Fort Stanwix National Monument
This is Fort Stanwix National Monument in Rome, a place where much of what you see has been carefully reconstructed to reflect its 1777 appearance. This reconstruction brings us back to a fort that played a critical role during the American Revolution.
Originally built in 1758 during the French and Indian War, Fort Stevens was strategically located along a key portage route between the Mohawk River and Wood Creek. By the time of the Revolution, it had become a vital defensive position.
In 1777, the fort stood at the center of the Siege of Fort Stanwix, part of the larger British campaign to divide the colonists along the Hudson River. American forces held the fort against British, Loyalist and Native American troops. The siege did not end in a dramatic assault, but in the British withdrawal.
The defense of Fort Stanwix helped weaken the larger campaign that would soon lead to the American victory at Saratoga, a turning point in the war.
The site was preserved and later established as a national monument in 1935 by Congress and signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. This ensured that this lesser-known important chapter of the Revolution would not be lost.
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