#13 - Fort Stanwix National Monument (7/14/24)

Colonial fort first built in the 1750s to guard a key trading route

We visited Fort Stanwix on our way back to NYC from Syracuse. It was still incredibly hot out and Arthur and I were both somewhat hungover. That being said, the site approached its history in a very interesting way that stuck in my memory more than most of the sites we have visited.

There was winding hallway of an exhibit that followed the experience of four different populations in the area during the Revolutionary War: Loyalists, Patriots, the Oneida, and Women. A character was created to represent each population and express their varying viewpoints before, during, and after the siege that occurred at Fort Stanwix. Their viewpoints were shared through both reenactment videos and text. It was so refreshing to see a site “complicate” its historical narrative in such a straightforward way. I think it would do many other sites good if they considered approaching their histories in a similar way.

The end of the exhibit led out to the reconstruction of the fort, which is massive and right in the middle of town. Even the indoor spaces of the fort were recreated; I enjoyed seeing the barracks versus the storage areas versus the spaces where high ranking officials would have spent their time.

There were historical reenactors throughout the fort (our first site seeing reenactors), whom we were reluctant to engage with. It was nothing against the people — again, it was really hot, we were a little hungover, and nothing came to mind that seemed worth asking them. I’ll make a better attempt at engaging the next time we encounter reenactors. But overall, it was a well done site for a historical moment that I had never heard about before. I recommend visiting: 100 N James St, Rome, NY 13440