Fort George (New York) Explained

Fort George (New York)
Location:New York, New York
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Fort George was the name of five different forts in what is now the state of New York.[1] [2]

Military forts

First fort (Lower Manhattan)The first Fort George was built in 1626 in the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam and named Fort Amsterdam. The British Army renamed it Fort James in 1664. It was briefly reoccupied by the Dutch from 1673 to 1674 as Fort Willem Hendrick. The British renamed it Fort William Henry in 1691, Fort Anne or Queen's Fort in 1703, and finally Fort George in 1714. The north side bastions and ramparts were destroyed in the American Revolutionary War in 1776 by the Americans and finally demolished in 1790. The site is now the location of the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House in Lower Manhattan.
Second fort (Oswego, NY)A second Fort George was built by the British in 1755 at Oswego, New York, but it was destroyed by the French commander Louis-Joseph de Montcalm in 1756. The site is now Montcalm Park, bordered by West Schulyer Street, Montcalm Street and West 6th Street.[3]
Third fort (Lake George, NY)A third Fort George was built in Lake George, New York, in 1755. It was destroyed in 1777 and abandoned in 1780. It was located southeast of Fort William Henry facing Lake George, in the wooded area within Lake George Battlefield Park.[3]
Fourth fort (Staten Island)A fourth Fort George was an encampment built on Staten Island around 1777 in the area of St. George, Staten Island, likely Fort Hill.[3] [4] The hill, overlooking the harbor, was the location on Duxbury's Point or Ducksberry Point and was fortified by the British during the American Revolutionary War.[5] Hessian troops, who were contracted by the British, were stationed near the Jersey Street brook (or Hessian Springs).[6]
Fifth fort (Upper Manhattan)The last Fort George was built in 1776 in New York City on Fort George Hill, near the current intersection of Audubon Avenue and West 192nd Street in Upper Manhattan. It was briefly named Fort Clinton and finally Fort George.

Present-day Fort George neighborhood

The site of the fifth fort, in upper Manhattan, is on a hill at the northern end of the Washington Heights neighborhood. The site of the fort became a site of an Victorian-era amusement park. From 1895 to 1914, the fort was the site of the Fort George Amusement Park and is now the location of George Washington Educational Campus and part of Highbridge Park. Fort George Hill is also the name of a present-day street that encircles the fort's site.[7]

The area encompassing the hill is also called Fort George, and is considered a sub-neighborhood of Washington Heights. It is sometimes given as West 181st Street to Dyckman Street, other times a smaller north/south area, east of Broadway to the Harlem River.[8] [9] However, the name Fort George is not widely used by New Yorkers and could be considered an example of neighborhood rebranding.[10] [11]

Notes and References

  1. Gottlock, Wesley and Barbara (2011) Lost Amusement Parks of the Hudson Valley. Blurb Publishing. p. 137-164.
  2. Gottlock, Wesley and Barbara (2013) Lost Amusement Parks of New York City. History Press. p. 17-32.
  3. Web site: Fort George. New York State Military Museum. August 27, 2017. ndg. Staff.
  4. Web site: RELICS OF THE REVOLUTION – Historical Society Unearths Rich Store at Fort Hill Site on Staten Island Buttons Reveal Large Garrison. No Trace of Barracks. . November 2, 1919 . May 23, 2014 . The New York Times. en-US. 0362-4331.
  5. http://www.nypl.org/branch/staten/index2.cfm?Trg=1&d1=962&template=StatenIslandOldNames NYPL
  6. Book: Proceedings – Staten Island Institute of Arts and Sciences . Hollick . C.A. . Davis . W.T. . Staten Island Institute of Arts and Sciences . 1914. 222 . November 20, 2019 . v. 4–7.
  7. Web site: Staff. ndg. Highbridge Park Highlights - Fort George Playground. New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. August 27, 2017.
  8. Hughes, C. J. (April 19, 2017) "Living In: Fort George, Manhattan: Nosebleed Heights and Down-to-Earth Prices" The New York Times
  9. Web site: Fort George . City Neighborhoods . 2024-01-16.
  10. Web site: Sterling . Anna Lucente . NYC's Changing Neighborhood Names . NY1 . 2022-07-17 .
  11. Web site: WASHINGTON TERRACE, Washington Heights . December 28, 2013 . 2024-01-16.

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