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Old Fort House Museum – The 1772 home of Patrick Smyth has been open to the public since 1953, with authentic furnishings depicting the lives of occupants from the 1770’s through the 1940’s. Built with timbers taken from the ruins of the French & Indian War fortification called Fort Edward, the house was used as headquarters by both British and American generals in the Revolutionary War. |
| Smyth was placed under house arrest by Gen. Benedict Arnold and removed from his home in 1777 for fear of his loyalties to the American cause. Entrepreneur, Col. Adiel Sherwood, bought the house and turned it into an inn and tavern. |  |
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In July 1783 General George Washington and his party dined at the house on two different occasions. On Christmas day in 1829, Solomon Northup, a black man who was born free, and his bride, Ann Hampton, moved into the “old yellow house” and lived there until 1832. Drugged and sold in Washington, D.C., Northup gained national fame in 1853 when he was found and freed in Louisiana after spending twelve hard years in slavery. Upon his return to New York Solomon wrote “Twelve Years A Slave” detailing his life. Today this book, thoroughly researched and still in print, is considered to be one of the most important unbiased narratives on slavery as told by an educated, free person who was enslaved in the deep south. |