War of 1812 Bicentennial

Fort Niagara, from the Lighthouse.

The military history of Fort Niagara dates back to 1678, when a house defended by palisades was built here by LaSalle. Under French rule it was considered an important point for fostering and holding the fur trade and went through various changes and vic cissitudes. Of the present buildings the large stone building called the Mess House, or Castle, was built by the Marquis de Vaudreuil in 1726. Report says the stone for building it was brought from Frontenac. It contains a dungeon called the Black Hole, where men were said to have been put todeath. The well of the castle was located in this dungeon. The forst was finally taken from the French by the British in 1759, in whose possession it remained until 1796, when it was handed over to the United States. Many British refugees found shelter here during the Revolutionary War. The present walls are of comparatively modern construction.