Fort Ontario

Fort Ontario is an historic fort situated by the City of Oswego, in Oswego County, New York in the United States of America. It is owned by the state of New York and operated as a museum known as Fort Ontario State Historic Site.

Geography

Fort Ontario is located on the east side of the Oswego River on high ground overlooking Lake Ontario.

History

Early history

Fort Ontario was one of several forts erected by the British to protect the area around the east end of Lake Ontario. The original Fort Ontario was erected in 1755, during the French and Indian War in order to bolster defenses already in place at Fort Oswego on the opposite side of the river. At that time its name was the "Fort of the Six Nations," but the fort was destroyed by French forces and was rebuilt in 1759.

During the American Revolution, a detachment from the 3rd New York Regiment destroyed the fort in July, 1778, after the British abandoned it. The British returned and rebuilt the fort in 1782. There was an aborted attack on the fort by Colonel Marinus Willet in 1783. The British held the fort after the war was over until 1796 after the signing of Jay's Treaty.


19th Century

The fort was attacked and destroyed by British forces during the War of 1812 in the year 1814. After a period of disuse, new construction was undertaken in part due to tensions with Great Britain and the check smuggling activities between Canada and the United States.

During the American Civil War the new construction began at the fort due to fear of British help from Canada to the South. Although the fort remained a military base, the fort itself fell into ruin, since funds were used to create more modern quarters outside the fort.


The modern fort

2nd Brigade of the U.S. 1st Infantry Division called Fort Ontario home until the brigade was inactivated on June 1, 1940.

During World War II, Fort Ontario was home to approximately 982 Jewish refugees, from August 1944 to February 1946. Fort Ontario was the first and only attempt by the United States to shelter Jewish refugees during the war. After the end of the war the refugees were kept in internment due to disagreements concerning whether or not to allow them to become United States citizens. In January 1946, the decision was made to allow them to become citizens, and by February all of the Jewish refugees were allowed to leave Fort Ontario.

The restored fort is open to the public as a state historic site. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. In 2010, Fort Ontario was one of the state-funded historical sites named by Governor David Paterson as being potentially unfunded due to the budget crisis faced by New York State. In response, many of the citizens of Oswego and students of the State University of New York at Oswego have joined together in support of the historical site.

Fort Ontario was built with two other forts in the period, Fort George and Fort Oswego.

References

External links

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Debi B
24 June 2012
The Oswego West Pierhead Light can be viewed from the museum or from the higher vantage of the old Fort Ontario on the eastern side of the river.
Jon
26 August 2014
Not only because I've worked here, but this place has more history than you can remember. If you don't go for the history than stay for the view of Lake Ontario.
Parks & Trails New York
11 February 2015
Fort Ontario State Historic Site is one of the participants in Parks & Trails New York's I Love My Park Day! Find more information by visiting www.ptny.org.
Deborah Lewis
30 March 2022
Best Place to watch Harborfest Fireworks..Love the History!
Mashood Oshodi
19 November 2013
Canada is North, U.S. is East, & the perfect sunset is West.
Jessica Drake
27 June 2011
Sign your kids up for swim lessons or enjoy free swim at the pool!
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0.2km from McRobie Ball Field Street, Oswego, NY 13126, USA Get directions
Wed-Sat 10:00 AM–4:30 PM
Sun Noon–4:30 PM

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