Oswego () is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be de ...

in Oswego County,

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. The population was 16,921 at the 2020 census. Oswego is located on

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 sp ...

Upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upstate New York excludes New York City and Long ...

, about 35 miles (55km) northwest of

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States * Syracuse, New York ** East Syracuse, New York ** North Syracuse, New York * Syracuse, Indiana *Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, M ...

. It promotes itself as "The Port City of Central New York." It is the county seat of Oswego County. The city of Oswego is bordered by the towns of Oswego, Minetto, and Scriba to the west, south, and east, respectively, and by

to the north. Oswego Speedway is a nationally known automobile racing facility. The State University of New York at Oswego is located just outside the city on Lake Ontario.

History

Early history

The British established a trading post in the area in 1722 and fortified it with a log palisade later called Fort Oswego, named after the native

Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...

place name Place may refer to: Geography * Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population ** Census-designated place, a populated area lacking its own municipal government * "Place", a type of street or road name ** Oft ...

"os-we-go" meaning "pouring out place." The first fortification on the site of the current Fort Ontario was built by the British in 1755 and called the "Fort of the Six Nations."

Military base

Fort Ontario was destroyed by the French upon capturing it in the Battle of Fort Ontario, during the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the st ...

. Construction of a second British fort began on the same site in 1759, but Fort Ontario was only used as a cannon emplacement. During the American Revolution, the British abandoned the Fort, and in 1778, American troops destroyed it. In 1782, the British reoccupied Fort Ontario, and didn't forfeit it to the U.S. until 1796, thirteen years after the cessation of hostilities in the Revolution. During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It ...

, a weaker American garrison at Fort Ontario was overwhelmed by superior British forces in order to stem the flow of supplies from the interior of New York state, but were later defeated near Oswego later that month. Throughout the 19th Century, the U.S. military maintained a presence at Fort Ontario.

Growth

Oswego was incorporated as a village on March 14, 1828, and the Oswego Canal, a branch of the

Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east-west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, vastly redu ...

, reached the area in 1829. The city was incorporated in 1848. When the city incorporated, its area and population were removed from the figures reported for the towns. In the 1850s, at the height of a popular water-cure movement occurring in the United States, in turn stimulating growth, Oswego was the home of the ''Oswego Water Cure'' establishment, which

Stonewall Jackson Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, considered one of the best-known Confederate commanders, after Robert E. Lee. He played a prominent role in nearl ...

reportedly visited in August 1850.

Railroads' role in growth

Oswego is home to the

Port of Oswego The Port of Oswego is the main waterfront area of the City of Oswego in Oswego County, New York. Over the course of its history, the Port of Oswego has been the focus of military conflict and conquest, asite of record trade revenue, and a signif ...

and once was a hub for several major

railroads Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

: the

New York Central Railroad The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Mi ...

(NYC), the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (DL&W), and the

New York, Ontario and Western Railway The New York, Ontario and Western Railway, more commonly known as the O&W or NYO&W, was a regional railroad with origins in 1868, lasting until March 29, 1957 (the last train ran from Norwich to Middletown, NY on this date), after which it was or ...

(O&W) railways. Both railways operated a

coal trestle A trestle bridge is a bridge composed of a number of short spans supported by closely spaced frames. A trestle (sometimes tressel) is a rigid frame used as a support, historically a tripod used to support a stool or a pair of isosceles triangl ...

for fueling steamships at the Port of Oswego. Into the mid-1940s the DLW had daily passenger service from Hoboken, through Binghamton, to

and ending in Oswego. The New York Central last had passenger service between Oswego, Fulton and Syracuse in 1951. Former NYC and DL&W passenger stations remain, as does a NYC freight station. Nothing remains of the O&W, which was abandoned in its entirety in 1957. The tunnel from the former O&W is used as a

rail trail A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetca ...

Fort Ontario

Fort Ontario was built between 1839 and 1844. Major masonry improvements to the forts outer wall were undertaken, but left incomplete when Congress canceled its funding in 1872. By 1901, the old fort was abandoned. The 2nd Brigade of the

U.S. 1st Infantry Division The 1st Infantry Division is a combined arms division of the United States Army, and is the oldest continuously serving division in the Regular Army. It has seen continuous service since its organization in 1917 during World War I. It was offi ...

called Fort Ontario home until the brigade was deactivated on June 1, 1940. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

it was used for interning

Jewish refugees This article lists expulsions, refugee crises and other forms of displacement that have affected Jews. Timeline The following is a list of Jewish expulsions and events that prompted significant streams of Jewish refugees. Assyrian captivity ; ...

from Europe (see section below). In 1946, the fort was transferred to 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. stat ...

. At that time, it was used to house veterans and their families during the post-war period. Development of the fort as a historic site began in 1949, which included the "Safe Haven Museum." Today, Fort Ontario is being restored to its 1867–1872 appearance. Costumed interpreters recreate the lives of the officers, men, and civilians who garrisoned the fort in 1868–1869.

WWII refugee camp

In 1944 amidst

, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established a camp at the fort for survivors of

the Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...

. The fort was used as Fort Ontario Emergency Refugee Shelter also known as "Safe Haven," home to approximately 982 Jewish refugees, survivors of the Nazi Holocaust, from August 1944 to February 1946. This was the only attempt by the

United States government The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a fede ...

to shelter

during the war. Approximately 1,000 refugees were transferred to the fort from the Ferramonti di Tarsia, a concentration camp in

Cosenza Cosenza (; local dialect: ''Cusenza'', ) is a city in Calabria, Italy. The city centre has a population of approximately 70,000; the urban area counts more than 200,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Province of Cosenza, which has a populati ...

, Calabria,

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. The refugees came from 18 different European countries. The refugees were placed behind barbed wire, and given no official status, having been required to sign papers accepting their eventual return to their home countries in Europe at the end of the war. Due to political pressure, President Harry S. Truman allowed them to apply for citizenship. The camp comprised 200 buildings of converted army barracks. The site is now the

Safe Haven Museum The Safe Haven Museum and Education Center is a museum in Oswego, New York that tells the story of 982 mainly Jewish refugees who fled Europe in the U.S. Government "Safe Haven" program. They came to the Fort Ontario Emergency Refugee Shelter in ...

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy An economy is an area of th ...

, the city has a total area of 11.2 square miles (29.1 km²), of which 7.7 square miles (19.8 km²) is land and 3.6 square miles (9.2 km²) (31.76%) is water. Oswego is located on the southeastern shore of

at the mouth of the Oswego River, approximately 35 miles north of

and 69 miles east of

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

. The elevation is 298 feet above sea level. The nearest city is Fulton, located south of Oswego and north of Syracuse. As Oswego is located on the eastern shore of

, in the center of the Snowbelt, the region often sees prodigious

lake effect snow Lake-effect snow is produced during cooler atmospheric conditions when a cold air mass moves across long expanses of warmer lake water. The lower layer of air, heated up by the lake water, picks up water vapor from the lake and rises up throug ...

accumulations. Oswego is one of the snowiest towns in America, with some winters totaling over 300 inches. In 2007, Oswego gained national attention when approximately 130" (slightly less than 11 feet) of snow fell in a two-week timespan. This broke the record of the Blizzard of 1966, which blanketed the city with 102" of snow. As a result of this storm, the school district closed all facilities for a week, effectively shifting the planned winter holiday.

Locations and communities near Oswego

* Oswego: the town of Oswego * Minetto: the town of Minetto south of the city * Scriba: the town of Scriba east of the city * Southwest Oswego: a hamlet located west of the city * Fruit Valley: a hamlet located west of the city

Climate

Oswego has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...

( Köppen ''Dfb/Dfa''), typical of the Interior Northeast. The city experiences four distinct seasons, and is located in USDA

hardiness zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most wide ...

6a. The region typically experiences cold and relatively wet winters, and with its location in the Great Lakes Snowbelt, frequently receives heavy snowfall.

Transportation

New York State Route 481 (from Interstate 81) runs north/south to Oswego from

and Fulton. New York State Route 104 runs east/west from

to Oswego.

Central New York Regional Transportation Authority The Central New York Regional Transportation Authority, commonly referred to as Centro, is a New York State public benefit corporation and the operator of mass transit in Onondaga, Oswego, Cayuga, and Oneida counties in New York state. The C ...

provides service within Oswego and connections to Fulton and

. Oswego County Public Transit provides service between Oswego and smaller communities in Oswego County.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2010, there were 18,142

people A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of proper ...

, 7,486

households A household consists of two or more persons who live in the same dwelling. It may be of a single family or another type of person group. The household is the basic unit of analysis in many social, microeconomic and government models, and is impo ...

, and 3,896 families residing in the 8,258

housing units A housing unit, or dwelling unit, (at later mention often abbreviated to ''unit'') is a structure or the part of a structure or the space that is used as a home, residence, or sleeping place by one person or more people who maintain a common hous ...

in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 2,343.4 people per square mile (905.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.1%

White White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

, 2.3%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

, 0.1% Native American, 1.5% Asian, .6% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 5.1% of the population. The median income for a household in the city was $39,867, and the median income for a family was $57,324. Males employed full-time, year-round, had a median income of $50,074 versus $33,211 for similarly situated females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $21,139. 24.2% of the population and 14.4% of families were below the poverty line.

Politics

The city is governed by a

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

, currently Republican Billy Barlow, and a

board Board or Boards may refer to: Flat surface * Lumber, or other rigid material, milled or sawn flat ** Plank (wood) ** Cutting board ** Sounding board, of a musical instrument * Cardboard (paper product) * Paperboard * Fiberboard ** Hardboa ...

of seven

aldermen An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members th ...

who are elected from the city's seven wards. Recent previous mayors include Democrats Tom Gillen and Randy Bateman and Republican John Gosek.

Political controversy

In September 2005, Oswego Mayor John Gosek was arrested by the FBI and state police in a sting operation outside of a motel near Syracuse after allegedly giving a woman $250 to arrange a sexual encounter with two 14-year-old girls. The arrest came after a three-year investigation that led to charges of the mayor using his city-issued cell phone to “persuade, induce, entice and coerce an individual under the age of 18 years to engage in sexual activity.” The charge alleged that Gosek used his phone as interstate commerce for the purposes of illegal sex and falls under a federal law that is commonly known as the

Mann Act The White-Slave Traffic Act, also called the Mann Act, is a United States federal law, passed June 25, 1910 (ch. 395, ; ''codified as amended at'' ). It is named after Congressman James Robert Mann of Illinois. In its original form the act made ...

. Gosek's term wasn't due to expire until 2007, but he resigned from office five days after his arrest.

Notable people

Neil Bancroft Neil Bancroft (1846–1901) was an American soldier in the U.S. Army who served with the 7th U.S. Cavalry during the Black Hills War. In 1878, he was one of 22 soldiers who received the Medal of Honor at the Battle of the Little Bighorn and w ...

, U.S. Army soldier in the

Black Hills War The Great Sioux War of 1876, also known as the Black Hills War, was a series of battles and negotiations that occurred in 1876 and 1877 in an alliance of Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne against the United States. The cause of the war was the ...

* George Barnard, Civil War photographer and portrait photography pioneer * Joey Belladonna, singer of heavy metal band

Anthrax Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Bacillus anthracis''. It can occur in four forms: skin, lungs, intestinal, and injection. Symptom onset occurs between one day and more than two months after the infection is contracted. The s ...

* Owen Benjamin, formerly Smith, actor and comedian * David Branshaw,

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also k ...

golfer *

Latham A. Burrows Latham Avery Burrows (August 30, 1792 Groton, New London County, Connecticut – September 25, 1855 Buffalo, Erie County, New York) was an American politician from New York. Life He was the son of Rev. Roswell Burrows (1768–1837) and Jerusha ...

, former New York State Senator * Fenimore Chatterton, sixth

Governor of Wyoming A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

* Erik Cole,

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

hockey player, Olympian *

Francis D. Culkin Francis Dugan Culkin (November 10, 1874 – August 4, 1943) was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from New York. Biography Culkin was born in Oswego, New York on November 10, 1874, and attended school in Oswego. ...

, former US Congressman * Noel Francisco, former

Solicitor General of the United States The solicitor general of the United States is the fourth-highest-ranking official in the United States Department of Justice. Elizabeth Prelogar has been serving in the role since October 28, 2021. The United States solicitor general represen ...

Robert H. Gittins Robert Henry Gittins (December 14, 1869 – December 25, 1957) was an American lawyer, newspaper publisher and politician from New York. He served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1913 to 1915. Life Gittins was born in Oswego, ...

, former US Congressman * George Grant, doctor and

inventor An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an id ...

* John Porter Hatch,

Union army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

general * Robert M. Hensel, disability advocate, poet and world record holder * Willard A. Kitts, Vice admiral, USN and

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...

recipient * Greg LaRocca, former professional baseball player * Doug Lea, a

computer scientist A computer scientist is a person who is trained in the academic study of computer science. Computer scientists typically work on the theoretical side of computation, as opposed to the hardware side on which computer engineers mainly focus ( ...

at SUNY Oswego, specialist of concurrent programming and concurrent data structures who made significant contributions to

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...

* David H. McConnell, founder of California Perfume Company which became Avon Cosmetics *

Edward Nathaniel McDonald Edward Nathaniel McDonald (May 9, 1832 - June 10, 1899) was a US businessman, the principal stockholder and president of the Globe Mills, and president of McDonald Grain and Milling Company. Early years McDonald was born in Oswego, New York Os ...

, businessman *

Nettie Leila Michel Nettie Leila Michel (, Champion; after first marriage, Michel; after second marriage, Smith; after third marriage, Jeannette Champion Roake; September 26, 1863 – June 29, 1912) was an American business woman, author, and magazine editor of the lo ...

(1863—?), business woman, author, magazine editor *

Luther W. Mott Luther Wright Mott (November 30, 1874 – July 10, 1923) was a United States House of Representatives, United States Representative from New York. Born in Oswego, New York, Oswego, he attended the public schools and graduated from Harvard Univer ...

, former US Congressman *

Robert Natoli Robert "Bob" Natoli is an American author, businessman, and Success Coach. He holds a number of Guinness World Records. Personal life Natoli is from Oswego, New York. He graduated from Oswego High School. For college, he attended State University ...

, strongman *

D. W. Reeves David Wallis Reeves (February 14, 1838 – March 8, 1900), also known as D. W. Reeves or Wally Reeves, was an American composer, cornetist, and bandleader. He developed the American march style, later made famous by the likes of John Philip Sous ...

(1838–1900), composer and bandleader, called “the father of band music in America” * Dan Reynolds, Nationally published cartoonist, author, and greeting card artist with American Greetings born and raised in Oswego, NY. *

Curtis F. Shoup Curtis F. Shoup (January 11, 1921 – January 7, 1945) received the Medal of Honor for acts of bravery near Tillet in Belgium (now a deelgemeente of Sainte-Ode) on January 7, 1945. He was a graduate of Oswego High School in Oswego, New York. He i ...

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor ...

recipient * Carroll Smith, race car driver, author * Newcomb Spoor, Wisconsin State Assemblyman * Bob Steinburg, member North Carolina House of Representatives, 2013 to present * Peter Stickles, actor * Willard Dickerman Straight, banker, diplomat, co-founder of ''

The New Republic ''The New Republic'' is an American magazine of commentary on politics, contemporary culture, and the arts. Founded in 1914 by several leaders of the progressive movement, it attempted to find a balance between "a liberalism centered in hu ...

'' magazine *

Charles A. Talcott Charles Andrew Talcott (June 10, 1857 – February 27, 1920) was an American politician who served one term as a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York from 1913 to 1915. Biography Talcott was born in Oswego, Ne ...

, former US Congressman * Mary E. Walker, only female

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polic ...

doctor Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles * ...

, and only woman to receive the

Leigh Allison Wilson Leigh Allison Wilson, (born October 23, 1957) is an American short story writer, and teacher. Her work has appeared in ''Harper's'', ''Grand Street'', and the ''Southern Review''. Her story "Bullhead" was read on National Public Radio in 2008. B ...

, author * Julia McNair Wright (1840–1903), writer

Culture and recreation

Oswego has a long history stretching back to the 15th century. Visitors can learn about the city's history by visiting museums such as the

H. Lee White Marine Museum The H. Lee White Marine Museum is located in Oswego, New York. It was founded in 1982 by Rosemary Sinnett Nesbitt (1924–2009), a local professor and the City of Oswego Historian. Nesbitt retired from directorship of the museum in 2008 after comp ...

, The

Richardson-Bates House Richardson-Bates House is a historic home located at Oswego in Oswego County, New York. It is constructed primarily of brick and built in two stages. The main section is a -story, Tuscan Villa style brick residence with a gable roof and 4-story ...

, and Fort Ontario. Throughout the city and public parks, many historical monuments can be found honoring historical figures, and other forts that stood in what is now the historical district. The city includes a number of sites 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 artist ...

including the

Derrick Boat No. 8 Derrick Boat No. 8, also known as DB 8, is a historic floating derrick located at Oswego, Oswego County, New York. It was built in 1927, and it is one of the few surviving steam-powered floating derricks to have worked on the New York State Barg ...

Kingsford Historic District Kingsford Historic District is a national historic district located at Oswego, Oswego County, New York. It encompasses 76 contributing buildings in a predominantly residential section of Oswego. It developed between about 1830 and 1910, and ...

, Market House,

Oswego Armory Oswego Armory is a historic National Guard armory located at Oswego in Oswego County, New York. It is a brick and stone castle-like structure built in 1906–1908. It was designed by State architect George L. Heins. It consists of a -story adm ...

Oswego City Hall Oswego City Hall is a historic city hall located at Oswego in Oswego County, New York. It was built in 1870 and is a -story masonry, mansarded structure with a distinctive central clock tower. It was designed by architect Horatio Nelson White (1 ...

Oswego City Library Oswego City Library is a historic library building located at Oswego in Oswego County, New York. It has also been known as the Oswego School District Public Library. It was built in about 1855 and is a two-story brick structure over a full baseme ...

Oswego County Courthouse Oswego County Courthouse is a historic courthouse located at Oswego in Oswego County, New York. It was built in 1859-1860 and altered in 1891 and again in 1962. The two story building rises above a cruciform plan and is constructed of load bear ...

, Oswego Yacht Club,

Tanner Block Tanner Block is a historic commercial building located at Oswego in Oswego County, New York. It was built in 1890 and is a four-story brick structure constructed in an eclectic Victorian style. It measures 44 feet wide and 100 feet deep. It o ...

, and U.S. Customhouse. The most notable historian was Rosemary Nesbitt, who is immortalized by a monument in the city's signature public park, Breitbeck Park. Every

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. ...

, she would traditionally let down her long silver hair, dress in a ghostly gown, and tell ghostly haunted tales spanning across the entire history of the city. Nesbitt, who also founded the Marine Museum and wrote various books about the city's history, died on August 2, 2009 at the age of 84.

Ludwig Bemelmans Ludwig Bemelmans (April 27, 1898 – October 1, 1962) was an Austrian-American writer and illustrator of children's books and adult novels. He is known best for the '' Madeline'' picture books. Six were published, the first in 1939. Early life ...

, the writer best known for his popular ' Madeline' stories, was stationed at Fort Ontario, Oswego, N.Y. from 1917. From this experience he wrote the book "My war with the United States" published in 1937. Boating, fishing, and hiking are also activities that are enjoyed by residents and visitors. Oswego also has three ice-skating rinks, a large public pool located on the Fort Ontario grounds, bowling, and the historic

Oswego Theater Oswego Theater, now known as Oswego 7 Cinemas, is a historic movie theater located at Oswego in Oswego County, New York. It was designed in 1940 in the Art Deco style and opened in 1941. The front features bands of yellow, red, and dark red bri ...

. Every year the city hosts the Oswego Harborfest, a four-day festival of music, culture and food, centered around the Oswego Harbor, culminating in a fireworks display on the Saturday evening of the festival. The event is sponsored by local businesses, and the entertainment is admission-free. The festival continues to draw approximately 150,000 to 300,000 attendees every year. In 2007, SUNY Oswego Lakers men's hockey team won the NCAA Division III Ice Hockey Championship. Garren Reisweber's goal 12:55 into overtime gave Oswego State a 4-3 win over Middlebury on March 18, 2007. The Lakers captured the school's first ever national championship in a team sport. The 2006-07 season marked the first season Oswego played in the newly built, state-of-the-art Marano Campus Center, located on Lake Ontario. The Campus Center replaced Romney Field House Ice Rink which opened in 1962, and is believed to be the first ice rink built within the State University of New York system. The old ice rink was transformed into a multi-use indoor facility for track, lacrosse and other intramural sports. From 2005 to 2006 the

Oswego Admirals Oswego may refer to: Places United States *Oswego, Illinois, a village in Kendall County *Oswego, Indiana, an unincorporated place in Kosciusko County *Oswego, Kansas, a city in Labette County *Oswego, Mississippi, an unincorporated community *O ...

of the

Ontario Junior Hockey League The Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) is a Junior A ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada. It is under the supervision of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) and the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). The league was listed as the 7th bes ...

played in the old ice rink.

Media

The city is served by ''The Palladium Times'' newspaper, ''Oswego County Today'', the student-run newspaper ''The Oswegonian'', as well as ''OswegoNYlion'' and is the home to the radio stations WRVO, WSGO, WNYO and WMVN. Oswego also has its own television station, WTOP, which is completely student-run at the State University of New York at Oswego, and is served by the Oswego High School television station, WBUC. Oswego is served by the

TV market. Previous media included the ''Oswego Daily News''.

Education

The city is part of the

Oswego City School District The Oswego City School District is a school district in Oswego, New York, serving the students of the city of Oswego and the towns of Oswego, Minetto, and Scriba. The district promotes itself with the slogan "Where the Learning Never Ends," a ...

. The Oswego City School district has one

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

(grades 9–12), one middle school (grades 7 and 8) and five elementary schools (grades K–6). The State University of New York at Oswego (SUNY Oswego) is located just west of the city in the town of Oswego. Trinity Catholic School (formerly St. Paul's Academy) provides classes for PreK–6. Oswego Community Christian School provides classes for PreK–8.

Electric power facilities

Oswego generating station

Pursuant to Section 70 of the New York State Public Service Commission, Public Service Law, NRG Energy, Inc. (now operating as NRG Power Marketing LLC) officially received ownership of the Oswego generating station from previous owners Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation and Rochester Gas and Electric in 1999. NRG was the lowest bidder in an auction arranged by Niagara Mohawk. The facility is a 1,803-watt, megawatt (MW) (nameplate) plant with two steam turbines powered by steam heated in boilers from fuel oil (although one of the units has natural gas listed as a backup fuel). The facility went into service in 1976 (for unit 5) and 1980 (for unit 6). In 2017, it injected 39.7 watt-hours, GWh of electric energy into the electric transmission system. This is equivalent to operating at full capacity for approximately 0.3% of the year. For comparison, the central region consumed 15,819 GWh of electric energy in 2017. Its power is sold into the electric wholesale market administered by the New York energy law#Energy-related authorities, NYISO. Since the plant does not produce much electric energy on an annual basis, it is fair to assume that most of its revenue comes from the NYISO's capacity market. For example, at 1.0 ($/kW - Month), the plant would receive annual revenue of $21.6 million from the capacity market without accounting for actual energy production. According to the New York State Public Service Commission's database management system, DMM, there was a whistle blower complaint filed against the facility (case no. 92-E-0306) in 1992, however, the DMM website for that case number says its contents were moved to the DMM website for case number 92-M-0016. As of November 2018, there are 5 orders on the DMM case number 92-M-0016 website, none of which have to do with a whistle blower complaint against Oswego generating station.

References

External links

City of Oswego, New York

Oswego Public Library

CBS News - Ms. Harris vs. Oswego re:sidewalk hazards
{{Authority control Oswego, New York, Cities in New York (state) County seats in New York (state) Cities in Oswego County, New York Populated places on Lake Ontario in the United States Inland port cities and towns of the United States Syracuse metropolitan area