Fort Oswego/Ontario and other things Oswego NY

 While I was in upstate New York last week, I had an afternoon to do some site seeing.

First up, Fort Oswego:  In August 1756, French forces defeated the British in the Battle of Fort Oswego, capturing the fort during the French and Indian War. Fort Ontario was rebuilt, but Fort Oswego was only used as a cannon emplacement. During the American Revolution, American forces captured Fort Monroe, but it was retaken by the British and remained in their hands until well after the war was over. During the War of 1812, a weaker American garrison at Fort Oswego was overwhelmed by superior British forces, in order to stem the flow of supplies from the interior of New York state. Throughout the 19th Century, the U.S. military maintained a presence at Fort Ontario.


Some views of the harbor and lake: Oswego is home to the port of Oswego and once was a major railroad hub for the New York Central, Lackawanna/Erie Lackawanna, and NY Ontario and Western railways. Three stations remain: two passenger (D&LW and NYC) and one freight (NYC) as does a rather large trestle over the Oswego River. The tunnel on a local hiking trail in the city was the north end of the NYO&W.


Not pictured, but part of Fort Ontario was the Safe Haven Museum which I toured.  I think this was the most informative part of the day:  Oswego was home to almost 1,000 Jewish refugees during World War II. Fort Ontario was the only attempt by the United States to shelter Jewish refugees during the war. 

Last stop of the day was:  The H. Lee White Marine Museum is located in Oswego, New York. It was founded in 1982 by Rosemary Sinnett Nesbitt (1924-2009), a local professor and the City of Oswego Historian.^[1] Nesbitt retired from directorship of the museum in 2008 after completing 25 years of service.^[2]

It is the current home of the tugboat Nash, a National Historic Landmark, one of the only remaining US Army vessels from the Normandy Landings.

This was a monument at Fort Ontario, and I loved the chiseled inscription: "FROM THE HEARTH OF AMERICA COMES THE HEART OF AMERICA".