By Nancy L. Mitchell
Contributing Writer
On May 16, the Betsy Baldwin Chapter, NSDAR, took their annual field trip. There were 21 attendees, including two HODARS (Husbands of Daughters of the American Revolution members) and one guest who took the tour.
This year’s trip was to Fort Stanwix in Rome. According to the website, construction on the fort began on Aug. 26, 1758, by the British and was originally commanded by British Brigadier General John Stanwix. Located between the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Ontario, Fort Stanwix was a prime stop along the route for travelers, as well as transportation of goods. It was also significant during the Revolutionary War, becoming known as the “fort that never surrendered” following a length siege in August 1777.
DAR Members Kathy Clasper and Susanne Hogan had previously contacted Dr. Amy Roache-Fedchenko at the fort to arrange for the tour. Clasper and Hogan are direct descendants of Revolutionary War Patriot John Roseboom. Their family had made a donation of his ledgers to Fort Stanwix. (Information about the ledgers can be viewed on the Fort Stanwix website at nps.gov/fost/learn/historyculture/roseboom.htm.)
Roache-Fedchenko explained that the ledgers are being transcribed, and new information has come out of these transcriptions. She also discussed some of the artifacts housed at the museum that provide details on the history of Rome and in particular, Fort Stanwix.
The second half of the tour was based on the history of the fort and the work in progress to restore it. During this part of the tour actors in costume portrayed citizens of that time period and a park ranger was available to answer questions from the group. In addition to information about Fort Stanwix and the Rome area, the members learned about the French and Indian Wars and the American Revolution.
Fort Stanwix is open to the public daily throughout the year except for Jan. 1, Thanksgiving and Christmas days.
Following the tour of the fort, members went to Teddy’s for lunch. Teddy’s is a family restaurant named after President Theodore Roosevelt. On display are news articles, articles and photographs related to Roosevelt.
Anyone interested in DAR can visit the chapter website at darbetsybaldwin.weebly.com to complete an interest form.
