WELCOME TO
FORT EDWARD
Steeped in history, Fort Edward, NY is a great mix of old and new — and everything in between! Visit the Old Fort House Museum to experience life as it once was in the town, and you might even catch a stray spirit in passing. Or explore the wartime history at the Rogers Island Visitors Center.
ABOUT FORT EDWARD
Fort Edward is the bustling center of Washington County, currently serving as the county seat. Whether by road, water, trail, or rail, visitors can get to the town a number of ways. Boats traveling up the Champlain Canal can moor at the Yacht Basin. Bike riders will find themselves passing through the town as they head along the Empire State Trail. You can even take the train! Fort Edward is a stop along Amtrak’s Adirondack Line.
Fort Edward is best known for:
Fort Edward is best known for:
A BRIEF HISTORY OF FORT EDWARD
Pre-Settler
Prior to the construction of any forts, the area was known by the old Native American name
“Wahcoloosencoochaleva” or the “Great Carrying Place,” because it was the starting point of a portage between the Hudson River and Lake Champlain.
1700s
Fort Edward’s first documented structure was built: a fur trading post known as Lydius House or Fort Lydius. The Great Carrying Place went on to become a strategic military base of operations. From the French and Indian War to the American Revolution, Rogers Island and the adjacent fort on the mainland saw many struggles for control of the area.
1800s
The town of Fort Edward was
established in 1818 from Argyle and Greenwich, and the village was set off from the town in 1849. Fort Edward’s proximity to the Feeder Canal, built in the 1820s, made it a great location for mills and manufacturing. Clothing, paper, iron ore, lumber, pottery, and more were made here.
Today
Fort Edward today is home to a number of businesses with an unintentional nod to the town’s past, from craft beer to paper products. The Feeder Canal remains as well, and is now a recreational trail for kayakers as well as bikers and runners.
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