Fort Herkimer
Encyclopedia
Fort Herkimer was a fort located on the southern side of the Mohawk River
, opposite West Canada Creek
, in central New York
, United States
.
The fort was first built in 1740, around the homestead of the Herscheimer (Herkimer) family. In 1757 during the Seven Years War, young Captain Nicholas Herkimer
(later to be a heroic general in the Revolutionary War
) had his first military command here when the French attacked German Flatts in 1757 and 1758. It has originally known as Fort Kaouri (Fort Bear).
During the American Revolutionary War
, the fort was rebuilt as a defensive stone stockade around the Fort Herkimer Church. A joint British and Onondaga force attacked German Flatts and the forts on each side of the river in October 1788.
Both the old and new forts were destroyed during expansion of the Erie Canal
in 1840, as their stones were used for its construction. The Fort Herkimer Church still stands today. The church belongs to the regional Montgomery Classis of the Reformed Church in America
.
The former site of Fort Herkimer is located in the current town of German Flatts
, on the south side of the Mohawk River in Herkimer County, New York
. Fort Herkimer is sometimes confused with nearby Fort Dayton
, around which the Village of Herkimer
was built.
Mohawk River
The Mohawk River is a river in the U.S. state of New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson River. The Mohawk flows into the Hudson in the Capital District, a few miles north of the city of Albany. The river is named for the Mohawk Nation of the Iroquois Confederacy...
, opposite West Canada Creek
West Canada Creek
West Canada Creek is a river in upstate New York, USA. West Canada Creek drains the south part of the Adirondack Mountains and empties into the Mohawk River near the Village of Herkimer...
, in central New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The fort was first built in 1740, around the homestead of the Herscheimer (Herkimer) family. In 1757 during the Seven Years War, young Captain Nicholas Herkimer
Nicholas Herkimer
Nicholas Herkimer was a militia general in the American Revolutionary War, who died of wounds after the Battle of Oriskany.-Career:...
(later to be a heroic general in the Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
) had his first military command here when the French attacked German Flatts in 1757 and 1758. It has originally known as Fort Kaouri (Fort Bear).
During the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, the fort was rebuilt as a defensive stone stockade around the Fort Herkimer Church. A joint British and Onondaga force attacked German Flatts and the forts on each side of the river in October 1788.
Both the old and new forts were destroyed during expansion of the Erie Canal
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...
in 1840, as their stones were used for its construction. The Fort Herkimer Church still stands today. The church belongs to the regional Montgomery Classis of the Reformed Church in America
Reformed Church in America
The Reformed Church in America is a mainline Reformed Protestant denomination in Canada and the United States. It has about 170,000 members, with the total declining in recent decades. From its beginning in 1628 until 1819, it was the North American branch of the Dutch Reformed Church. In 1819, it...
.
The former site of Fort Herkimer is located in the current town of German Flatts
German Flatts, New York
German Flatts is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 13,629 at the 2000 census.The Town of German Flatts is in the south part of Herkimer County, across from the of Village of Herkimer on the south side of the Mohawk River, and southeast of Utica.-Herkimer:This...
, on the south side of the Mohawk River in Herkimer County, New York
Herkimer County, New York
Herkimer County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It was created in 1791 north of the Mohawk River out of part of Montgomery County. As of the 2010 census, the population was 64,519. It is named after General Nicholas Herkimer, who died from battle wounds in 1777 after taking part...
. Fort Herkimer is sometimes confused with nearby Fort Dayton
Fort Dayton
Fort Dayton is located on the North side of the Mohawk River at West Canada Creek in what is now Herkimer, New York. A fort had previously been built on the same site during the French and Indian War.-American Revolutionary War:...
, around which the Village of Herkimer
Herkimer (village), New York
Herkimer is a village in Herkimer County, New York, United States, about southeast of Utica. As of the 2000 census, it had a population of 7,498 people. The village is named after the Herkimers, Palatine German immigrants who settled in this area in 1723...
was built.
External links
- Text of historical marker along New York State Route 5New York State Route 5New York State Route 5 is a state highway that extends for across the state of New York in the United States. It begins at the Pennsylvania state line in the Chautauqua County town of Ripley and passes through Buffalo, Syracuse, Utica, Schenectady, and several other smaller cities and...
- Old Fort Herkimer at New York State Military Museum
- Biography of Nicholas Herkimer which mentions the fort