Fort Niagara on This Week’s State of Greater Western New York Report – September 30, 2021
Fort Niagara stands atop the precipice where its namesake river drains into Lake Ontario. Centuries before there was a United States, it played a crucial role in the strategies of international powers. After the Revolutionary War, Fort Niagara continued to figure prominently in the early development of the Greater Western New York Region, including during the War of 1812. Speaking of that War, did you know there’s a fascinating story of a woman who helped secure the Fort just before the British invasion. Learn more on this week’s State of Greater Western New York Report.
In the show’s first segment, Niagara County Historian Catherine Emerson tells the history of Fort Niagara, from its French beginnings to its British takeover to the post-Revolutionary War controversy where its national ownership came into question. While legally resolved by the Jay Treaty of 1794, the matter wouldn’t truly be settled until the War of 1812.
In the second half of the show, Emerson relays the important story of Betsy Doyle. Until very recently misnamed “Fanny” Doyle, Betsy’s story reveals how war can create long-lasting tragedy within a family, but also how it can inspire bravery as she demonstrates the kind of resiliency well recognized as a particular trait of our region.
Our guest happily answered questions from the live audience. In fact, these are probably some of the same questions you had. Would you like to be a member of our live audience so you can ask our guests questions? Click here to join the growing number of members who share your feelings on StateOf.GreaterWesternNewYork.com because then we can automatically send you the link to watch our shows live.
Theme music by mansardian courtesy of FreeSound.org under Creative Commons License Attribution 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
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