Rome, New York: Fort Stanwix

Fort Stanwix took a small but pivotal role in the American Revolution. The colonies took it from the British, and held on despite a siege from enemy forces that lasted more than three weeks. If Fort Stanwix falls, well, maybe we'd be speaking with British accents.

The Fort is located in in Rome, relatively close to Utica. There is an Air Force base up the road a bit. Rome is rather flat, but the base is located on what could be called the high point of the area. That made it a good spot strategically, since it was between the waterways leading to Lake Ontario in one direction and the Mohawk River in the other.

There is a nice welcome center on the land nearby, which has a nice exhibit and a movie about the facility. From there it is a short walk to the Fort itself; the contents have been recreated to show what life was like for the soldiers.

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