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A Banner Anniversary at Old Fort Niagara
By Naomi Spencer

Photo courtesy of Old Fort Niagara.

Imagine white canvas tents sweeping across a grassy field, air thick with smoke from muskets firing nearby. Small piles of charred wood dot the ground in front of tents. They too send smoke coiling into the July air. A man clad in a red coat lined with brass buttons belts out music on his fiddle, tapping the ground to keep tempo with the spirited song.

Men, women and children are dressed in 18th century wool clothing. Some cook by fires or shoot muskets in the field; others watch over wares or mill around camp. All are reenactors playing a part in bringing to life a colorful and bloody history, spanning more than 300 years, of Old Fort Niagara.

Scenes like this one — seemingly plucked out of the 18th century and set down in the 21st — are acted out every year against the backdrop of the National Historic Landmark and NYS Historic Site located in Youngstown on a bluff overlooking Lake Ontario. This summer, from May 15 through July 25, the scene will be especially lively.

Over the Fourth of July weekend, an estimated 2,500 re-enactors, the largest group the Fort has ever seen, will be depicting one of the most dramatic episodes of the French and Indian War: the fort’s 19-day siege and capture by the British in 1759.

Dynamic events will occur throughout the weekend. On Friday, July 3, tall ships complete with billowing white sails, re-created to look like ones used in the 18th century, will sail in from Toronto to reenact a naval battle on Lake Ontario.

Why all the sensation? The Old Fort Niagara Association, a not-for-profit organization, is commemorating the 250th anniversary of the siege and capture of Fort Niagara in conjunction with the NYS French and Indian War 250th Anniversary Commemoration Commission.

Bob Emerson, executive director of the Old Fort Niagara Association, is thrilled that the fort is where central events for the 2009 Commemoration will take place. The program is titled Rivals for Empire, and he views it as an opportunity to highlight the entire region. “When tourists think about going somewhere that has early colonial history, they usually think of places like Boston or Philadelphia,” Emerson says. “This really gives us a chance to highlight the history we have here in the region.”

Family friendly and living history are phrases that describe just about any event during the weekend, from the 18th century engineering and fortification demonstrations, children’s games and book signings to the siege tours, there will be something for everyone.

Other reenactment events that will take place over the weekend are a call for surrender, a bombardment of the fort and fireworks (Friday), a gathering of Iroquois warriors (Saturday), a march by British forces on the Fort and the surrender of the French (Sunday).

“Essentially, it’s just good theater,” says Emerson. “What people see are authentic reproductions — historical battles recreated right before your eyes. It’s quite a spectacle.”

For admission prices, directions and other information, visit www.oldfortniagara.org or call 745-7611.


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