Transfer to the U.S. came after signing of the Jay Treaty that reaffirmed and implemented the legal border with British Canada. Although the US Army deactivated the fort in 1963, the Coast Guard continues to have a presence. A non-profit group operates the fort and grounds as a state park and preserves it in part as a museum and site for historical re-enactments. It is also a venue for special events related to the region's history.
Origin
In 1726, French engineer
The name used today, "The French Castle", was not used until the 19th century.
British and American control
The fort was a strategic site in the French and Indian War. It fell to the
Fort Niagara served as the Loyalist base in New York during the American Revolutionary War for Colonel
Though the British ceded Fort Niagara to the United States after the
During the War of 1812, the fort's guns sank the Provincial Marine schooner Seneca on November 21, 1812. British forces captured the fort on the night of December 19, 1813, in retaliation for the Americans' burning of Niagara, formerly called Newark, nine days earlier. Newark had been renamed Niagara in 1796.[6] The British held the fort until they relinquished it under the terms of the Treaty of Ghent. It has remained in US custody ever since.
Later use
The name "Old Fort Niagara" is associated with the fort today; it does not refer to its age but to distinguish the colonial-era fortress from its more modern namesake. In the post-Civil War era, the "New Fort Niagara" was built outside the original walls of the fort. The military abandoned the use of masonry forts in this era, having found that masonry fared poorly under bombardment. They built the new fort in the newer style of a military camp.
The new Fort Niagara had a 1,000-yard rifle range, access to rail lines, and access to the industrial areas of Niagara Falls and Buffalo, New York. Fort Niagara trained troops for the Spanish–American War. The United States was preparing for entry into World War I in June 1917, so the post began an officer training school which included Daniel W. Hand and Charles W. Ryder as instructors.[8][9]
During
During the
Formations directing US defenses included the 2nd Artillery Group (Air Defense), which had its headquarters at Fort Niagara from March 1958 to December 1961, superseded by the
The U.S. Army officially deactivated Fort Niagara in 1963. The 1/4 ADA moved to the
A formal operating license between Old Fort Niagara Association and the U.S. War Department in 1931 established rights of the non-profit[vague] to preserve and operate the fort. In 1949, Congress transferred Father Millet Cross National Monument to the State of New York, now a small memorial at Fort Niagara.[11] In 1960, the fort was among the first sites to be designated a National Historic Landmark by the Department of Interior's National Park Service.[2][12][13]
Today
The renovated Fort Niagara now serves as Fort Niagara State Park and museum. It is often the site of historical reenactments of 18th-century battles that took place here. It is also a venue for period dances, fundraisers, and other special events (such as public displays, and shows relating to the history of the fort and the surrounding area). Fort Niagara is also designated as a State Historic Site, known as Old Fort Niagara State Historic Site.
Fort Niagara was designated a National Historic Landmark on October 9, 1960, as "Old Fort Niagara".[12] The Colonial Niagara Historic District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.[1] It is a major contributing element to the Niagara Falls National Heritage Area.[14]
Haunting legend
Some believe the site is haunted by a headless French soldier who was beheaded during a duel.[15] It is said he wanders the grounds looking for his head.[16]
See also
- Military of New France
- List of French forts in North America
- List of National Historic Landmarks in New York
- List of New York State Historic Sites
- Fort Erie National Historic Site – at the source of the Niagara River
- Fort George National Historic Site – also opposite Fort Niagara, in Ontario
- Fort Mississauga – opposite Fort Niagara, on the Ontario side of the Niagara River
References
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
- ^ a b "Colonial Niagara Historic District". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. September 12, 2007. Archived from the original on June 3, 2008.
- ^ oldfortniagara.org/history
- ^ Campbell, William W.: Annals of Tyron County; or, the Border Warfare of New-York during the Revolution, J. & J. Harper, New York (1831) pp. 110–11, 182.
- ^ Taylor, pg. 102
- ^ Cumberland, Barlow (2001). "Chapter 8 History of Names at Newark and Niagara". Century of Sail and Steam on the Niagara River. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
- ^ Turner (2012), pp.345
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Charles W. Ryder in Cullum's Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy, Volumes VI to IX". Bill Thayer's Web Site. Bill Thayer. February 9, 2017. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
- ^ Morgan and Berhow, "Rings of Supersonic Steel", 125-126.
- ^ National Park Service. "Antiquities Act: Monument List". Retrieved May 8, 2009.
- ^ a b National Park Service; National Historic Landmark Survey, New York Archived September 22, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 6, 2007.
- ^ John H. Conlin (1986). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Fort Niagara" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved June 22, 2009. and Accompanying 23 photos, exteriors and interiors. (3.55 MB)
- ^ "History and Culture". Niagara Falls National Heritage Area. National Park Service. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
- ^ "Haunted Fortress Brings Ghost Stories to Life". Archived from the original on August 15, 2016. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
- ^ "Headless Soldier of Fort Niagara". Niagara Falls Up Close. October 23, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
- Taylor, Alan, The Divided Ground, 2006, ISBN 0-679-45471-3
External links
- Official website
- Historic Old Fort Niagara, by Claud H. Hulzén, Sr., Old Fort Niagara Association (1939), 62pp
- NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation: Old Fort Niagara State Historic Site
- Historic American Buildings Survey(HABS):
- HABS No. NY-6155, "Fort Niagara, Fort Niagara State Park, Youngstown, Niagara County, NY", 7 photos, 1 photo caption page
- HABS No. NY-6155-A, "Fort Niagara, French Castle", 18 photos, 2 photo caption pages
- HABS No. NY-6155-B, "Fort Niagara, East Gun Tower", 1 photo, 1 photo caption page
- HABS No. NY-6155-C, "Fort Niagara, Entrance Gun Tower", 1 photo, 1 photo caption page
- HABS No. NY-6155-D, "Fort Niagara, Administration Building", 1 photo, 1 photo caption page
- HABS No. NY-6155-E, "Fort Niagara, Hot Shot Battery Oven", 1 photo, 1 photo caption page
- "The FORT of FOUR Nations" Popular Mechanics, December 1934, pp.867–869
- Fort Niagara in 1856, from the Historical Society of Pennsylvania