Fort George (14)

Fort George (14) (1626-1790) - A Colonial Fort first established as Fort Amsterdam in 1626 by the Dutch in present day Manhattan, New York County, New York. Named Fort George in 1714 by the British. Demolished in 1790. See the name progression below.

File:A view of Fort George with the city of New York, from the SW.jpg A view of Fort George with the city of New York, from the Southwest (1731-1736)

History of Fort George

Established in 1626 by Dutch colonists, at first it was simply a blockhouse encircled by red cedar palisades backed by earthworks. By 1642 a stone church was being built within the enclosure of the fort. In 1664 the fort mounted 20 guns, but was no match for the English expedition to which it was surrendered in that year.

File:The Government House, New York 1650665.jpg

Government House on the site of Fort George

During the Revolutionary War the fort was first capture by the Patriots in 1775 but recaptured by the British in 1776 along with New York City. The British evacuated the city on 25 Nov 1783 and the fort was returned to American control. In 1790 the fort was torn down to make way for what was to have been the residence of the President of the United States but by the time it was finished the Capitol had moved from New York to Philadelphia.

Name Progression:

• Fort Amsterdam (1625-1664) - Dutch Fort
• Fort James (1664-1673) - British Fort
• Fort Willem Hendrick (1673-1674) - Dutch Fort
• Fort James (1674-1691) - British Fort
• Fort William Henry (1) (1691-1703) - British Fort
• Fort Anne (2) (1703-1714) - British Fort
• Fort George (14) (1714-1775) - British Fort
• Fort George (14) (1775-1776) - American Patriot Fort
• Fort George (14) (1776-1783) - Recaptured by British
• Fort George (14) (1783-1790) - American Fort

Destroyed in 1790.

Current Status

Site is now the location of the U.S. Customs House, Manhattan, New York County, New York.

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USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 2061951

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Location: Manhattan, New York County, New York. Maps & Images Lat: 40.704333 Long: -74.013767 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 10'

Sources:

• Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 599-600

Links:

• North American Forts - Fort George
• Wikipedia - Fort George
• New York State Military Museum - Fort George

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Fort George (14) Picture Gallery

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