H. Lee White Marine Museum, Oswego, NY

It seems like yesterday, but it was in the spring of 2005 that we made our first trip out to Lake Ontario. We have since been a few times. This first trip, we strolled the shores of the lake, and visited the H. Lee White Maritime Museum in Oswego, NY.

According to the Maritime Museum website, H. Lee White was:

…born in Oswego and remembered it fondly as he moved through a career rich in accomplishment. Graduated from both Hamilton College and Cornell University, he attained the rank of commander in the U.S. Navy and became a successful attorney in New York City. In 1953-54 he served as Assistant Secretary of the Air Force in the Eisenhower administration, and later became head of two worldwide shipping companies.

This museum was established to preserve and promote the Oswego Harbor’s importance in our history, with an emphasis on ships, of course. The website says that the museum’s centerpiece is the USAT LT-5, that cute little tug that sat wantonly roped to the pier.

When we drew close, we saw that visitors were not allowed on. The ship was built for service during World War II; you can read more about the ship here.

Because we love Lake Ontario so much and found the air so refreshing, we puttered around the pier for a bit, taking in the Great Lake air. Glorious. Just look at that vast sky!

…and… hey! look at my youngest, trying to peep over the edge of the pier! GRRRR…

The museum looked small and drab on the outside, but inside it is two-storeys- packed full of interesting naval artifacts and history. I was struck by the enormous mural painted across one entire wall. It was painted by George Gray and depicts scenes from early American history here. The portrait of Pontiac is stunning. I was not allowed to use flash to snap a picture, but there are some ok-quality pictures here.

The artifacts were fascinating. We saw huge rings of chains, giant-sized spools of navy-grade rope, miniature model boats of all sorts, navigational instruments and widgets, navy stripes and badges galore, gorgeous Oswego-ish artwork, and all the little gadgets that accompany life on the lake for the last 300 years. There is even a big signal lamp–with shutters– the kind I saw in that old 1940′s Titanic movie, when the crew had desperately tried to flash Morse code to a nearby vessel.

Kids could try on uniforms, test out replica muskets, and wear the ubiquitous tricorn hat of yesteryear. Of course my kids loved it all.

My youngest, known for his penchant for finding little places, nearly flipped when he discovered a secret passageway! This facade of a jelly cabinet was a secret hiding place for travelers on the Underground Railroad.

The museum was put together well. Thumbs up from this crew!

After our excursion there, we decided to wander the city a little. Oswego has some very colorful murals alongside long buildings. The murals depict scenes of its history, or honor their brave.

Historically, there have been some very deadly house fires in the area, and I believe the idea of family life insurance sprang out of such tragedies. The murals depict those who served the community and some who lost their lives doing so.

We neared the grounds of Fort Ontario and walked down the railroad tracks. A small footpath led us down to the shore of the Lake.

Some rocks were discolored by amateur, uh, “artists” who couldn’t hold a candle to the murals on the streets.

The waves were beautiful. So wild and unpredictable but very elegant.

If you squint (or click to enlarge the photo, and squint), you can see the nuclear power plant stack in the background in the first photo, the lighthouse in the second photo, and the buildings of Fort Ontario in the third photo.

Back up to the grassy area, a more somber scene befell us. It was the graveyard of soldiers who had died while serving at Fort Ontario, dating back to the French and Indian War. A monument was erected for the “unknown soldier” there.

From here, we attempted to gain admission to Fort Ontario (something the kids had wanted to do for a while) but it was closed. Aw! I could only promise the kids that we would return as soon as possible. We actually did get to visit the lake once again, and the fort. Our visit to Fort Ontario is here, and our visit to the lake again during some blustery winter weather.

Fort Ontario in Oswego, NY

We had been desiring to visit Fort Ontario in Oswego, NY, for years. Finally, in the autumn of 2006, we got to see it! Oswego is a pretty city. The Oswego River slithers right through it. The city reminded me somewhat of Cooperstown, with its frilly, “It’s a Wonderful Life” charm. However, due to the river and the harbor at the lake, Oswego is much more practical and industrious than Cooperstown. Oswego is a college town with a cosmopolitan flair, but it has always had an industrial bent to it and this was very evident as we drove down the streets.

Fort Ontario sits on the southern side of Oswego, and hugs the shoreline of Lake Ontario. It’s a truly exquisite scene, with the sea of blue water at our feet and the sea of blue sky at our heads, and the green lawn glimmering below. We found a parking space and got out to explore the shoreline a little. Through a few small beaten paths, we could walk right down to the edge of the lake and explore the rocky craggs. The kids stuffed their pockets with the smooth, water-weathered rocks.

Oh, I could have stood there forever and watched the cool waves. Sailboats glided across the lake, and fishing trawler cranes dangled over the horizon. To the north, we could see the nuclear power plant stack.

(I once had someone from North Korea visit this blog post, searching for nuclear power plants in the United States. Can you believe it?!)

A small cemetery was nearby. Also of great interest was a large wooden cross, with a sign that read “In Hoc Signe Vincent.” It is similar to what Constantine saw before his great victory at the Milvian Bridge in AD 312.

After these things, we entered the fort. Fort Ontario has a very long history.

Since 1755 Fort Ontario has been rebuilt, regarrisoned, and changed hands several times. Immediately following the Civil War, Fort Ontario began a period of decreased activity and improvements and additions ceased. The fort found new life between 1903 and 1905 when the United States expanded the post as part of the army’s reorganization. By 1941 approximately 125 buildings stood at the site. Between 1944 and 1946 Fort Ontario was used as an emergency refugee center for victims of the Holocaust. In 1946 the fort was transferred to the State of New York.

Here’s a photo from Wikipedia, an aerial view of the fort:

We drew close and ventured in. There is an admission charge for entering.

Most of the buildings and grounds were set up for the Civil War period. There were an assortment of documents, uniforms, pictures, and some weaponry dating to this era. Very little referred to the Revolutionary days.

Inside most of the buildings were lots of primitive wooden tables and chairs, some Civil War-era papers and little else. Booooring.

One building was more interesting, as the ladies had lived in it and brightened the drab rooms with lively curtains and furnishings. Women do have a way of making a house nice.

I took a shot of a beautifully stenciled window blind. These are lovely, aren’t they? They must have required a ton of labor.

Here’s one of those hair wreaths I mentioned that I saw at the Old Stone Fort in Schoharie. What curious objects!

Behind one of the outbuildings, there was a narrow brick passageway that was fun to explore. If you look closely at an enlarged shot of this photo, you can see my son’s eyes glowing in the dark. The camera flash must have reflected off his retinas at the right angle. It looks so creepy!

After exploring the four outbuildings in the Fort, we thought we had finished our tour. Lo and behold, we discovered some doors in the ground. This newly found exploratory was the best part of our visit!

There was nothing down there except empty cavernous hallways and rooms. But my kids loved it. They had bought toy guns at the gift shop and found extreme fun running around and “shooting” enemies from the gun ports in the walls.

Soldiers had built these underground rooms during the Civil War days. The walls were made of very thick stone. Tiny stalactites were forming on the ceilings of some rooms. It was refreshingly cool down here. It must be heavenly here during the sweltering days of summer.

Back outside, I tried to soak as much as I could of the Lake again. Big berms surround the Fort. This makes for fantastic exploration– we ran up and down the berms and enjoyed the gorgeous views.

You could sit on the benches or the grass and just soak in the great big blue sky and drink up the great big blue water. It reminded me of that lovely hymn:

Could we with ink the ocean fill, and were the skies of parchment made;
Were every stalk on earth a quill, and every man a scribe by trade
To write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole, though stretched from sky to sky.

It was a wonderful visit. The fort, for all its thrilling history, took full advantage of its location by the lake. If you go, go on a sunny day and let the great big sky knock your socks off.