Fort Stanwix National Monument

May the FORT be with YOU! #StarWars: The Fort Awakens, coming soon to a #coffee mug near you! #FortStanwix #MayTheFourth

The staff and volunteers at Fort Stanwix would like to give a huge shout-out to all the teachers out there! Whether you are teaching virtually, in-person, homeschool, or somewhere in between, we recognize all the love and attention you give to your students every day. We know this past year hasn't been an easy one, to say the least, but we're hoping as much as you are to have things continue on the path to normal. The National Park Service appreciates you!

This week's Fort Fact Friday is "Berm:" . . . a little space, or path of 6 or 8 feet broad, between the ditch and talus of the parapet; it is to prevent the earth from rolling into the ditch, and serves likewise to pass and repass. As it is in some degree advantageous to the enemy, in getting footing, most of the modern engineers reject it. The only evidence of a berm at Fort Stanwix came from the north and east curtains. Along the north curtain a beam .5 foot wide was foun...d lying parallel to the scarp of the ditch, 5.5 feet from the edge. We believe this beam was part of the rampart, although much smaller in diameter than expected. It may have served as a brace to keep the rampart logs from slipping. On the east curtain were a pair of large posts flanking the sally port, 7.5 feet from the edge of the scarp. These two posts formed part of the revetment where the sally port cut through the curtain wall. Based upon this, the berm on the east side was 7.5 feet wide. A 1764 plan shows a 6-foot berm around three sides and a 5-foot berm on the south side. The latter was probably constructed to increase the thickness of the south curtain wall. Another 1764 plan shows pickets on the berm on the east side, but no archeological evidence for these was found. #FortFactFriday Image description: An image of the corner of the fort as viewed directly in front of you. From the corner, two small grass pathways go in either direction. See more

Time for another Fort Fact Friday! DRAWBRIDGE: Information on this drawbridge was scanty, except that it was built circa 1764. The method of raising and lowering the bridge is unknown and archeological excavations did not shed much light on the subject. Potential pieces of it, including a large pintle and a matching hinge which showed much wear, were found in the southeast casemate and at the north end of the bridge. Along with the footings, these artifacts are interpreted as... the only solid evidence for a drawbridge. No details on how the drawbridge was raised were found but the indentation in the scarp could have served as a well for counterweights. The counterweights you can see upon visiting the modern fort are the best educated guess we can provide on exactly how the bridge worked during the 18th century. Want to learn about what other forts' bridges were like? Be sure to check out Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, Fort Pulaski National Monument, and Fort Matanzas National Monument for more #FortFactFriday. Image descriptions:A greying wooden bridge stretches over the grassy fort ditch. A rusty large metal wheel with a small rusty chain attached. Credits to Mike C. and RPR See more

Happy Hanukkah! Today begins the Jewish Festival of Lights. Whether you are Jewish, or have a friend or family member who is, each person has their own unique story about how their family arrived in America. Some of you might actually know a descendent of the very first Jewish immigrants to North America in 1654. Yes, that’s right! The first Jewish community dates back to 1654 when a group of refugees from Brazil settled in New Amsterdam (now New York City). The small group o...Continue reading

In the next "Wee Ones Wednesday," join Ranger Val and listen to "A story inspired by Sinterklass," by Kathy Dobson.

Today we're learning about all the wonderful treasures Holland has given us! This activity will remind you of one of the traditions you might have with your family. Do any of you celebrate St. Nicholas Day on December 6? If you do, what is your favorite part about the holiday? We would love to see your klompen pictures! As always, have an adult take a photo and post it in the comments. Have fun creating!

Today we're learning about all the wonderful treasures the Netherlands has given us! This activity will remind you of one of the traditions you might have with your family. Do any of you celebrate St. Nicholas Day on December 6? If you do, what is your favorite part about the holiday?

"Approximately 20 men (more or less, depending on the day's job and the weather) can be seen at work on the foundation walss, the bastions and the curtain walls connecting the four bastions." -Kay Urtz, Rome Daily Sentinel, Evening Edition Friday, August 23, 1974 This photo was taken during the early construction phase of #FortStanwix. Many people don't realize that the modern fort used cement foundations in order to stabilize it against the rot that the original wooden forts suffered and collapsed from. #NPS101 #photooftheday #picoftheday #DidYouKnow #DYK #History #FlashbackFriday #FBF #NationalParkGeek

What fun holiday traditions come from the Netherlands?

On November 5th in 1768, the Treaty of Fort Stanwix was signed on behalf of the Iroquois Confederacy, or Haudenosaunee, and the British Government as represented by the head of the Six Nations Indian Department, Sir William Johnson. The Treaty was an attempt by the British and the Iroquois Confederacy to curb escalating border violence and set a more firm and westerly boundary between the encroaching settlers and the various native peoples than the Royal Proclamation of 1763 set forth. #OTD #OTDiH

Happy Birthday to Sir John Johnson, the 2nd Baronet of New York. John was the son of Sir William Johnson, land baron and Indian Affairs Superintendent in the Mohawk Valley. John inherited the title in 1774 after his father’s passing. Although John was a member of the Tryon County Militia as the Revolution began, he was forced to flee the valley as his continual support of the British crown put him at risk. John led the contingent of the King’s Royal Regiment (KRR) of New York during the Siege of Fort Schuyler/Stanwix and the Battle of Oriskany. He supported many loyalist-led campaigns through the Mohawk Valley in the following years, but was never able to reclaim his family land. Johnson settled in what is now Ontario, Canada after the war. #OTD #OnThisDay 5 November 1741 #HappyBirthday #OnThisDay #TDiH

From the Orderly Book of Marinus Willett: Fort Schuyler 4th November 1779 The fitague party to go out to the Woods tomorrow as Usual Lt. Hammond to Order out with the fitague party one of the field Pieces with an Equal Equivalent Number of Artilery Men. For fitague Capt Persons & Ensign Rykman... By Order of Maj:r Graham Com:t Image description: A group of continental soldiers stand in formation within the fort walls. #FortStanwix #AmericanRevolution #RevolutionaryWar #RevWar #History #OTD #OnThisDay #TDiH

From the Orderly Book of Marinus Willett: Fort Schuyler November 2:d 1777 Parole Cortlandt C Sign Vandyke... A Sergrant or Corporal to Confine any Drummer or Fifer or Soldier whom they see Gaming, which they are Order’s not to be Guilty off, as they will (be) punish’d for Dissobedience of the Orders Officer of the Day Tommorrow Capt DeWitt Rob:t Cochran Maj:r Com:t #FortStanwix #AmericanRevolution #RevolutionaryWar #OTD #OnThisDay #TDiH #History

Most people know about the 18th century history happening on the east coast of what is now the United States, but how much do you know about what was going on in what is now California at the same time? On this day in 1776, Mission San Juan Capistrano was founded by Catholic Spaniards in the San Diego area. The mission, named for 1400s church leader, St. John of Capistrano, was established to convert the local native population to Catholicism. Thousands within the local nativ...e communities were baptized and welcomed into the larger family of the mission in the later part of the 18th century, and the 1782 chapel at the mission has the distinction of being the oldest building in California still in use for regular religious services, ceremonies, and celebrations much like the NPS’ own San Antonio Missions in TX. An interesting first came from vineyards planted at the mission in 1779. The first wine produced in Alta, CA in 1783 came from the criolla, or mission grapes. Additionally, the site is known to this day for the migration of the Swallows of Capistrano and hosts a celebration every March 19th in conjunction with St. Joseph’s Day. For various reasons, the mission began to decline in the early 1800s. However, by 1850, preservation and restoration work began at the site, gradually returning the mission to its original beauty and ensuring parishioners have a safe place to worship and visitors can learn about this important site into the future. The history of the US is just as huge as the country itself! What other stories can you add to the ones you already know? #OTD #WestCoastHistory

Be sure to brush your teeth after you indulge in some #Halloween treats! These 19th century toothbrushes from the #MuseumCollection are made of bone and would have had bristles made of boar's hair.

It’s Halloween! To get into the spirit, we’ve got a final post about Jack-o’-lanterns! The folklore surrounding these spooky lanterns have merged over time with the folkloric explanation of the will-o’-the-wisp, a phenomenon that produces a ghostly light over bogs, marshes, and swamps. All of these stories feature a deceitful, yet clever man known in Ireland as Stingy Jack. In the most popular versions Jack tricks the devil, who had come to take his soul to hell, into turni...ng into a coin to pay for his drink, which he then placed in his pocket with a silver crucifix. In exchange for his freedom, the devil agreed to wait ten years more to take Jack’s soul. When the ten years were up, Jack tricked the devil a second time into climbing up a tree to grab him an apple. He then surrounded the base of the tree in crucifixes and demanded that his soul never be taken to hell, to which the devil agreed. When Stingy Jack died, heaven refused to take his soul due to his deceitful nature, and the devil, fulfilling his end of the contract, did not allow the soul to pass into hell. The devil then sent Jack with a burning ember to light his way through the realm between life and death, which Jack placed in a carved turnip. Instead of All Hallows Eve, colonists in northern colonies like New York would host play parties to celebrate the end of the harvest. During these parties, colonists would drink, dance, play games, tell spooky stories, and predict each other's fortunes. New York’s Scottish and Irish population would have retained their tradition of carving turnip Jack-o’-lanterns during these festivals. It was clear that pumpkins were plentiful and easy to grow in the American colonies. It turned out they were also easier to carve than turnips, and colonists gradually started favoring the larger template and hollow body of the pumpkins. This practice of carving Jack-o’-lanterns especially took off throughout the United States in the mid-19th century, when Irish immigrants flooded into the country as a result of the traumatic Great Famine. With this largely Catholic migration came a surge in popularity for Halloween in the United States, and pumpkin Jack-o’-lanterns became mainstream throughout the country. We decided to test our turnip-carving skills, so our rangers each took a turnip grown at our gardens here at the fort and got to work. We were pleasantly surprised with the outcome! Check it out!

New York funerals in the 18th century were notoriously opulent, even more so than those of New England. Funeral gifts and banquets doubled as a sign of respect for the dead and as a means of socializing. Stories of excessive eating, drinking, and pipe-smoking were common from the cities to the manors upstate, and colonists of all social standings would spend as much as a fourth Part of their whole fortune on meeting funerary expectations, including food and liquor expenses....Continue reading

What’s on the menu for your funeral? Cultures all around the world mark the occasion of death with a special food. For Muslim populations throughout the Middle East, Central Asia, and India, there’s Halva, a dense, sweet confection made with tahini that can almost be considered fudge-like. Among Orthodox Christians in the Balkans is Koliva, a slightly nutty cake made with unprocessed wheat that is given the same shape as a burial mound and is only served during funerals. In... Jamaica, a spicy goat soup called Mannish Water is served during the deceased’s Nine-Night funerary party. Colonists in 18th century New York had their own special food for the passing of a loved one. This was the distinctively Dutch doed-koeck, or deadcake. Doed-koecks were pervasive throughout the New York colony, and were given to mourners during the funeral party. These small cakes were made from flour, sugar, butter, water, salt, and caraway seed, and were cut into 4-inch squares. These squares were then inscribed with the deceased’s initials. After the funeral banquet, they were brought home and often kept as mementos of the dead. Similar traditions existed throughout New England and the Mid-Atlantic even up until the Victorian era. In New England, the top of the deadcake might instead be stamped with images of death’s heads, angels, and hourglasses instead of the initials of the deceased. Along with setting aside money for one’s own funeral, New Yorkers would also set aside a cask of fine wine for the banquet. The wine of choice in Albany was Madeira, a fortified Portuguese wine, which was often served at weddings as well. Though other banquet foods differed from house to house, doed-koecks and wine were staple funeral foods throughout New York throughout the 18th century. Are there any foods in your culture traditionally served at funerals? Let us know about them in the comments!

Memorials can be placed on the soil. But can soil itself be a memorial? Battlefield memorials exist to remember the actions of the brave men and women who fought for a cause. But many forget that they are also the resting place of many of these persons. The Battle of Oriskany is considered one of the bloodiest battles of the American Revolution. The aftermath left the Mohawk Valley forever changed by grief and loss. Because of the ongoing conflict and the shear numbers of de...Continue reading

While the only documented witch trial in colonial New York’s history ended in 1665, the threat of witchcraft would rear its head one last time in 1670, when several residents of Westchester petitioned the governor of New York to order Katherine Harrison to leave the town, due to her being under suspicion of being a witch. Katherine’s tale actually begins in Wethersfield Connecticut. Prior to her marriage to wealthy landowner John Harrison, Katherine dabbled in fortune tellin...Continue reading

Who was the aanspreecker? The aanspreecker, literally translated from Dutch as approacher or addresser, was the locally designated funeral-inviter, a tradition carried over to New York from the Netherlands.He (for it was always a man) would have been a schoolmaster, a chorister, a bell-ringer, or a grave-digger, and was oftentimes a combination of all four, in addition to being a walking obituary. As the church bells tolled, the aanspreecker would leave his house, dressed... in all black from his cloak to his knee breeches, complete with a cocked hat from which streamers of black, thin fabric hung. He would go knocking from door to door, informing relatives and friends of the deceased of the day and time of the funeral and thereby extending a formal invitation. According to historian Alice Morse Earle, this inviting was a matter of most rigid etiquette; no one in these Dutch-American communities of slightest dignity or regard for social proprieties would attend a funeral unbidden. This invite-only etiquette is still regularly seen in Dutch funerary tradition today. The aanspreecker’s job was not yet finished after delivering the news. He also organized the funeral procession, in which he participated by leading the coffin’s underbearers and pallbearers, and occasionally officiated over the deceased’s grave. The aanspreecker would have been paid at regular rates for his service, which would depend on the distance travelled and the time spent imparting the news. By 1691, the aanspreeker was a licensed public official. A law was passed in New York in 1731 codifying the inviter’s pay; for the funeral of a person 20 years of age or older, the pay was 18 shillings, or about $137 today; for the funeral of a person aged 12 to 20, 12 shillings ($91); and for the funeral of a person under the age of 12 the aanspreecker would have been paid 8 shillings ($61). The difference in pay for these three age categories reflects the frequency of deaths in younger populations, and also may have been a way of lessening the financial burden on a grieving family.