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Greetings. Another unfinished blog post dug out of the archives. Sometime last year I took a trip to the towns of Fort Johnson, New York, located in Montgomery County along the Mohawk River, and nearby Johnstown, New York, located slightly north in nearby Fulton County. Both towns are named after Sir William Johnson, an important eighteenth century person who lived in the area, and the purpose of my visit was to see two different houses that he had built and lived in in the area.
But before I get too far into the story of Sir William Johnson, let me just remind people that Montgomery County was named after Richard Montgomery, focus of a previous blog post this week.
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Who Was Sir William Johnson?
Sir William Johnson was an Irishman who became the British ambassador to the Iroquois Confederacy, one of the major political powers in upstate New York and what was later to become the northeast United States.
Rather than write my own biography of Johnson, something I could do but would rather not spend time on, I will merely provide a few links to published biographies of this important historical figure. They, in turn, contain recommendations for more in-depth sources.
- https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/sir-william-johnson
- http://exhibitions.nysm.nysed.gov//albany/bios/j/swj.html
- https://u-s-history.com/pages/h859.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_William_Johnson,_1st_Baronet
Old Fort Johnson
Old Fort Johnson was the earlier of the two of Sir William Johnson's houses. It is located today on Route 5 in the town of Fort Johnson near the volunteer fire house within sight of the Mohawk River. Historical sites in upstate New York are run by a variety of governmental (and varying levels of government such as state, county, and federal), not-for-profit, and even the occasional for profit groups. This one is run by The Montgomery County Historical Society or MCHS. Not only does the MCHS maintain the site and give tours, but they also hold talks at the site. I attended one one evening on the sale of upstate New York ginseng to China in the eighteenth century. (1)
Basically today Old Fort Johnson appears to be a mansion, a large colonial house. The interior rooms are nicely decorated and clearly those of a person of wealth from the eighteenth century. Modern modifications are few, although there is a small area for the historical society to sign in visitors and they do sell t-shirts, sweatshirts, and some books related to the historical site.
However, once one looks at the mansion / old fort more carefully it becomes obvious that there is a distinct difference between the northern side of the building and the southern side which faces the river. The southern side has beautiful glass windows. The northern side, by contrast, has mostly gun slits and few windows. When I asked the volunteers about this, they told me that the southern side had been protected by a large wall while the north side did not. I have been unable to find a map or illustration of the original fence. If someone does, it would be nice if they could provide a link below.
The fort has a wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Fort_Johnson
Below are my photos of Old Fort Johnson. I am afraid I am not the best photographer.
Inside there are museum exhibits.
This is, no joke, a very historic outhouse located on the Old Fort Johnson grounds. There were several signs describing it and why it was historically significant. I am surprised I can't find photos of them. For those who wonder, the public was not able to use it, but the site does have a modern bathroom with contemporary plumbing that is open to the public.
Nearby, on the other side of the small parking lot is the Fort Johnson town volunteer firehouse.
Johnson Hall
Later in life, Sir William Johnson decided to marry a woman from New York City and decided a larger, more luxurious house would be better suited for him and his new wife. He found a suitable site a little over eight miles away, and Johnson Hall was constructed. Today Johnson Hall is maintained by the state of New York as a state historical site. In the eighteenth century, it was the site of many large gatherings between Johnson as representative of the crown, and the Iroquois and representatives of other native peoples.It is quite possible to visit both Old Fort Johnson and Johnson Hall on the same day with lunch in-between.
The Funeral Re-enactors at Johnson Hall
Co-incidentally, the day I visited, and I forget the date but it was the summer of 2019, was also the date of a special re-enactment event --the wake of Sir William Johnson. While the re-enactors told me they did not plan to re-create the entire funeral and funeral procession, it had been done in the past and found very difficult work and therefore is done only every few years, recreating the wake is, they said, an annual event. Therefore there were a few re-enactors at the site dressed in mourning clothes, spending time in a room with an eighteenth century coffin similar in style to the one used by Sir William Johnson.
The House and Its Grounds
Inside the House
Johnstown, New York
Johnstown, New York is a pleasant little town located north of the Mohawk River and south of the Adirondacks. It's worth checking out and it, like most of these towns, has a small historical society with its own set of small exhibits. I did not get to visit there this trip, but I did visit there long ago and remember I felt it was worth visiting.
Sign on I-90 west of Johnstown
1) = Here's the details on the talk I attended at this site in July of 2019.
Evenings at the Fort: 3rd Wednesdays 6:30-8:00 pm
July 17 “Roots in the Valley: Mohawk Valley Merchants, Settlers, and Indians in the Colonial Ginseng Trade”
Sherri Cash, Utica College history professor, digs into the story of a local plant that became a hot commodity in the eighteenth century British Empire. Highly coveted by the Chinese, ginseng was the center of an international trade supplied by Mohawk Valley settlers, slaves, and Native Americans. Business records of Schenectady merchant John Sanders show how the ginseng trade helped many local families acquire luxury goods in return. All lectures are free to MCHS members, $2.00 donation for others.
