Old Fort Niagara Presents French Heritage Day November 9th

 Behind the thick stone walls of Old Fort Niagara’s French Castle, Old Fort Niagara’s staff and volunteers will offer living history programs for visitors about the French influences on the Niagara region on Saturday, November 9, during “French Heritage Day.”

Old Fort Niagara Bringing War of 1812 to Life

Old Fort Niagara is hosting its final re-enactment of the season, the “War of 1812 Encampment,” on August 31 and September 1, at the National Historic Landmark in Niagara County. This encampment portrays the British attack on Fort Niagara during the American occupation in December 1813 and includes a special evening battle and daily activities for all.

“Picture being as close to Canada as we are today while engaging in cannon fire across the Niagara River. That’s what it was like at Fort Niagara in 1813 during the War of 1812,” said Robert Emerson, Executive Director of the Old Fort Niagara Association. “The upcoming encampment shows and tells the story of surrender of the fort to the British, which was the last time Fort Niagara was engaged in military conflict on our turf.”

Old Fort Niagara American Revolution Re-Enactment Scheduled August 10-11

The Niagara frontier in the midst of the American Revolution will be the theme of re-enactment activities at “Soldiers of the Revolution” at Old Fort Niagara, August 10 and 11.

Visitors will have opportunities to meet soldier and civilian re-enactors from the American and British camps, watch artillery and battle demonstrations, join a tour and learn about the conflict, listen to fifes and drums play period music, peek in on British justice practices and Native ransoms, pick sides for a mock wooden-musket battle, and play period games. Activities begin at 10 a.m. and continue throughout the day.

Old Fort Niagara French & Indian War Encampment July 5-7

Old Fort Niagara anticipates welcoming about 500 reenactors and close to 10,000 visitors over July 5, 6 and 7, as it readies for the 40th anniversary of the French and Indian War Encampment. This annual event recreates highlights from the actual 19-day British siege of the French fort in July of 1759 through large-scale battles, history tours, cannon firings, military music, living history camps of British, French and Native reenactors, sutlers (period merchants), games, dancing, councils, musket firings and more.

“Forty years says a lot about our community of supporters,” said Robert Emerson, Executive Director of the Old Fort Niagara Association. “To the thousands of local and regional visitors who have attended this event and our loyal and engaging community of reenactors, we say ‘thank you’ for all of the years of support and look forward to welcoming you back in July.”

Daily highlights at the French and Indian War Encampment include: morning tours (times vary) that provide historical background for what’s going on each day; 1 p.m. kids drill programs, where kids will use wooden muskets and learn how to be a soldier in 1759; 2 p.m. large-scale battle re-enactments between British, French and Native forces; and 4 p.m. artillery demonstrations. Please note that in-and-out access to the walled fort is halted 30 minutes before the daily 2 p.m. battles in order to secure safe crowd-control barriers.

The full schedule of events is available at www.oldfortniagara.org and is listed below.

Friday, July 5

10:30 a.m. Opening Ceremony

Witness the Trooping of the Colors as French and British forces mass to recreate this historic military ceremony.

11:00 a.m. Siege Tour

What makes a siege different from a battle? Learn about the nuts and bolts of 18th century siege warfare on this animated walking tour.

11:30 a.m.  Siege Demonstration

What begins as a skirmish between advance elements of both armies ends as a full-blown siege of the fort. Learn about military engineering and watch as British infantrymen engage. French defenders man the outworks and begin their resistance. For the next 90 minutes, British and French soldiers and their Native allies, trade musket shots across the glacis.*

*a gently sloping bank, in particular one that slopes down from a fort, exposing attackers to the defenders' fire.

12:30 p.m. Military Music

Hear a concert by the fifes and drums of both armies and discover the role that music played in 18th century military life.

1:00 p.m. Kids Drill

Here's your chance to join the garrison in defense of the fort. Children (of all ages) can take up wooden muskets and practice the military exercise of the era. (Instruction provided).

2:00 p.m. Battle Reenactment

French forces strike the British siege lines! The fort's defenders launch an impromptu and spirited sortie* against the British.

*an attack made by troops coming out from a position of defense.

3:30 p.m. Native Council

Learn about the fascinating intricacies of frontier diplomacy. Native warriors inside the fort arrange a council with British-allied warriors and ask them to withdraw from the siege. 

4:00 p.m. Artillery Demonstration

See the firng of the big guns in the fort's Dauphin Battery.

5:00 p.m. Musket Demonstration

Learn how a flintlock musket is loaded and fired

6:00 p.m. Musket Demonstration

Saturday, July 6

10:00 a.m. Siege Tour

What makes a siege different from a battle? Learn about the nuts and bolts of 18th century siege warfare on this animated walking tour.

10:30 a.m.  Native Council 

Discover the fascinating intricacies of frontier diplomacy. Warriors of the Six Nations decide whether to withdraw from the siege.

11:30 a.m.  Siege Demonstration

What begins as a skirmish between advance elements of both armies ends as a full-blown siege of the fort. Learn about military engineering and watch as artillery is moved forward and begins to bombard the fort. French defenders man the outworks and begin their resistance. For the next 90 minutes, British and French soldiers and their Native allies, trade musket shots across the glacis.*

*a gently sloping bank, in particular one that slopes down from a fort, exposing attackers to the defenders' fire.

12:30 p.m. Military Music

Hear a concert by the fifes and drums of both armies and discover the role that music played in 18th century military life.

1:00 p.m. Kids Drill

Here's your chance to join the garrison in defense of the fort. Children (of all ages) can take up wooden muskets and practice the military exercise of the era. (Instruction provided).

2:00 p.m. Battle Reenactment

The British make their first attack on the Fort, demonstrating the basics of linear warfare.

2:45 p.m. Siege Tour

What makes a siege different from a battle? Learn about the nuts and bolts of 18th century siege warfare on this animated walking tour.

3:00 p.m. Fur Trading Demonstration

What was the first big business on the Great Lakes? Learn about the dynamics of the fur trade as Native Americans barter with French traders. What kinds of goods are being traded? How valuable are different kinds of furs? How did the trade influence cultures of both Native peoples and Europeans? 

4:00 p.m. Artillery Demonstration

See the firing of the big guns in the fort's Dauphin Battery

5:00 p.m. & 6:00 p.m. Musket Demonstration

Learn how a flintlock musket is loaded and fired

Sunday, July 7

9:30 a.m. Church Call

10:30 a.m. Siege Tour

What makes a siege different from a battle? Learn about the nuts and bolts of 18th century siege warfare on this animated walking tour.

11:00 a.m. Battle of La belle Famille

On July 24, 1759, approximately 800 French soldiers and militia tried to break through British lines to relieve the siege of Fort Niagara. See what happens as they encounter British forces posted south of the fort in this dramatic reenactment of the crucial battle that determined the fate of Fort Niagara. 

12:30 p.m. Military Music

Hear a concert by the fifes and drums of both armies and discover the role that music played in 18th century military life.

1:00 p.m. Kids Drill

Here's your chance to join the garrison in defense of the fort. Children (of all ages) can take up wooden muskets and practice the military exercise of the era. (Instruction provided).

2:00 p.m. Battle Reenactment

British forces launch their final assault on the fort in this demonstration that reveals the nature of 18th century linear warfare.

2:30 p.m. Surrender Ceremony

French forces must surrender the fort. Discover what happened on July 25, 1759 as the British move into the fort and end 33 years of French occupation.

3:00, 4:00, 5:00 & 6:00 p.m. Musket Demonstration

The encampment will also feature a special exhibition of paintings by Robert Griffing, dozens of period merchants and artisans, 18th century children’s games, cooking demonstrations, and 18th century medicine.

Food, snacks, drinks and ice cream will be available for sale each day from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the log cabin and adjacent food tent.

The fort’s Bachelor Officers’ Quarters and its New Fort Niagara displays (post-Civil War through 1963) will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

The 2019 French and Indian War Encampment is sponsored by Northwest Bank.

Everything is included in the $14 admission price and children ages 5 and under are free. Admission is also free for Old Fort Niagara Association members. However, please note that new or renewed memberships to the Old Fort Niagara Association will not be processed onsite during the French and Indian War Encampment. Memberships can be purchased online at www.oldfortniagara.org/membership/registration.

    

OTHER SUMMER EVENTS AT THE FORT

Starting July 8    Flintlocks and Council Fires (Daily Summer Program)

Daily programs explore the history of Native American, French, British and U.S. soldiers and camp followers who lived here between 1726 and 1815. Regular musket and cannon firings, field music, cooking and other history interpretation ongoing daily.

July 13-Oct. 14    Lighthouse Open the Public (12-3 p.m. daily) 

Free admission for visitors; must be at least 4 feet tall and sign a waiver 

August 4        BPO Performs at Old Fort Niagara

August 10 & 11    Soldiers of the Revolution (Re-Enactment)

Life on the New York Frontier during the American Revolution. Period camps, musket and artillery demonstrations, military battles and activities for kids.

Aug. 31 & Sep. 1    War of 1812 Encampment (Re-Enactment)

Tactical and weapons demonstrations, sutlers and living-history camps. Saturday evening battle recreates historic events from 1813 at the fort.

Old Fort Niagara (www.oldfortniagara.org) is a Registered National Historic Landmark and New York State Historic Site operated by the Old Fort Niagara Association, a not-for-profit organization, in cooperation with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. The site is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through June and from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. in July and August (last tickets sold 30 minutes before closing). Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

Photos Courtesy Wayne Peters

Old Fort Niagara: Soldiers Through the Ages May 25-26

Visitors to Old Fort Niagara over the Saturday and Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, May 25 and 26, will be treated to a timeline military event – “Soldiers through the Ages.” This annual reenactment features reenactors as soldiers and civilians from the 15th, 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, special displays of military vehicles, period camps, weapons demonstrations, uniform programs and hands-on activities for families.

Old Fort Niagara Patriot's Day Weekend Event

At Old Fort Niagara’s ‘Patriots’ Day Weekend’ event on April 27 and 28, visitors will experience living-history fun while learning about the American Revolution and how it started on the battlefields of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts.

Staff, volunteers and visiting reenacting units will present musket-firing demonstrations, uniform programs and 18th century military drills, and recruit visitors to “enlist” in the British or American armies. Activities will happen indoors and out, and tours of the fort will be offered each hour.

Old Fort Niagara Present Winter Woods Battle Feb. 16th

Old Fort Niagara encourages the public to embrace winter and enjoy a day of living history on Saturday, February 16, for its annual “Winter Woods Battle” featuring indoor and outdoor activities. The day’s demonstrations start at 10 a.m. and include fur trading, shelter building, fire starting, weaponry, cooking, winter games, artisans and snowshoeing (or hiking) to a battle in the woods with complimentary hot chocolate with the reenactors.

Old Fort Niagara -- Storm the Fort!!

Old Fort Niagara invites the community to “Skip the Mall – Storm the Fort!” on Black Friday, November 23, 2018, when the historic site will offer a special day of living history activities, guided tours, cooking and musket demonstrations from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The days’ activities are targeted for locals, who may have out-of-town company for the long Thanksgiving weekend, and other visitors who are in the area and looking for something different to do. 

Old Fort Niagara to Host French Heritage Day

On Saturday, November 3, Old Fort Niagara will open the heavy wooden doors to the French Castle and present living-history programs about the influence and impact of the French on Niagara’s early history, from 1726 through 1759.

The day’s programs are part of French Heritage Day, when visitors can enjoy a series of interactive and educational activities from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Soldiers of the Revolution at Fort Niagara August 18th & 19th

Old Fort Niagara’s busy season of reenactments continues with Soldiers of the Revolution, August 18 and 19, when the fort’s staff and volunteers will work with visiting reenacting units to share history from the American Revolution on the Niagara Frontier. During this event, visitors will gain an understanding of early America through the perspectives of the colonial rebels versus those who remained loyal to the British crown, called loyalists.

“‘Soldiers of the Revolution’ is the last of the weekend-long reenactments of the season,” said Robert Emerson, Executive Director of the Old Fort Niagara Association. “It’s been our pleasure to welcome new and returning visitors to our large French and Indian War and the War of 1812 encampments this summer, and we invite them back to round out their knowledge of the fort by learning about the American Revolution on the Niagara Frontier.”

Old Fort Niagara War of 1812 Event July 28 & 29

Old Fort Niagara will host the largest War of 1812 event in its history on July 28 and 29. The fort was selected by the War of 1812 Grand Tactical Committee to host its biggest annual event, the War of 1812 Grand Encampment, which attracts hundreds of reenactors from the United States and Canada and will feature U.S. and British land forces, naval vessels, personnel and artillery, Native allies, tactical demonstrations and living-history programming.

Old Fort Niagara Hosts French & Indian War Encampment

Old Fort Niagara is about to host its largest annual re-enactment, the French and Indian War Encampment, which visitors, re-enactors and staff alike anticipate with excitement – and much planning – each year. The three-day event will occur Friday through Sunday, June 29 to July 1, and will be packed with French, British and Native re-enactors from the U.S. and Canada, living-history camps and exhibits, large-scale battle re-enactments, hands-on activities, special tours and demonstrations, and food and historical goods for sale.

Old Fort Niagara To Present "Soldiers Through the Ages"

Old Fort Niagara welcomes the public to its “Soldiers through the Ages” military history re-enactment event on Saturday and Sunday, May 26 and 27, over Memorial Day weekend. This annual event features special displays of military vehicles, period camps from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, weapons demonstrations, uniform programs and hands-on activities for families. In commemoration of the centennial of the Battle of Cantigny in World War One, a special program will also be presented in the Fort Niagara Officers’ Club.

Old Fort Niagara Opens Re-Enactment Season

The Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, launched the American Revolution a long time ago, but its history will be retold and re-enacted on April 21 and 22 at Old Fort Niagara. “Patriots Day Weekend” is the inaugural event of the fort’s re-enactment season with living-history programs that are suitable for all ages.

Photo courtesy Charlotte Clark

Patriots Day Weekend will also honor all U.S. military service people, who will be admitted free with proper ID. A ceremony at 2 p.m. Saturday will award special plaques to:

Old Fort Niagara Recognizes Volunteers, Looks to Recruit

Old Fort Niagara recently hosted its annual Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast and recognized James and Cheryl Brown of Lockport, N.Y., as the “2017 Volunteers of the Year.” This annual event pays homage to the hundreds of people who share their time and talents at the fort as reenactors, docents, special-event helpers, musicians and more. In 2017, volunteers logged 32,950 hours, which the fort values at $494,250.

Old Fort Niagara To Present 'Winter Woods Battle'

Old Fort Niagara invites the public to take a break from cabin fever and head to the fort for a full day of winter fun and living history on Saturday, February 17, when staff, volunteers and reenactors present the “Winter Woods Battle.” The day’s demonstrations start at 10 a.m. and include fur trading, shelter building, fire starting, weaponry, foodways, winter games, artisans and snowshoeing (or hiking) to a battle in the woods with complimentary hot chocolate with the reenactors.

Old Fort Niagara 1812 Encampment

Old Fort Niagara will host its last re-enactment of the summer, “War of 1812 Encampment,” on September 2 and 3 at the National Historic Landmark. This annual event portrays the British attack on Fort Niagara during the American occupation in December 1813 and includes a unique evening battle and activities for visitors.

American Revolution on Niagara Frontier at Old Fort Niagara

Old Fort Niagara will share American Revolution history with the public on August 5 and 6, when it presents “Soldiers of the Revolution” from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. This reenactment complements the daily summer programming currently happening at the fort, which features the British occupation of the fort from 1775-1783.

Old Fort Niagara French & Indian War Encampment July 1-3

Old Fort Niagara is getting ready to let visitors get their hands dirty at this year’s French and Indian War Encampment, July 1-3, on the very soil where French, British and Native soldiers dirtied their hands in July 1759.

As hundreds of staff, volunteers and re-enactors come together to stage the dramatic siege of the French Fort Niagara by the British, the public will have access to hands-on activities, demonstrations and special tours.

Old Fort Niagara Presents Rebels and Redcoats

Re-enactors representing the American colonists and British loyalists during the American Revolution will converge on Old Fort Niagara on June 3 and 4 for a large living-history event that involves camps, mock battles and interactive demonstrations for visitors.