The Fulton County Jail, originally the Tryon County Jail, is a historic jail complex located at the corner of Perry and Montgomery Street in Johnstown,

Fulton County, New York Fulton County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. It forms part of the state's Mohawk Valley region. Its county seat is Johnstown. At the 2020 U.S. census, the county had a population of 53,324. The county is named in honor of Robert F ...

. The original section was built in 1772-1773 and was placed on the village's highest ground to give a defensive advantage in case of an attack by Native Americans or a war. At the time, it was thought to be one of the strongest defensive positions in colonial America, due to its placement and the thick wall, which would deflect everything but the very strongest artillery.Historic signs on site During the Revolutionary War, it became Fort Johnstown, a military

garrison A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mil ...

and prison, with the intent of preventing enemy infiltration along the Sacandaga road. A palisade was built to surround it, with four lookout towers at the corners. It was inspected by

Lafayette Lafayette or La Fayette may refer to: People * Lafayette (name), a list of people with the surname Lafayette or La Fayette or the given name Lafayette * House of La Fayette, a French noble family ** Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757� ...

in 1778. In 1781, the fort was the base for 400 militiamen led by Col. Marinus Willet and Capt. John Littel, who harried a British force of 700 Loyalists and Native Americans who were retreating after burning land in the Mohawk Valley. In 1783, the fort was visited by

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

on his tour of the

Mohawk Valley The Mohawk Valley region of the U.S. state of New York is the area surrounding the Mohawk River, sandwiched between the Adirondack Mountains and Catskill Mountains, northwest of the Capital District. As of the 2010 United States Census, th ...

. ''See also:'' The original building is a simple five bays wide, two bays deep, stone building with a medium pitched gable roof. The complex consists of the original jail with additions to form a two-story, "L" shaped building with a large brick wing attached to the original section and a smaller brick wing to the west. The small brick wing dates to about 1890. The larger wing, known as the sheriff's quarters, is a two-story, square block with a hipped roof in the

Colonial Revival style The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the archi ...

. The building was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1981.

References

External links

* Jails on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Colonial Revival architecture in New York (state) Government buildings completed in 1772 Buildings and structures in Fulton County, New York Jails in New York (state) National Register of Historic Places in Fulton County, New York {{FultonCountyNY-NRHP-stub