The Place
Oswego NY is a small city on Lake Ontario where the Oswego
River enters the Lake. The River flows
from Oneida Lake to Lake Ontario and was of strategic importance, especially
when the Erie Canal was moved to go through Oneida Lake.
The Adventure
We had heard that there was a lighthouse at the entry to the
Oswego Harbor.
The map also indicated
that Fort Ontario State Historical Site
was located there as well. It sounded like a perfect place to stop for
lunch.
It was much more than that.
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| 2 officer quarter buildings were also used as office spaces. |
The Oswego Harbor is the entrance to the Oswego River. It is protected by massive breakwaters and
marked for mariners by a lovely lighthouse. Above the lighthouse on land stands Fort
Ontario. Fort Ontario has had a
checkered past. The current Fort is
built on the ruins of three earlier fortifications dating to the French and
Indian War, Revolutionary War, and War of 1812. It was occupied by the
U.S. Army through World War II. From 1944 to 1946 the fort served as the
only refugee camp in the United States for mostly Jewish victims of the Nazi
Holocaust.
The Fort is being restored to its
1868-1872 appearance when it housed 55 enlisted men, 2 officers, 2 servants, 2
hospital staff, 4 laundresses, 1 ordinance sergeant, 1 engineer, and 45
civilian employees engaged in construction at the fort. We wonder how they all fit into these 4 buildings!
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| Enlisted quarters and mess hall |
What an enjoyable stop for lunch!
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| Can you see the lighthouse in the background? |
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| There it is! |
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| Casemates were underground galleries inside the earthen walls. |
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| Note ports for shooting from out of the casemates. |
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| Inside Powder Magazine |
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