Fort Crown Point was built by the combined efforts of British and Colonial troops from New York and the New England Colonies in 1759 at a narrows on

Lake Champlain Lake Champlain ( ; , ) is a natural freshwater lake in North America. It mostly lies between the U.S. states of New York (state), New York and Vermont, but also extends north into the Canadian province of Quebec. The cities of Burlington, Ve ...

on the border between New York and

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

. It was erected to secure the region against the French in

upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region of New York (state), New York that lies north and northwest of the New York metropolitan area, New York City metropolitan area of downstate New York. Upstate includes the middle and upper Hudson Valley, ...

near the town of Crown Point, and it was the largest earthen fortress built in the American colonies. The fort's ruins are a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

administered as part of Crown Point State Historic Site.

History

The French built a fortress at Crown Point in the 1730s with thick limestone walls named Fort Saint-Frédéric. British forces targeted it twice during the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

before the French destroyed it in the summer of 1759. The Crown Point fort was constructed by the British army under the command of Sir Jeffery Amherst following the capture of

Carillon A carillon ( , ) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a musical keyboard, keyboard and consists of at least 23 bells. The bells are Bellfounding, cast in Bell metal, bronze, hung in fixed suspension, and Musical tuning, tu ...

, a French fort to the south which he renamed Ticonderoga. Amherst used the construction of the fort as a means of keeping his men working through the winter of 1759 after pushing the French into Canada. Israel Putnam supervised much of the construction; he become a general in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. According to archaeologist David R. Starbuck, Crown Point was "the greatest British military installation ever raised in North America." The fort was never directly assaulted. It was completed after the threat of French invasion had ended and was used largely for staging rather than as a military position. On April 21, 1773, a chimney fire broke out in the soldier's barracks. It quickly spread, burning for days.. In May 1774, British military engineer John Montresor described the fort after the fire: "the conflagration of the late fort has rendered it an amazing useless mass of earth only". Montresor proposed expanding and improving one of the outworks rather than attempting to repair the main fort. After the French and Indian War, the British left a skeletal force at the fort. They quickly yielded to Capt. Seth Warner and 100 Green Mountain Boys on May 12, 1775 in the battle of Crown Point at the start of the Revolutionary War. The Americans captured 111 cannons from the British at Crown Point, and transported 29 to Boston for the defense of Boston Harbor. The fort was used as a staging ground by

Benedict Arnold Benedict Arnold (#Brandt, Brandt (1994), p. 4June 14, 1801) was an American-born British military officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of ...

during the Revolution for his navy on Lake Champlain. That was destroyed in 1776 during the

Battle of Valcour Island The Battle of Valcour Island, also known as the Battle of Valcour Bay, was a naval engagement that took place on October 11, 1776, on Lake Champlain. The main action took place in Valcour Bay, a narrow strait between the Province of New York, Ne ...

, and the fort was abandoned to the British in 1777 after the failure of the patriot Invasion of Canada. The British abandoned the fort in 1780, and the United States had no need for it and left it to deteriorate. The large earthen walls are still visible today. The fire of April 1773 had entirely destroyed the log and earth fortress. The stone ruins of two barracks buildings at the site are being preserved. The fort was declared a

in 1968.

Visits by Founding Fathers

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...

, traveling to Canada, seeking an alliance against the British *

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

, July 21, 1783, the farthest north he ever traveled *Future Presidents

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...

and

James Madison James Madison (June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison was popularly acclaimed as the ...

in 1791

Gallery

File:South view of crown point 1760.jpg, A south view of Crown Point 1760 by Thomas Davies. Image:Ruins of Fort Frederick Crown Point N.Y.jpg, Ruins of Fort at Crown Point, Crown Point, N.Y. . File:Ruins of Fort Frederick, Crown Point, N.Y. 1907.jpg, Ruins of Fort at Crown Point, Crown Point, N.Y. . File:Ruins of Fort Frederick, Crown Point, N.Y. 1900.jpg, Ruins of Fort at Crown Point, Crown Point, N.Y. between 1900 and 1906. File:Fort Henry from Fort Frederic Crown Point N.Y.jpg, Port Henry from Crown Point, Crown Point, N.Y. Photograph shows view across

at hills in the distance on December 23, 1902. Image:Crown Point.jpg, Main building of Fort at Crown Point, N.Y. in 1990. Image:British Fort at Crown Point.jpg, Fort at Crown Point, N.Y. in 1995. Image:fortatcrownpoint.jpg, Ruins of Fort at Crown Point, Crown Point, N.Y. in 2004. Image:Crown Point NY historical reenactment.jpg, An historical reenactment at Fort Crown Point, 8 August 2009.

References

External links

at NYS OPRHP {{DEFAULTSORT:Crown Point, Fort Government buildings completed in 1759 Military installations established in the 1750s Forts in New York (state) Crown Military history of Canada National Historic Landmarks in New York (state) New York (state) historic sites Fort Crown Point Crown Crown Museums in Essex County, New York Parks in Essex County, New York Military and war museums in New York (state) American Revolutionary War museums in New York (state) Crown 1759 establishments in the Province of New York National Register of Historic Places in Essex County, New York American Revolution on the National Register of Historic Places New York State Register of Historic Places in Essex County

History

Visits by Founding Fathers

Gallery

See also

References

External links