Fort Ontario

The current Fort Ontario is the fourth iteration of the fort. It was originally built by the English in 1755 under Governor Shirley. It was an 8-pointed wooden stockade. This first iteration was destroyed by the French under Marquis of Montcalm in August 1756. The second iteration of the fort was once again built by the English Lord Amherst in 1759. This time the fort was built of earth and timber. It was designed according to the most recent military technology and was able to house 500 men. During the American Revolution in 1777, the British evacuated the fort leaving it open for enemy attack. So obviously, the fort was captured by American troops from Fort Stanwix and was destroyed in 1778. The fort was then won back by the British in 1782 and was once again rebuilt for a third time. This third iteration of the fort was then handed over the United States in 1796. In May 1814, the fort was attacked again by British land and naval forces, resulting in the destruction of the third fort. This attack was done under Admiral Yeo.

Now the fourth and current iteration of the fort was built from earth and timber again by the United States between 1839 and 1844 when there was a threat of another war with Great Britain. This time designed to accommodate 120 men. During the Civil War and afterwards, from 1863 to 1870, improvements were made to the fort. These improvements were replacing the outer earth walls with stone and concrete. Although major improvements needed to be done after 1872 Congress failed to provide funding for them which lead to a decline in the fort and eventually it being abandoned in 1901. Fort Ontario once again became occupied from 1903 to 1905 when the United States expanded the fort due to the reorganization of the army under Secretary of War, Elihu Root. At this time the fort was re-fortified with brick. After being abandoned again, it was converted into an officers’ dub and apartments in 1928. The fort continued to grow after this. During World War II, between 1944 and 1946, the fort acted as an emergency refugee center for Holocaust victims under executive order from President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The refugee center was the only one of its kind in the whole country. From 1946 to 1953, Fort Ontario housed World War II veterans and their families; and then in 1953 it was opened as a state historic site.

To learn more about Fort Ontario visit their website at http://historicfortontario.com/

Sources

Colasurdo, M. J. (n.d.). The History of Fort Ontario. Retrieved from https://www.oswego-history.com/the-history-of-fort-ontario/

Fort Ontario State Historic Site. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://parks.ny.gov/historic-sites/20/details.aspx

See History Alive. (2017, December 08). Retrieved from http://historicfortontario.com/see-history-alive/