Today, I'm going to show you a Old Fort Niagara, in Youngstown NY. I'll provide a short history of the location, but visit their website by clicking on the link above for a more extensive history.
The Greater Niagara Region and Lancaster County are both part of the early American landscape. Since both are located in two of the original colonies (New York and Pennsylvania), both have their share of history dating back to some of the earliest explorations. Fort Niagara has the honor of belonging to three different nationalities: French, British and American.
A Short History
Originally established as a trading area, the building called The French Castle is one of the oldest structures in America. The castle (really a large block fortification) was built in 1726. In the collage at the top, the lower left-hand photo was taken inside the French Castle. In the top photograph, the building along the edge of Lake Ontario (on the right side) is French Castle.From this location where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario, the French established a meeting place where they could (a) control river traffic, or at least heavily influence it, and (b) meet with the Iroquois tribes and neighbors in a neutral ground.
After the French and Indian War (also called the Seven Years' War), France lost the territory called New France, or French Canada since France retained control of the territory surrounding the Mississippi River and delta (New Orleans, y'all). For the next thirty years (give or take), Britain controlled Fort Niagara.
Then, a most unusual event happened: the thirteen Atlantic colonies separated, rather forcefully, from Britain to become the United States of America. During this time, beginning in 1781, America controlled the fort, with a couple of exceptions. First, Britain did not readily give the fort over at the end of the American Revolution, primarily as a means to protect any loyal subjects retreating from the new government. Not until the 1790s did Britain remove her troops from Fort Niagara. Many families in Ontario, Canada, can trace their family history to these refugees of the American Revolution. The second time America lost control was during the War of 1812 when British troops from Fort George (directly across the river) launched a night attack on Fort Niagara and took control. At the end of the War of 1812, the fort returned to American hands, and the Niagara River became an established international border between Canada and the United States.
Visiting Today
Today, you can visit Old Fort Niagara, look around the landscape and see what people from centuries past would have seen: a calm river where boat traffic skirts over the water, establishing connections between the Canadian and American lands; an expansive view of lake Ontario where the concept of an inland sea makes a great deal of sense; and a fort of stone and earth, open to the lake, but defended from the land.The photographs from the fort were taken Labor Day Weekend, 2011 when I went up for a War of 1812 re-enactment. Most of my visits to the fort are in the summer, but the fort is opened year-round. A visit to their website www.oldfortniagara.org will provide you with hours of operation, ticket prices and upcoming events. Over the summer, the fort hosts re-enactments for the French and Indian War, American Revolution and War of 1812. Typically, the events are on a weekend around a national holiday (Fourth of July or Labor Day).
When visiting Old Fort Niagara, make certain that you have plenty of time to walk around. It makes a good day trip up from Niagara Falls (New York and Ontario), Buffalo, NY, or Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. Whenever you visit the Niagara region, remember to bring a passport because you cannot enter Canada without it even for a short hop from Niagara Falls NY into Niagara Falls, Ontario.
If you visit in the summer, bring a jacket with you because the lake cools the territory off and is usually windy. We do have hot days in New York, and the territory within the Fort is quite open with little shade.
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