Fort Ontario is a historic bastion fort used by British and American forces, located in the City of Oswego in Oswego County, New York, US. Fort Ontario is located on the east side of the Oswego River on high ground overlooking Lake Ontario. The present fortifications are built on a pentagonal plan with five bastions. The fort is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is owned by the state of New York and operated as a museum known as Fort Ontario State Historic Site.

Originally erected in 1755, it was one of several forts erected by the British to protect the area around the east end of Lake Ontario. During the American Revolutionary War, it was destroyed by American forces in 1778; the British rebuilt the fort in 1782 and held it until 1796. The fort was again destroyed by British forces in 1814, and it was rebuilt during the American Civil War following a period of disuse. In the 20th century, it served variously as a military hospital, an infantry base, an induction center, and a World War II refugee camp. Although closed by the U.S. Army after World War II, some of the buildings at Fort Ontario are still used for training by the Army Reserve.

18th century

thumb|left|A 1757 map showing the defenses around the mouth of the Oswego River (image shows replica map from 1850)

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 during the Battle of Fort Oswego in 1756 and rebuilt by British forces in 1759.

At the conclusion of Pontiac's War, Pontiac urged moderation and agreed to travel to New York, where he made a formal treaty with William Johnson at Fort Ontario on July 25, 1766.

During the American Revolutionary War, 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.

In 1921, the fort again became an infantry base, initially the 28th Infantry Regiment and in 1933, the 2nd Brigade of the U.S. 1st Infantry Division called Fort Ontario home until the brigade was deactivated on June 1, 1940. During this period, some of the historic buildings inside the fort were restored and a golf course was laid out on the grassy ramparts.

thumb|250px|right|The walls of Fort Ontario

In 1940, the fort was refurbished as an induction center for new conscripts with 60 new buildings for 3,000 men, but it was used instead as a base for several National Guard anti-aircraft units. As America entered World War II, Fort Ontario was repurposed again as a training center for African American

military police.

Current use

Although closed by the U.S. Army after World War II, some of the buildings at Fort Ontario are still used for training by the Army Reserve.

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.

The current layout of the fort includes Officer Quarters #1, the Powder Magazine, the Enlisted Men's Barracks, the Storehouse, and Officer Quarters #2. There are also two guardhouses by the entrance of the tunnel to the main entrance.

alt=Internal view of Fort Ontario after a fresh snowfall, December 2018.|thumb|736x736px|Internal view of Fort Ontario after a fresh snowfall, December 2018. |none

See also

  • List of New York State Historic Sites

References

  • Graymont, Barbara, The Iroquois in the American Revolution, 1972,
  • Historic Fort Ontario
  • Fort Ontario State Historic Site, official site
  • Friends of Fort Ontario