Fort Plain, New York
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Fort Plain is a village in
Montgomery County Montgomery County may refer to: Australia * The former name of Montgomery Land District, Tasmania United Kingdom * The historic county of Montgomeryshire, Wales, also called County of Montgomery United States * Montgomery County, Alabama * Mon ...
,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
, United States. As of the 2010 census, the village population was 2,322. The village is named after a fort built during the American Revolution at the junction of the Mohawk River and its tributary
Otsquago Creek Otsquago Creek is a river that enters the Mohawk River in Fort Plain, New York. is a Mohawk Indian word meaning 'under the bridge,' probably referring to an early bridge of felled trees along the creek, a way of making small bridges. It is also ...
. The village of Fort Plain is at the border of the Towns of
Minden Minden () is a middle-sized town in the very north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the greatest town between Bielefeld and Hanover. It is the capital of the district (''Kreis'') of Minden-Lübbecke, which is part of the region of Detm ...
and Canajoharie and is west of Amsterdam. Because of its small size and the close connections with neighboring communities, some former residents who now live in more populous regions use ''Fort Plain'' to refer collectively to the village of Fort Plain and the surrounding villages of Nelliston, and
Palatine Bridge Palatine Bridge is a Village (New York), village in Montgomery County, New York, Montgomery County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 737 at the 2010 census. The basis of the name is the community's location in a region ...
.


History

The village is in a region where the Mohawk had four major villages along the Mohawk River in the 17th century. They historically had occupied territory west of the Hudson River and extending up to the St. Lawrence River and south to the Delaware Water Gap, but their main villages were located close to the Mohawk River. Tionondogue, also called Tionnontogen, was located approximately north-west of Fort Plain. It was said to be the largest, and is sometimes listed as the principal town of the Mohawks. Due to losses from a smallpox epidemic in 1634, the Mohawk reduced their villages to three. By the early 18th century they had two major villages. In 1739, the governor of New York built a stone house here for the use of his sons. Other early settlers included
Palatine Germans Palatines (german: Pfälzer), also known as the Palatine Dutch, are the people and princes of Palatinates ( Holy Roman principalities) of the Holy Roman Empire. The Palatine diaspora includes the Pennsylvania Dutch and New York Dutch. In 1709 ...
, whom the Mohawk had permitted to settle in exchange for gaining help with their defenses in 1712 from Queen Anne of England. Anne's government had supported immigration of the Protestant Germans as religious refugees and paid for their passage, for which they exchanged work in New York in camps along the Hudson River. As the Mohawk requested, Queen Anne ordered the construction of Fort Hunter in 1711 near Tionondoraga; that village was also known by Europeans as the "Lower Castle. The village of Fort Plain developed at the foot of the hill where the fort once stood. The Revolutionary War fort was constructed in 1776; a blockhouse was garrisoned here throughout the war. While many of the village's men were fighting elsewhere, the women, dressed as men, manned the fort and fought off Indian attacks. The village developed around
Otsquago Creek Otsquago Creek is a river that enters the Mohawk River in Fort Plain, New York. is a Mohawk Indian word meaning 'under the bridge,' probably referring to an early bridge of felled trees along the creek, a way of making small bridges. It is also ...
, which has its confluence with the Mohawk River. Fort Plain became an incorporated village in 1832. The opening of the Erie Canal was an economic boom, stimulating the village to become a center of manufacturing during the nineteenth century. It produced textiles from cotton from the Deep South and furniture. Textile mills in upstate New York depended on processing southern cotton; these products made up a major part of exports from New York City in the antebellum years. Fort Plain is the birthplace of Bud Fowler, the first black professional baseball player. Fowler appeared in an exhibition game with a team from Lynn, Iowa in 1878, 68 years before
Jackie Robinson Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line ...
played in a professional baseball game in the major leagues. Numerous Amish have migrated to New York from Pennsylvania since the late 20th century, seeking affordable farm land. Many have settled in Fort Plain. Montgomery County has one of the largest populations of Amish in the country. The Fort Plain Conservation Area, Fort Plain Historic District, and United States Post Office are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. On June 28, 2013 there was extensive flooding on
Otsquago Creek Otsquago Creek is a river that enters the Mohawk River in Fort Plain, New York. is a Mohawk Indian word meaning 'under the bridge,' probably referring to an early bridge of felled trees along the creek, a way of making small bridges. It is also ...
, tearing up its streambed and damaging houses up the creek to Stark. More than 100 houses were damaged or destroyed in Fort Plain, where 4 inches of rain fell. Bridges over the creek were destroyed. Ten miles upstream, Start received 7 inches of rain, which entered the creek and washed its bed away. The state quickly started the extensive work needed to repair the stream bed, nearby roadways and other infrastructure. Tons of rocks were laid down to stabilize the banks.Bryan Fitzgerald, "Piecing it all back together"
''Times Union'', August 2013; accessed November 13, 2015.


Notable people

*
Betty Buehler Maria Elizabeth Buehler de Lutz (December 10, 1921 – July 6, 2012) was an American film actress. Buehler was from Gloversville, New York, the daughter of Gustave Buehler, a baker and German immigrant. She attended Fort Plain High School, Fort ...
, actress * Bud Fowler (1858-1913), the first black professional baseball player *
Jeptha Root Simms Jeptha Root Simms (December 31, 1807 – May 31, 1883) was an American historian best known for chronicling the settlement of upstate New York. Personal life Jeptha Root Simms was born at Canterbury, Connecticut, on December 31, 1807, son of J ...
(1807-1883), historian


Geography

Fort Plain is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which is land and (3.55%) is water. The village is located on the south bank of the Mohawk River, where the ''Otsquago Creek'' enters the Mohawk. The Erie Canal, using the Mohawk River, is adjacent to the village. The Village of Nelliston is on the opposite shore of the river.
New York State Thruway {{Infobox road , state = NY , type = NYST , alternate_name = Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway , maint = NYSTA , map = {{maplink, frame=yes, plain=yes, frame-align=center, frame-width=290, type=line, stroke-width=2, type2=line, from2=New Yor ...
(
Interstate 90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain West, Great Plains, Midwest, and ...
) passes through the community. The intersection of NY Route 80 (Reid Street), NY Route 5S (Canal Street), and NY Route 163 is located in Fort Plain. NY 163 has its western terminus at NY 80 in the village.


Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,288 people, 960 households, and 599 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,680.0 people per square mile (649.6/km2). There were 1,108 housing units at an average density of 813.5 per square mile (314.6/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 98.60% White, 0.09% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.48% from other races, and 0.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.44% of the population. There were 960 households, out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.6% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.97. In the village, the population was spread out, with 25.8% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 19.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.6 males. The median income for a household in the village was $27,476, and the median income for a family was $40,302. Males had a median income of $28,462 versus $21,557 for females. The per capita income for the village was $16,369. About 10.5% of families and 14.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.0% of those under age 18 and 11.0% of those age 65 or over.


References


External links


Fort Plain Village Government


{{authority control Villages in New York (state) Villages in Montgomery County, New York Populated places on the Mohawk River