Fort Schlosser was a fortification built in Western New York in the United States around 1760 by British Colonial forces, in order to guard the upper entrance to the portage around

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Fall ...

, north of Porter-Barton Dock or Schlosser's Landing along the shoreline with the Niagara River. The fort was named for its first commander, Captain Joseph Schlosser of the Royal American Regiment of Foot, a practice that was common in the British Army.

Facilities

The fort consisted of a wood stockade with several structures within: * 2 storehouses * Living Quarters for Officers and Soldiers Four

cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

s provided protection for the fort.

Replacement

The fort replaced Fort Petite Niagara or Fort du Portage, a small fortification built by the French (Daniel-Marie Chabert de Joncaire) which was burned by the retreating French prior to the Siege of

Fort Niagara Fort Niagara is a fortification originally built by New France to protect its interests in North America, specifically control of access between the Niagara River and Lake Ontario, the easternmost of the Great Lakes. The fort is on the river's e ...

in 1759. The Old Stone Chimney from Fort Little Niagara was incorporated into Fort Schlosser. Fort Grey guarded the end of the portage in

Lewiston, NY Lewiston is a town in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 15,944 at the 2020 census. The town and its contained village are named after Morgan Lewis, a governor of New York. The Town of Lewiston is on the western bord ...

guards the mouth of the Niagara where it flows into

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border ...

. Fort Schlosser was occupied by American troops at the start of the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

, but was captured in 1813 and burned. The fort was located in present-day Niagara Falls, New York in what is now

Niagara County, New York Niagara County is in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 212,666. The county seat is Lockport. The county name is from the Iroquois word ''Onguiaahra''; meaning ''the strait'' or ''thunder of waters''. Niag ...

, near the current water intakes for the

New York Power Authority The New York Power Authority (NYPA), officially the Power Authority of the State of New York, is a New York State public-benefit corporation. It is the largest state public power utility in the United States. NYPA provides some of the lowest-co ...

off of the Robert Moses Parkway. Today, all that remains is the Old Stone Chimney, which was moved to near the intersection of Buffalo Avenue and the Robert Moses Parkway traffic circle.

References

External links

Brief history of Fort Schlosser
* https://www.oldfortniagara.org Schlosser Schlosser Buildings and structures in Niagara Falls, New York Schlosser Niagara River Schlosser Schlosser {{warof1812-stub

Facilities

Replacement

See also

References

External links