Fort Frederick was a fort in Albany, New York from 1676–1789. Sitting atop State Street Hill (Capitol Hill) it replaced the earlier decaying

Fort Orange Fort Orange () was the first permanent Dutch settlement in New Netherland; the present-day city and state capital Albany, New York developed near this site. It was built in 1624 as a replacement for Fort Nassau, which had been built on n ...

along the

Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...

. The fort was named for

Frederick Louis, Prince of Wales Frederick, Prince of Wales (Frederick Louis, German: ''Friedrich Ludwig''; 31 January 1707 – 31 March 1751) was the eldest son and heir apparent of King George II of Great Britain. He grew estranged from his parents, King George and Queen Ca ...

, son of King George II. The fort was referred to as Fort Albany in the 1936 novel ''Drums Along the Mohawk''. Several historical markers have been placed west of the location of the fort.

History

After the English takeover of

New Netherland New Netherland () was a colony of the Dutch Republic located on the East Coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territories extended from the Delmarva Peninsula to Cape Cod. Settlements were established in what became the states ...

, including

Beverwyck Beverwijck ( ; ), often written using the pre-reform orthography Beverwyck, was a fur-trading community north of Fort Orange on the Hudson River within Rensselaerwyck in New Netherland that was renamed and developed as Albany, New York, afte ...

which became Albany, the

Duke of York Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of List of English monarchs, English (later List of British monarchs, British) monarchs ...

and of Albany (later

James II & VII James II and VII (14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701) was King of England and Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685, until he was deposed in the 1688 Glori ...

) required a permanent garrison to keep the peace in Albany; therefore Fort Frederick was built atop State Street Hill in 1676 to replace Fort Orange and guard the approaches to Albany from the west. Whereas Fort Orange was constructed more as a trading post along the Hudson River this new fort was designed to protect Albany from the Native Americans to the west and by overlooking the riverside community from atop a steep hill it was a constant reminder of English rule over the dominant Dutch population. The fort was located at the intersection of Lodge and State streets, construction began in March and concluded in June. Originally a wooden stockade, it consisted of two small buildings surrounded by a stockade, Ensign Silvester Salisbury was the first commander of the fort. The fort became property of the English Crown when the Duke of York and of Albany became King James II & VII. As the frontier pushed west and north away from Albany the fortifications at Albany became less important as a defense against attack. It was rebuilt as a masonry fortification 1702–35, as part of a general province-wide upgrade to forts, with 21-guns and a stockade that surrounded the entire village. During the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

(often referred to as the

French and Indian Wars The French and Indian Wars were a series of conflicts that occurred in North America between 1688 and 1763, some of which indirectly were related to the European dynastic wars. The title ''French and Indian War'' in the singular is used in the U ...

in the United States) the fort saw its largest contingent of British soldiers, with additional barracks, magazines, storehouses, and a hospital being built. After the war, the fort fell into disrepair and during the 1760s the residents of Albany began to salvage stone, wood, and other construction material from the fort for their own uses. In 1765 the barracks, hospital, and fort were purchased by the city from the provincial government which had already by that time abandoned it. During the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

what remained of the fortifications was used as a jail to house those loyal to the British. After the war the fort became an obstacle to the development of the city to the west up the hillside. The fort was dismantled in 1789 and the land deeded to St. Peter's Episcopal Church. Eventually the current St. Peter's Church bell tower would be built on the site of the northeastern bastion of the fort.

Historical markers

As part of the Albany city bi-centennial celebrations a commemorative plaque was placed on the west side of the intersection of State and Eagle streets between the curb stones and the sidewalk in front of the

New York State Capitol The New York State Capitol, the seat of the Government of New York State, New York state government, is located in Albany, New York, Albany, the List of U.S. state capitals, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The seat ...

building. In 1940 the

New York State Education Department The New York State Education Department (NYSED) is the department of the New York state government responsible for the supervision for all public schools in New York and all standardized testing, as well as the production and administration ...

placed a state historical marker commemorating the fort as the "Goal of Burgoyne's Drive to Split the Colonies – 1777". This marker is also in front of the Capitol building. Another marker for Fort Frederick sits across the street from the other two. This marker is in a median in the middle of State Street at the base of a pole mounted clock. This marker shows the portrait of Fort Frederick by

James Eights James Eights (1798–1882) was an American physician, scientist, and artist. He was born in Albany, New York, the son of physician Jonathan Eights and Alida Wynkoop. James also became a physician and was appointed an examiner at a local engineering ...

and a map of the stockaded Albany community.

References

{{Authority control History of Albany, New York 1676 establishments in the Province of New York

Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Given name Nobility = Anhalt-Harzgerode = * Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) = Austria = * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria fro ...