Old Fort Niagara

After we had stopped by our rental house and changed into dry clothes after our wet morning at the falls we headed out to Old Fort Niagara.  

We stopped a local restaurant: The Youngstown Galley and had an amazing lunch!  Youngstown was so cute and I wished we had had more time to explore it but we knew the fort was only open until 5! 

We arrived at the fort around 3 and we were just in time for a short video presentation about the history of the fort.  After the movie there was a volunteer guide that offered to lead us around the fort and tell us more about it; we were thrilled!  

We learned that this flag was part of the original flag that hung at the fort.  It has been captured, brought to Europe and displayed in the family home of the leader of the battle.  Passed down from generation to generation it was nearly lost and destroyed in a fire!  It was eventually returned to the fort and those pieces that look like islands are all that is left of the original flag after the fire.  The rest has been recreated so we could get an idea of just how large and impressive the flag was- notice that there are NOT 50 stars...   

Once outside our guide talked to us about the fort, the make up of it, the battles fought and lost, the type of warfare that was used when the fort was designed, why the fort was placed here at the mouth of the Niagara river, etc.

The only entrance to the fort; it would have been a drawbridge back in the day to make it harder for the enemies to gain entrance.

Isn't it a beautiful spot?  You can't see but further down the river (across from where we ate lunch actually!) was an old Canadian fort and there was a battle where these two forts were shooting canon fire at one another.

The architecture was amazing!  We actually went up in these sentry towers and were amazed at how far we could see!

The flags; American, British, and the all white flag is actually a French flag with a white background and a white fleur de lis.

This is where the gunpowder and ammunition was stored 

This is an old woodworking shop; the building is not authentic to the time but there was a wooden woodworking building in this spot as part of the original fort. 

The French castle and the quarters for those posted here

It was a clear enough day to see to Toronto in the distance.

Looking out the sentry rifle holes

Looking out the opened roof.

Checking out the canons up close.

Watching a musket firing demonstration and learning a lot about what life would have been like living at the fort.

A diorama of the whole fort. 

Learning about pulleys.

The kitchen garden and bread house.

One of the dining rooms in the French castle; used by the higher ranking officers.

What a trading post with the Native Americans might have looked like at the time.

Officers quarters..

Versus enlisted men; who would be sharing this room with a dozen or so other men.

We just had to climb up and check out the view from the other sentry tower.

Checking out the small blacksmith shop.

While I wished we had had more time to really explore and read about everything at the fort we really did have a great time learning about the history and the life here at the fort.  

Other posts about Niagara Falls:

Niagara Falls Day 1& 2: Hiking the Niagara Gorge 
Niagara Falls Day 3; Rainy day fun at the Power Vista, Aquarium, and Discovery Center 
Visiting the Buffalo Zoo
Niagara Falls at Night
Spending a Day in Niagara Falls, Canada
Getting Soaked at Niagara Falls