Sackets Harbor

By Robert E. Brennan and Jeannie I. Brennan

Sackets Harbor presents the unique history of a notable community that has achieved prominence as the northern headquarters in the War of 1812, as the home of the celebrated Madison Barracks, and as a revitalized tourist center. Ideally situated on the eastern shore of Lake Ontario in upstate New York, Sackets Harbor attracted the Iroquois, the Algonquin, early white settlers, and military strategists with its bounty. The village took its name from Augustus Sacket, who purchased tracts along the water in 1801 and led the first influx of settlers to the region. By 1809, the village had a military presence, but it was the War of 1812 that put Sackets Harbor on the map. In 1816, it became the site of Madison Barracks, the focus of life in the village until after World War II. Today a mecca for pleasure boating, sports fishing, and relaxation,
Sackets Harbor has been dubbed a “hidden treasure.”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Release date: Sep 18, 2012
• ISBN: 9781439627198

Robert E. Brennan

Robert E. and Jeannie I. Brennan, authors of Sackets Harbor, are residents of Sackets Harbor; he is the honorary village historian, and she is the chair of the Pickering-Beach Museum and a volunteer for the Jefferson County Historical Society. Images are drawn from the Brennans' extensive collection, the Pickering-Beach Museum, Fort Drum and the 10th Mountain Division Historical Collection, the Watertown Daily Times, Jefferson County Historical Society, Santway Photocraft Company, and individual donors. All proceeds from the sale of Fort Drum will go toward preservation of the early-1800s stone hospital at Madison Barracks.

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INTRODUCTION

An 1801 publication vividly describes an area that the Native Americans called Niahoure:

At the bottom of this gulf Black River empties, forming a harbor sheltered from the wind and surges of the lake, which, during the prevalence of the southwest winds, roll like those of the ocean. The land on the right or south of this bay is extremely fertile, and is a grove more fresh than can elsewhere be seen. That on the left, i.e., the country that extends to the north of the Bay of Niahoure, as far as the St. Lawrence, and east to the Oswegatchie, is not less fertile, and the colonists begin to vie the settling it.

The Oneida and Onondaga tribes of the Iroquois Nation knew the value of the natural resources along the shores of Lake Ontario in northern New York. They hunted and fished in this region and, long before them, remnants of earlier hunter-gatherer cultures tell the story of the bounty this land and water provided.

After the American Revolution, New England farmers learned of the fertile land and wild game on the shores of Lake Ontario. Land speculator Augustus Sacket purchased large tracts and led the first influx of settlers to the region that surrounded the natural harbor on Black River Bay.

No doubt the smuggling of pearl and potash into upper Canada aided the expansion of the village during the enforcement of embargo acts. In 1809, the navy ship Oneida was stationed at Sackets Harbor to enforce those laws. Three years later, on June 18, 1812, war was declared. The War of 1812 put Sackets Harbor on the map. The Oneida was the only navy ship on Lake Ontario to oppose the British fleet stationed across the lake at Kingston, Ontario. The land and sea battles, naval operations, and shipbuilding at the harbor, brought prominence to this quiet little settlement.

After the War of 1812, Sackets Harbor, with its commercial trade and shipbuilding, was the North Country’s most celebrated and prosperous village. Construction of the military post Madison Barracks began in 1816, generating a postwar economy. The village of Sackets Harbor has always been closely linked with Madison Barracks. For nearly 130 years, the post’s army personnel and the local citizens interacted in the daily life of the village, in social activities, and in community projects.

By 1853, the Sackets Harbor & Ellisburg Railroad connected to the Rome-Watertown & Ogdensburg Railroad, linking overland trade routes with commercial shipping on Lake Ontario. Village prosperity prior to completion of the railroad link was centered on trade and commerce. By the end of the 19th century, merchants and businessmen no longer relied on the lake and rail shipping, but rather on the newly emerging tourism industry.

A school, a newspaper, mills, shops, hotels, and taverns supported a thriving village life, which constantly hovered at a population level of 1,200 residents. Early settlers built their houses of worship in the village, which supported its social and religious needs. The building of the Presbyterian church was soon followed by that of the Episcopal and Methodist churches, while the Catholic church opened in the later part of the 19th century.

Commercial fishing continued to flourish into the early 20th century. Madison Barracks remained a center of activity in the life of the village. At the same time, officers at Madison Barracks created a site for military maneuvers at nearby Pine Camp (now Fort Drum).

A self-sufficient lifestyle continued in Sackets Harbor until the advent of the automobile and World War II. Following the war, shops closed and residents more commonly worked in nearby Watertown, making the village a bedroom community.

The revival of the tourism industry, which had been prominent in the early 1900s, came into its own again in the 1960s. Enterprising individuals foresaw the potential for the village and began a revitalization trend, which continues to the present day. The village has become a mecca for pleasure boating, sports fishing, and relaxation. Numerous restaurants, bed and breakfast establishments, a hotel, and marinas are the center of this rejuvenation. Even the former military post Madison Barracks now offers residential quarters, a marina, and recreational facilities.

In 1977, Sackets Harbor was designated one of fourteen parks administered by the New York State Urban Cultural Park System. This recognition highlights the illustrious history of the battlefields, buildings, and neighborhoods. The New York State Seaway Trail, a 454-mile scenic tourism route from Lake Erie to the St. Lawrence