Fort Niagara State Park is located in the Town of Porter in

Niagara County 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''. Niaga ...

, New York, United States. Historic

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 ...

is located within the park. The park is northwest of Youngstown near the northern terminus of the

Niagara Scenic Parkway The Niagara Scenic Parkway (known as the Robert Moses State Parkway until 2016) is a long north–south highway in western Niagara County, New York, in the United States. Its southern terminus is at the LaSalle Expressway on the east bank of the ...

and is in the

Niagara Falls National Heritage Area Niagara may refer to: Geography Niagara Falls and nearby places In both the United States and Canada *Niagara Falls, the famous waterfalls in the Niagara River *Niagara River, part of the U.S.–Canada border *Niagara Escarpment, the cliff ov ...

History

A brief history of the area now known as Fort Niagara State Park. *1678: Fort Conti is built by French explorers (which burned to the ground less than a year later) *1687:

Fort Denonville Fort Denonville was a French fort built in 1688 at the current site of Fort Niagara. It replaced Fort Conti which had been built on the site in 1679 and had burned later that year. The fort was located at the mouth of the Niagara River on Lake ...

on the former site of Fort Conti *1726: The French built the two-story “Maison a Machicoulis” (referred to today as the “French Castle”). *1893: A US Coast Guard Station was established on the bank of the Niagara below the Fort which is still in service today *1938: The Officer’s Club building opens, replacing the original structure that was destroyed by fire. The design is inspired by the French Castle in the Old Fort *1940–1943: The 28th Infantry Regiment was moved south to train and Fort Niagara then served as a reception center for new recruits *1941: The Fort was granted from the

State of New York New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. state ...

to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. *1944–1946: Fort Niagara served as a camp for German prisoners of war *1948: Land transferred to the jurisdiction of the New York State Council of Parks to be managed as a state park. *1965–1966: The garrison buildings were demolished; of the 100 buildings on the base, most were demolished.

Amenities

The park offers picnic tables and pavilions, hiking, a playground and 18 soccer fields, a pool, recreation programs, a nature trail, tennis, sledding, snowshoe trails, cross-country skiing, waterfowl hunting in season, fishing and a food concession. There are two boat launches on the lower Niagara River. The park includes the Old

Historic Site. Tom Loftin Johnson painted five murals at ''The Officer's Club'' which commemorate the history of the 28th regiment from its founding in 1905. During the summer, a state park naturalist provides nature programs, trail hikes and manages the natural history exhibits in the park's nature center. The skyline of

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, to the north, is visible across

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 ...

from the park on days with clear days. The tops of the

CN Tower The CN Tower (french: Tour CN) is a concrete communications and observation tower in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Built on the former Railway Lands, it was completed in 1976. Its name "CN" referred to Canadian National, the railway c ...

and other skyscrapers can be seen, though the

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

shore itself is hidden below the horizon.

1872 lighthouse

The current lighthouse in Fort Niagara State Park, constructed in 1872, is the third to be built at Fort Niagara. It was constructed by the United States government after the previous wooden one was damaged by a tornado. It is an

octagonal In geometry, an octagon (from the Greek ὀκτάγωνον ''oktágōnon'', "eight angles") is an eight-sided polygon or 8-gon. A '' regular octagon'' has Schläfli symbol and can also be constructed as a quasiregular truncated square, t, w ...

limestone tower featuring a storage room at the base, that used to hold oil. The

Fresnel lens A Fresnel lens ( ; ; or ) is a type of composite compact lens developed by the French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel (1788–1827) for use in lighthouses. It has been called "the invention that saved a million ships." The design allows the c ...

from the old tower was used and the tower was lit for the first time on June 10, 1872. In 1900 the tower was raised an additional when a watch room was added between the lamp and the limestone tower. Lifting the lamp extended the reach of the light to . Adjacent to the lighthouse is the keeper's quarters which is a colonial-style home that now serves as a private residence. The U.S. Coast Guard ran the light until 1993, when nearby tree overgrowth began to inhibit the light's visibility from the Niagara River and Lake Ontario. A modern steel beacon tower was erected near the Coast Guard station and the Old Fort Niagara Association runs the 1872 tower as a museum and gift shop. The original Fresnel lens is now on display in the Fort's museum.

Recent events

In 2015, as part of Governor Cuomo and

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

's plan to invest $72 million in their state parks, $2,500,000 was pledged to modernize the

bathhouse Public baths originated when most people in population centers did not have access to private bathing facilities. Though termed "public", they have often been restricted according to gender, religious affiliation, personal membership, and other cr ...

s at Fort Niagara's swimming areas. Additionally, Fort Niagara will share $600,000 across Artpark, Four Mile Creek State Park, Golden Hill State Park and Wilson-Tuscarora State Park for fishing docks and related fishing access projects.

References

External links