View source for Fort Niagara

{{For|other uses of this name|Battle of Niagara (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2023}} {{Use American English|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox NRHP
| nrhp_type            = nhl
| image                = French castle at Fort Niagara 2.JPG
| caption              = View of French Castle at Fort Niagara
| location             = [[Fort Niagara State Park]], Porter, Niagara County, New York, US
| nearest_city         = [[Youngstown, New York]]
| coordinates          = {{coord|43|15|46|N|79|03|47|W|region:US-NY|display=inline,title}}
| area                 = {{convert|250|acre|ha}}
| built                = 1726
| architect            =
| architecture         =
| designated_nrhp_type = October 9, 1960<ref name="nhlsum"/>
| added                = October 15, 1966<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2007a}}</ref>
| visitation_num       =
| visitation_year      =
| refnum               = 66000556
| mpsub                = 
}}
{{Infobox military installation
| name = Fort Niagara
| location = Youngstown, New York
| image = Fort Niagara.jpg
| image_size = 300px
| caption = Fort Niagara 1728
| type = Trading Post
| built = 1678
| materials =
| used = 1726–present
| controlledby = [[Kingdom of France|France]] 1678–1759<br />[[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]] 1759–1796<br />[[U.S. Army]] 1815–1963<br />[[U.S. Coast Guard]] 1963–present
| past_commanders =[[Louis-Thomas Chabert de Joncaire]] (1720–1726){{Clear}}[[John W. Heavey]] (1916–1917)
| garrison =
| battles = [[French and Indian War]]

[[Pontiac's War]]

[[Bradstreet's Expedition]]

[[The War of 1812]]

}}
'''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 was 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==
{{Further|Louis-Thomas Chabert de Joncaire#Fort Niagara}}
[[File:Overlooking Fort Niagara (I0004210).jpg|thumb|Overlooking Fort Niagara, c. 1915]]
[[René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle]], built the first fortified structure, called [[Fort Conti]], in 1678. In 1687, the Governor of New France, the [[Marquis de Denonville]], replaced it with a new fort. He named it [[Fort Denonville]] and posted a hundred men as a garrison under the command of Capt. [[Pierre de Troyes, Chevalier de Troyes]]. The winter weather and disease was severe, and all but twelve died by the time a relief force returned from [[Montreal]]. The government decided in September 1688 to abandon the post and had the stockade pulled down.

[[Louis-Thomas Chabert de Joncaire]] was dispatched to the [[Seneca people]], one of the Five Nations of the [[Iroquois League]], to obtain permission to build a French post on the banks of the river. He spoke to several chiefs in 1720, explaining his pleasure was always great when he visited them but that he would do it more spontaneously if he had a dwelling place. Considering that he was of the tribe since his turbulent captivity and his "adoption", the chiefs agreed he had the right to build a dwelling where they chose. Joncaire and eight men dispatched from [[Fort Frontenac]] built a [[trading post]], called ''Magasin Royal'' or ''Maison de la Paix'' (Royal Store or House of Peace) on the right bank of the river (going downstream). The name was intended to emphasize the French peaceful intent, to exchange goods for furs here.<ref>[https://www.oldfortniagara.org/history oldfortniagara.org/history]</ref>

[[File:Porte des Cinq Nations.jpg|thumb|''Porte des Cinq Nations''. Beginning in 1756, the main entrance to Fort Niagara was established at the southern bastion, on the side of the Niagara River. The French named this gate the ''Porte des Cinq Nations'', that is, the Gate of the Five Nations, in honor of the Iroquois League.]]
In 1726, French engineer [[Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Léry (military engineer)|Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Léry]] built a two-story ''Maison à Machicoulis'' or "Machicolated House" on the site to replace the old fort. In 1755 the French expanded the fort to its present size in response to the armed confrontation that started between French and British colonial interests as part of the [[Seven Years' War]] in Europe. In North America, British colonists called this the [[French and Indian War]]; both sides cultivated Native American allies.

The name used today, "The French Castle", was not used until the 19th century.

==British and American control==
{{Further|Great Britain in the Seven Years' War|War of 1812|Capture of Fort Niagara}}
The fort was a strategic site in the French and Indian War. It fell to the [[Kingdom of Great Britain|British]] after they conducted a nineteen-day siege in July 1759, which was called the [[Battle of Fort Niagara]]. The French relief force sent to relieve the besieged garrison was ambushed at the [[Battle of La Belle-Famille]]. The post's commander, [[Pierre Pouchot]], surrendered the fort to the British commander, [[Sir William Johnson]], who initially led the New York Militia. The Irish-born Johnson became the expedition's leader after [[John Prideaux (British Army officer)|General John Prideaux]] literally lost his head; he stepped in front of a mortar being test-fired during the siege. The British controlled the fort for the next thirty-seven years before they handed it over to the Americans after the Revolutionary War.

[[File:DSCN4355 oldfortniagaraactors e.jpg|left|thumb|Reenactors dressed in British 1812 uniforms at Old Fort Niagara]]{{Campaignbox French and Indian War}}
[[File:Mémoires sur la dernière guerre de l'Amérique Septentrionale - entre la France et l'Angleterre; suivis d'observations, dont plusieurs sont relatives au théatre actuel de la guerre, and de nouveaux (14579503317).jpg|right|thumb|1781 map of Fort Niagara]]
[[File:Fort Niagara - aerial (2) (22296408596).jpg|right|thumb|March 2013 view of Fort Niagara]]

Fort Niagara served as the Loyalist base in New York during the American Revolutionary War for Colonel [[John Butler (pioneer)|John Butler]] and his [[Butler's Rangers]], a provincial military unit. Lt. Col. [[William Stacy]], a high-ranking officer of the [[Continental Army]], was captured by Butler's Rangers in their attack on [[Cherry Valley Massacre|Cherry Valley, New York]]. He was held captive at Fort Niagara during the summer of 1779.<ref>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.</ref> Niagara became notorious for drinking, brawling, whoring, and cheating. Crude taverns, stores, and bordellos sprouted on "the Bottom", the riverside flat below the fort.<ref>Taylor, pg. 102</ref>

Though the British ceded Fort Niagara to the United States after the [[Treaty of Paris (1783)|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 US were given land grants, typically {{convert|200|acre|ha}} per inhabitant in [[Upper Canada]], and some were partly sustained in the early years by aid from the fort's military stores. 

During the [[War of 1812]], the fort's guns sank the [[Provincial Marine]] schooner [[Seneca (1812 ship)|''Seneca'']] on November 21, 1812. British forces [[Capture of Fort Niagara|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.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Cumberland|first=Barlow|date=2001|title=Chapter 8 History of Names at Newark and Niagara|url=https://www.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca//documents/cumberland/default.asp?ID=c014|access-date=July 24, 2021|website=Century of Sail and Steam on the Niagara River}}</ref> 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.

[[Active Regular Army units with campaign credit for the War of 1812|Nine currently active battalions of the Regular Army]] (4-1 FA, 1-2 Inf, 2-2 Inf, 1-3 Inf, 2-3 Inf, 4-3 Inf, 1-4 Inf, 2-4 Inf and 3-4 Inf) are derived from American units (Leonard's Company, 1st Regiment of Artillery, and the old 14th, 19th and 22nd Infantry Regiments) that were at Fort Niagara during the War of 1812. 52 (Niagara) Battery Royal Artillery (Holcroft's Company, 4th Battalion [[Royal Artillery]]),<ref>Turner (2012), pp.345</ref> [[The Royal Scots|Royal Scots]] and a number of other British units that fought at the [[Capture of Fort Niagara]] still exist today. A number of other units that served in the Fort in the War of 1812 (such as [[20 Battery Royal Artillery]] (Caddy's Company, 4th Battalion Royal Artillery)) also endure.

==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 Candidate School (United States Army)|officer training school]] which included [[Daniel W. Hand]] and [[Charles W. Ryder]] as instructors.<ref>{{cite news |date=June 26, 1917 |title=Captain Hand Will Go To Fort Niagara |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115288319/niagara/ |work=[[The Buffalo News|Buffalo Evening News]] |location=Buffalo, NY |page=15 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/America/United_States/Army/USMA/Cullums_Register/5351*.html |title=Charles W. Ryder in Cullum's Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy, Volumes VI to IX |date=February 9, 2017 |website=Bill Thayer's Web Site |publisher=Bill Thayer |access-date=December 28, 2022}}</ref>

During [[World War II]], Fort Niagara was an induction center before it became a prisoner of war camp for 1,200 German soldiers captured in the [[North African Campaign]]. After the war, the fort provided temporary housing for returning veterans.

[[File:Fort Niagara from Canadian Side 1.jpg|thumb|View of Fort Niagara from the Canadian side of the Niagara River]]
During the [[Korean War]], the fort was a headquarters for anti-aircraft artillery and later Nike missiles. The Niagara Falls Defense Area originally formed the northern half of the U.S. Army Anti-Aircraft Command defenses in western [[New York State]].<ref>Morgan and Berhow, "Rings of Supersonic Steel", 125-126.</ref> After the amalgamation of the Niagara Falls and Buffalo Defense Areas, the [[Army Air Defense Command Post]] moved to [[Lockport AFS|Lockport Air Force Station]] in [[Cambria, New York]]. 

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 [[31st Artillery Brigade (Air Defense)]], 101st Artillery Group, and 18th Artillery Group. The only battalion in the region was the 44th Anti-Aircraft Missile Battalion, superseded by the 1st Battalion, [[4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment]] on September 1, 1958.

The U.S. Army officially deactivated Fort Niagara in 1963. The 1/4 ADA moved to the [[Seattle Defense Area]], where it was active from September 1972 to April 1974. Military presence on the site continues with the [[United States Coast Guard]] operating at "The Bottoms". Fort Niagara is considered one of the longest continuously run military bases within the boundaries of the United States, from French control in 1726 to the present day.

A formal operating license between Old Fort Niagara Association and the U.S. War Department in 1931 established rights of the non-profit{{vague|date=August 2023}} to preserve and operate the fort. In 1949, Congress transferred [[Father Millet Cross|Father Millet Cross National Monument]] to the State of New York, now a small memorial at Fort Niagara.<ref name="nps">{{cite web| url=http://www.nps.gov/history/archeology/sites/antiquities/MonumentsList.htm| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070702084556/http://www.nps.gov/history/archeology/sites/antiquities/MonumentsList.htm| url-status=dead| archive-date=July 2, 2007| title=Antiquities Act: Monument List| author=National Park Service| access-date=May 8, 2009}}</ref> 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.<ref name="nhlsum">{{cite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=400&ResourceType=District|title=Colonial Niagara Historic District|date=September 12, 2007|work=National Historic Landmark summary listing|publisher=National Park Service|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080603230522/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=400&ResourceType=District|archive-date=June 3, 2008}}</ref><ref name="NHL">[[National Park Service]]; [http://www.cr.nps.gov/nhl/designations/Lists/NY01.pdf National Historic Landmark Survey, New York] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130922201700/http://www.cr.nps.gov/nhl/designations/Lists/NY01.pdf |date=September 22, 2013 }}. Retrieved June 6, 2007.</ref><ref name="nrhpinv">{{cite web|url={{NHLS url|id=66000556}}|title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Fort Niagara|author=John H. Conlin|format=PDF|year=1986|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=June 22, 2009}} and {{NHLS url|id=66000556|title=Accompanying 23 photos, exteriors and interiors.|photos=y}}&nbsp;{{small|(3.55&nbsp;MB)}}</ref>

==Today==
[[File:Fort Niagara aiming at Toronto.jpg|thumb|Historic cannon at Fort Niagara; [[Toronto]] across the lake]]

[[File:Front view of the French Castle at Fort Niagara.jpg|thumb|A reenactment in action during lunch hour at Fort Niagara. The skyline of Toronto may be seen on the horizon.]]

The renovated Fort Niagara now serves as [[Fort Niagara State Park|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".<ref name="NHL"/> The Colonial Niagara Historic District was placed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] on October 15, 1966.<ref name="nris"/> It is a major contributing element to the [[Niagara Falls National Heritage Area]].<ref name=nps2>{{cite web|title=History and Culture|url=https://www.nps.gov/places/niagara-falls-national-heritage-area.htm|work=Niagara Falls National Heritage Area|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=March 15, 2012}}</ref>

In June 2025, the fort announced plans to build a replica 18th-century log cabin designed to depict the housing provided by the British during the American Revolution to its Native American allies.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Anthony |first=Taylor |date=2025-06-10 |title=Old Fort Niagara to build Native American Education Center |url=https://www.wkbw.com/news/local-news/old-fort-niagara-to-build-native-american-education-center |access-date=2025-09-29 |website=WKBW 7 News Buffalo |language=en}}</ref> The building is scheduled to open in 2026 and serve as a Native American Education Center.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Watkins |first=Emyle |date=2025-06-12 |title=Old Fort Niagara will open new Native American Education Center in 2026 |url=https://www.btpm.org/local/2025-06-12/old-fort-niagara-will-open-new-native-american-education-center-in-2026 |access-date=2025-09-29 |website=Buffalo Toronto Public Media |language=en}}</ref>

[[File:Lake Ontario from fort Niagara.jpg|thumb|Lake Ontario from Fort Niagara]]

==Haunting legend==
Some believe the site is haunted by a headless French soldier who was beheaded during a duel.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oldfortniagara.org/news/article/current/2014/10/09/100017/haunted-fortress-brings-ghost-stories-to-life|title=Haunted Fortress Brings Ghost Stories to Life|access-date=July 31, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160815225715/http://www.oldfortniagara.org/news/article/current/2014/10/09/100017/haunted-fortress-brings-ghost-stories-to-life|archive-date=August 15, 2016}}</ref> It is said he wanders the grounds looking for his head.<ref>{{Cite web|date=October 23, 2015|title=Headless Soldier of Fort Niagara|url=https://niagarafallsupclose.com/headless-french-soldier-of-old-fort-niagara/|access-date=July 18, 2021|website=Niagara Falls Up Close}}</ref> 

==See also==
{{Portal|France|North America|History}}
* [[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]]
* [[Old Fort Erie|Fort Erie National Historic Site]] – at the source of the Niagara River
* [[Fort George, Ontario|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==
{{Reflist}}
* Taylor, Alan, ''The Divided Ground'', 2006, {{ISBN|0-679-45471-3}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Fort Niagara}}
{{Wikisource1911Enc|Niagara, Fort}}
* {{Official website |http://www.oldfortniagara.org/}}
* [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/America/United_States/New_York/Niagara/Youngstown/Fort_Niagara/_Texts/HULOFN/home.html Historic Old Fort Niagara, by Claud H. Hulzén, Sr., Old Fort Niagara Association (1939), 62pp]
* [http://www.nysparks.com/historic-sites/31/details.aspx NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation: Old Fort Niagara State Historic Site]
*[[Historic American Buildings Survey]] (HABS):
** {{HABS |survey=NY-6155 |id=ny0977 |title=Fort Niagara, Fort Niagara State Park, Youngstown, Niagara County, NY |photos=7 |cap=1 |link=no}}
** {{HABS |survey=NY-6155-A |id=ny1257 |title=Fort Niagara, French Castle |photos=18 |cap=2 |link=no}}
** {{HABS |survey=NY-6155-B |id=ny1258 |title=Fort Niagara, East Gun Tower |photos=1 |cap=1 |link=no}}
** {{HABS |survey=NY-6155-C |id=ny1259 |title=Fort Niagara, Entrance Gun Tower |photos=1 |cap=1 |link=no}}
** {{HABS |survey=NY-6155-D |id=ny1260 |title=Fort Niagara, Administration Building |photos=1 |cap=1 |link=no}}
** {{HABS |survey=NY-6155-E |id=ny1243 |title=Fort Niagara, Hot Shot Battery Oven |photos=1 |cap=1 |link=no}}
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=yt8DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA867 "The FORT of FOUR Nations" ''Popular Mechanics'', December 1934, pp.867–869]
* [http://digitallibrary.hsp.org/index.php/Detail/Object/Show/object_id/2367 Fort Niagara in 1856] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130411202937/http://digitallibrary.hsp.org/index.php/Detail/Object/Show/object_id/2367 |date=April 11, 2013 }}, from the Historical Society of Pennsylvania

{{Protected areas of New York}}
{{Niagara Falls}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:National Historic Landmarks in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Forts in New York (state)|Niagara]]
[[Category:French and Indian War forts|Niagara]]
[[Category:American Revolutionary War forts|Niagara]]
[[Category:New York (state) historic sites]]
[[Category:War of 1812 forts|Niagara]]
[[Category:Niagara River]]
[[Category:Military and war museums in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Museums in Niagara County, New York]]
[[Category:French forts in the United States|Niagara]]
[[Category:British forts in the United States|Niagara]]
[[Category:Colonial forts in New York (state)|Niagara]]
[[Category:Parks in Niagara County, New York]]
[[Category:Niagara Falls National Heritage Area]]
[[Category:Historic American Buildings Survey in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Forts on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state)|Niagara]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Niagara County, New York]]
[[Category:1726 establishments in New France]]
[[Category:American Revolution on the National Register of Historic Places]]
[[Category:Military installations established in 1726]]
[[Category:Military installations closed in 1963]]
[[Category:1963 disestablishments in New York (state)]]
[[Category:World War II prisoner-of-war camps in the United States]]
[[Category:Military history of the Great Lakes]]
[[Category:National Historic Landmark Districts]]