One of the more unexpected stops through New York was Fort Stanwix National Monument. Unlike many historic forts perched on a hilltop or overlooking a river, this one sits squarely in downtown Rome, NY, surrounded by modern streets and buildings! 

The original Fort Stanwix was built by the British in 1758 during the French and Indian War. Its location was strategically important because it guarded a short overland route connecting waterways that led toward the Great Lakes, the Mohawk Valley, and the Hudson River. Whoever controlled this passage controlled one of the region’s most important travel corridors.  

This fort is best remembered for its role during the American Revolution. In August 1777, an American garrison endured a 21-day siege by a large force of British regulars, Loyalists, German troops, Canadians, and British-allied Native warriors led by General Barry St. Leger.

The defenders refused demands to surrender, earning Fort Stanwix its nickname, “the fort that never surrendered.” The British hoped to move through the Mohawk Valley and join General Burgoyne’s campaign, helping isolate New England from the other colonies. Their failure at Fort Stanwix disrupted that plan and contributed to the chain of events that ended with the American victory at Saratoga.

The fort we toured is not the original structure. After the Revolutionary War, the old fort fell into disrepair, and the growing city of Rome eventually covered the site. During the 20th century, archaeologists located its remains beneath downtown buildings.  Using archaeological evidence and surviving plans, the National Park Service reconstructed the fort, which opened to the public in 1976.  

The thick earthen walls, wooden barracks, officers’ quarters, storerooms, cannons, and defensive positions revealed how crowded and difficult life must have been for the soldiers stationed here. It was not hard to imagine the tension during the siege, with enemy forces outside the walls and no certainty that help would arrive.

The Revolution divided families and communities throughout the Mohawk Valley, while members of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy were pulled to opposing sides. The Oneida generally supported the American cause, while many Mohawk warriors fought with the British. For the Native nations involved, the consequences lasted long after the armies had gone home.

Fort Stanwix may not be as famous as Yorktown or Valley Forge, but its defenders helped derail a major British strategy at a crucial moment in the war. There was also something wonderfully improbable about finding this massive reconstructed fort in the middle of a modern city!

Rome, New York, may not have been built in a day—but apparently an 18th-century fortress could be rebuilt there two centuries later!