Sackets Harbor Historical Society

Harbor Walk

Walking Guide Showcases Sackets Harbor’s Historic Architecture

By Kara Dunn

Sackets Harbor, NY – With sponsorship from Watertown Savings Bank, the Sackets Harbor Historical Society has published a new, updated edition of its Harbor Walk: A Guide to the History & Architecture of Sackets Harbor, NY. The guidebook is available from the Sackets Harbor Historical Society and at several venues in the village.  

The 44-page illustrated guide celebrates the historic architecture as seen at homes, businesses and buildings in this area that was a shipbuilding center during the War of 1812. Featured are the waterfront village, Madison Barracks, and sites on a 17-point Town of Hounsfield Driving Tour in western Jefferson County, NY.

Sackets Harbor Historical Society President Jan Maas says, “This guidebook interprets more than 200 years of our cultural, economic, and military history by showcasing the architectural quality of our built environment, and serves the Historical Society mission to educate the public about the unique heritage of our community.”

The book’s front cover features the Sackets Harbor Bank Building, circa 1836, situated at the corner of West Main and Broad Streets. The Sackets Harbor Bank housed here in 1836 was Jefferson County’s second bank. Watertown Savings Bank now operates a branch in the main bank building, and the Sackets Harbor Historical Society offices are located in the wing.

Union Hotel, at West Main and Ray Streets, now owned by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, highlights book’s back cover. The former Union Hotel now houses the Great Lakes Seaway Trail Discovery Center. Frederick White, reputedly the wealthiest man in Jefferson County, built the hotel in 1817-18 to take advantage of the post-War of 1812 hotel trade. The guidebook notes that the building’s “well-preserved interiors are counted among the finest of any Federal-era public buildings in New York State.”

Harbor Walk includes a short history of Sackets Harbor, a guide to 13 architectural styles, a glossary of architectural terms, and a bibliography.

The original text was prepared by Michael D. Sullivan and has been updated by Sackets Harbor Historical Society President Jan Maas. Local historians Bob and Jeannie Brennan, Sackets Harbor State Historic Battlefield Manager Connie Barone, the staffs at the Pickering-Beach Historical Museum, Flower Memorial Library, and Olin Library at Cornell University have contributed to the Harbor Walk guide’s development. Sackets Harbor artist Lawrence Barone provided the new cover design and updated several maps.

The Northern New York Community Foundation and the Heritage Area Program of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation provided funding for the first edition of the guide. Sackets Harbor is a New York State Heritage Area Community.

Sales of the guidebook benefit the Historical Society’s interpretive projects.

Combined Annual Meeting for
Sackets Harbor History Organizations

Speaker Program Topic:
War of 1812 Shipwrecks Exploration
Presented by Ben Ford

Wednesday June 8, 2011 at the Battlefield Historic Site’s Barn off Hill Street
Annual meetings at 6:00 p.m.; speaker program at 7:00 p.m. 

Sackets Harbor was at the heart of America’s defense of its inland waterways during the War of 1812. Evidence of this role is visible throughout the community, but there may be less obvious remains lying just offshore. A current archaeological project is attempting to locate and identify two ships built at Sackets Harbor, the frigate Mohawk and an unnamed gunboat. Featured speaker, Ben Ford, will give a talk outlining the historical significance of these vessels and the previous historical and archaeological work that suggests the locations of their remains. Planned methodology for locating and identifying the shipwrecks will also be presented.

The presentation “War of 1812 Shipwreck Exploration” will be delivered by Ben Ford, a graduate of the Texas A&M Nautical Archaeology Program. Dr. Ford has been actively researching the archaeology of Lake Ontario.

 The research team includes Dr. Ford (Indiana University of Pennsylvania) a maritime and historical archaeologist, project geologists Dr. Katherine Farnsworth (Indiana University of Pennsylvania) and Dr. Scott Harris (College of Charleston), and Carrie Sowden the Archaeological Director of the Great Lakes Historical Society, plus two Indiana University of Pennsylvania graduate students studying maritime archaeology, and undergraduates from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and the College of Charleston.

 All interested individuals are invited to attend “War of 1812 Shipwreck Ex-ploration.” There is no charge to attend this public program, which is scheduled at 7:00 p.m. June 8, immediately following the Annual Meetings of the Sackets Harbor Battlefield Alliance, Inc., the Sackets Harbor Historical Society, and the Sackets Harbor Area Cultural Preservation Foundation, Inc.