BGuthrie Photos: NY -- Youngstown -- Old Fort Niagara

NY -- Youngstown -- Old Fort Niagara:

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. FTNIAG_090525_011.JPG: Fort Niagara Lighthouse: First Light on the Great Lakes: You are standing near the site of the earliest lighthouse on the Great Lakes a lantern room on the roof of the French Castleinside the fort. From that first whale oil fueled lantern, the Niagara lights evolved in this classically detailed tower erected outside the fort's walls.
2. FTNIAG_090525_124.JPG: This house, the castle of Fort Niagara was built by the French 1726, approximately on the site occured by La Salle 1678, and Denonville 1687. Taken by the British 1759, it was held by them as a base of warfare against the American frontiers during the war of the revolution. First occupied by the United States Aug. 11, 1796, retaken by the British Dec. 9, 1813, coming finally May 22, 1815, under the flag of the United States of America. This table erected by the Niagara Frontier, Buffalo Chapter NSUSD of 1812.
3. FTNIAG_090525_166.JPG: In this historic building: the commandant's quarters, was concluded the surrender of French Fort Niagara to the British, July 25, 1759. "The parade was thronged with troops, victors and vanquished, the latter eyeing uneasily the bold and stealthy savages who stole their belongings and coveted their scalp-locks. In the commandant's quarters, the old mess-house still standing. The officers gathered at table to break bread together and drink a few healths. Of all the scenes enacted in this structure during the third of a century then past, this final ceremonial of the days of the French was by no means least in significance; for here France herself quaffed a cup in acknowledgment of a conqueror to whom she was yielding an empire vaster and more potential than any statesman of that day could see or dare predict." -- Frank H. Severance
4. FTNIAG_090525_185.JPG: Boulangerie French Military Kitchen 1726-1759
5. FTNIAG_090525_211.JPG: Magasin Pour La Traite (trade room) and Chambre du Commis (office of the agent) 1726-1759
6. FTNIAG_090525_228.JPG: Jesuit Chapel
7. FTNIAG_090525_256.JPG: Officers' Chamber
8. FTNIAG_090525_290.JPG: Officer's Room
9. FTNIAG_090525_325.JPG: In memory of Fanny Doyle Heroine of the War of 1812 November 21, 1812 "During the most tremendous cannonading I have ever seen she attended the six pounds on the old mess house with red hot shot, and should fortitude equal to the Maid of Orleans." George M. Feeley Lt. Col. Commanding Fort Niagara Erected by National Society United States Daughters of 1812 Niagara Frontier Buffalo Chapter
10. FTNIAG_090525_407.JPG: Richard Rush
11. FTNIAG_090525_415.JPG: Charles Bacot
12. FTNIAG_090525_432.JPG: Here Lie the bodies of Unknown Defenders of old Fort Niagara
13. FTNIAG_090525_436.JPG: In commemoration of the Rush-Bagot Treaty
14. FTNIAG_090525_440.JPG: This agreement between the United States and Great Britain in eighteen hundred seventeen has assumed the force of an international treaty. The naval force to be maintained upon the American lakes by his majesty and the government of the United States shall henceforth be confined to the following vessels on each side that is -- -- On Lake Ontario to one vessel not exceeding one hundred tons burden and armed with one eighteen pound cannon -- On the upper lakes to two vessels not exceeding like burden each and armed with like force -- On the waters of Lake Champlain to one vessel not exceeding like burden and armed with like force -- All other armed vessels on these lakes shall be forthwith dis- mantled and no other vessels of war shall be there built or armed -- If either party should be hereafter desirous of annulling this stipulation and should give notice to that effect to the other party it shall cease to be binding after the expiration of six months from the date of such notice. -- The naval force so to be limited shall be restricted to such services as will in no respect interfere with the proper duties of the armed vessels of the other party.
15. FTNIAG_090525_443.JPG: Through mutual understanding and good will the policy set forth by Richard Rush and Charles Bagot in this treaty has resulted in an unfortified boundary between Canada and the United States
16. FTNIAG_090525_447.JPG: This memorial is erected by the United States and the state of New York and dedicated September sixth nineteen hundred thirty-four by representatives of the nations to whom the treaty has symbolized lasting peace
17. FTNIAG_090525_464.JPG: To Father Pierre Millet, French Jesuit Priest missionary to the Iroquois and chaplain at Fort Niagara who, here, on Good Friday 1688 erected a cross invoking god's mercy for the plague-stricken garrison. Erected in commemoration by Knights of Columbus Fourth Degree Sixth New York District Calvert Province.
18. FTNIAG_090525_479.JPG: Fort Niagara in the American Revolution: During the American Revolution, Fort Niagara was a British post and the center of diplomacy and trade with the Native peoples in the region. It also controlled access to the Upper Great Lakes, providing a vital supply link between the British command at Quebec and western posts, including Detroit and Michilimacknac. At the outbreak of war in 1775, Niagara became a refuge for Loyalists fleeing their rebelious colonial neighbors. Fort Niagara was also a supply depot and headquarters for offensive operations against the American frontier by British regulars, Loyalists, and Iroquois warriors. Butler's Rangers, one of the most famous loyalist military units of the Revolutionary War, was organized here in 1778. Raiding parties from Niagara attacked settlements as far away as the Hudson Valley, Kentucky, and Virginia. In late 1779, an American military expedition led by Generals Sullivan and Clinton advanced through central New York, destroying crops and settlements belonging to Indians allied with the British. Thousands of Natives then sought winter refuge at Niagara, straining the fort's resources. Britain retained possession of the fort until 1796, when treaty disputes with the United States were finally resolved.
19. FTNIAG_090525_564.JPG: That's Toronto in the distance
20. FTNIAG_090525_571.JPG: La Salle 1643-1687 Cleric - Soldier - Explorer Here at the mouth of the Niagara Rene-Robert Cevelier, Sieur da La Salle raised the first rude palisades of a fort and from this base began he far voyaging in exploration of mid-America -- the Ohio, the Great Lakes, and the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. Author of great beginnings dreamer of dreams. Through his courage, suffering and endurance came Christianity and civilization Erected by the State of New York 1934
21. FTNIAG_090525_660.JPG: Magasin a Poudre (powder magazine) built by Capitaine Francois Pouchot 1757 Rehabilitated through the generosity of Wallace I. Keep 1932 Dedicated as L'Institut d'Honneur (institute of honor)
22. FTNIAG_090525_853.JPG: The Niagara Portage: Gateway to the West: During the 18th century, the Niagara Portage provided one of the great access points in the interior of North America. Here, travelers from the east could reach the upper Great Lakes after a relatively short passage around Niagara Falls. Fort Niagara controlled this strategically vital portage. Travelers could begin their journey by land at the fort, or venture seven miles upriver and go ashore at the Lower Landing (Lewiston, New York). In either case, they first had to pass under the guns of Fort Niagara. The portage road left the main gate at Fort Niagara and followed the Niagara River until the reached the Lower Landing. Then it climbed the steep Niagara escarpments and continued south over relatively level terrain to the Upper Landing above Niagara Falls. There, travelers reentered the Niagara River and continued their voyage to the west.
23. FTNIAG_090525_867.JPG: Cartridge Box with Royal Cypher This small box was designed to be worn around the waist and held individual paper musket cartridges.
24. FTNIAG_090525_879.JPG: Fort Niagara Flag, 1813
25. FTNIAG_090525_922.JPG: The Capture of the Fort Niagara Flag, 1813: When British troops launched their assault on Fort Niagara, December 19, 1813, among the items captured was the fort's large garrison flag. It is probable that the fort had received this banner in 1809. This flag, along with others captured during the War of 1812, was presented to the Prince Regent (later George IV) as a trophy of war. Sometime after the War of 1812, the Fort Niagara flag was returned to Sir Gordon Drummond, who had commanded the British troops who captured it. The flag remained in Drummond's ancestral home in Scotland until 1994, when it was purchased by the Old Fort Niagara Association.
26. FTNIAG_090525_923.JPG: The Flag: The Fort Niagara garrison flag closely conforms to the United States flag legislation on May 1, 1795. This legislation specified a banner contained 15 stars and 15 stripes (a star and stripe for each state in the Union). While there were 18 states by the War of 1812, new legislation would not be adopted until 1818, and most flags during this conflict conformed to the earlier 1795 regulations. The Fort Niagara garrison flag has its 15 stars arranged in the most common configuration, with five rows of three stars each.
27. FTNIAG_090525_927.JPG: Construction and Materials: The flag is constructed of a loosely woven wool bunting. The stars are made of a finer linen fabric. Each stripe originally measured about 19 inches in width, making the flag just under 24 feet on the hoist. While the original length is unknown, it is possible that it may have measured thirty feet or more. Like a number of handmade flags of its vintage, the stars of the Fort Niagara garrison flag are sewn onto one side only. Star-shaped holes in the blue field allow the stars to show through to the other side.
28. FTNIAG_090525_931.JPG: British Cap Plate, 8th (King's) Regiment
29. FTNIAG_090525_938.JPG: U.S. Enlisted Man's Shoulder Belt Plate
AAA "Gem": AAA considers this location to be a "must see" point of interest. To see pictures of other areas that AAA considers to be Gems, click here.
Wikipedia Description: Fort Niagara
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fort Niagara is a fortification originally built to protect the interests of New France in North America. It is located near Youngstown, New York, on the eastern bank of the Niagara River at its mouth, on Lake Ontario.

Origin:

Ren�-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle built the first structure, called Fort Conti, in 1678. In 1687, the Governor of New France, the Marquis de Denonville, constructed a new fort at the former site of Fort Conti. He named it Fort Denonville and posted a hundred men under the command of Capt. Pierre de Troyes, Chevalier de Troyes. The winter weather and disease was severe, and all but twelve perished by the time a relief force returned from Montreal. It was decided in September of 1688 to abandon the post and the stockade was pulled down. In 1726, a two story "Maison a Machicoulis" or "Machicolated House" was constructed on the same site by French engineer Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Lery. It was called the "House of Peace" or trading post to appease the Hodenosaunee, or Iroquois. The name used today, "The French Castle" was not used until the 19th Century. The fort was expanded to its present size in 1755 due to increased tensions between French and British colonial interests.

British control:

The fort played a significant part in the French and Indian War, and fell to the British in a nineteen day siege in July 1759, called the Battle of Fort Niagara. The French relief force sent for the besieged garrison was ambushed at the Battle of La Belle-Famille, and the commander of the post, Pierre Pouchot, surrendered the fort to the British commander, Sir William Johnson, who initially led the New York Militia. The Irish-born Johnson was not the original commander of the expedition, but became its leader when General Prideaux literally lost his head, stepping in front of a mortar being test-fired during the siege. The fort remained in British hands for the next thirty-seven years.

Fort Niagara served as the Loyalist base in New York during the American Revolutionary War for Colonel John Butler and his Butler's Rangers, a Tory militia in the command of the British Army. Lt. Col. William Stacy, a high-ranking officer of the Continental Army, was captured at the attack on Cherry Valley, New York by Butler's Rangers. He was held captive at Fort Niagara during the summer of 1779. Niagara become notorious for drinking, brawling, whoring, and cheating. Crude taverns, stores, and bordellos sprouted on "the Bottom", the riverside flat below the fort.

Though Fort Niagara was ceded to the United States after the Treaty of Paris ended the American War of Independence in 1783, the region remained effectively under British control for thirteen years. Only after signing of the Jay Treaty did American forces occupy the fort in 1796. In the interim, United Empire Loyalists fleeing persecution in the new USA were given land grants, typically 200 acres (81 ha) per,[clarification needed] in Upper Canada and some were sustained in the early years partly by aid from the military stores of the fort. The British captured Fort Niagara during the War of 1812, on the night of December 19, 1813. British forces relinquished it to the United States with the Treaty of Ghent. It has remained in US custody ever since.

Later use:

The name "Old Fort Niagara" which is associated with the fort today does not refer to its age but to distinguish the colonial-era fortress from its more modern namesake. The post-Civil War era saw the building of "New Fort Niagara" outside the original walls of the fort. Following the Civil War, masonry forts were abandoned for the style of military camp we now know (masonry fared poorly under bombardment). The newer Fort Niagara contained a thousand-yard rifle range, access to rail lines, and access to large industrial areas (Niagara Falls and Buffalo). Fort Niagara was used to train troops for the Spanish-American War and World War I, and during World War II as an induction center and later a POW camp for 1,200 German soldiers captured in North Africa. After WWII, the fort served as emergency housing for returning veterans. During the Korean War, the fort was used as for the headquarters for anti-aircraft artillery and later Nike missiles. The US Army officially deactivated Fort Niagara in 1963. Military presence on the site continues with the United States Coast Guard still operating at "The Bottoms" making Fort Niagara one of the longest continuously run military bases in the United States,

In 1931 after nine years of lobbying for repairs and preservation by local citizens a formal operating license between Old Fort Niagara Association and the U.S. War Department establishes rights to preserve and operate the fort. In 1949, Congress transferred Father Millet Cross National Monument (a small memorial at Fort Niagara) to the State of New York. In 1960 the fort was among the first sites designated as National Historic Landmarks.

Today:

Fort Niagara has been renovated and now serves as Fort Niagara State park and museum. The restored fort is the scene of frequent historical reenactments of 18th century battles that took place on the site, as well as period dances, fundraisers and other special events. Fort Niagara is a State Historic Site.
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