Fort Decker facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Fort Decker
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(2011)
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| Location | 127 W. Main St. Port Jervis, New York |
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| Built | 1793 |
| NRHP reference No. | 74001291 |
| Added to NRHP | June 13, 1974 |
Fort Decker is a historic stone house in Port Jervis, New York. It was built in 1793 using parts of an older fort. This makes it the oldest building in the city. The original fort played an important role in early American history.
The First Fort Decker
The very first Fort Decker was built by a Dutch settler named Frederick Haynes. This happened sometime before 1760. It was during a time called the French and Indian War. The fort was an unofficial defense and trading spot. It was made of stone and logs.
Haynes left the area around 1775. He left the fort to the Decker family, who were related to his wife. The fort was named after Lt. Martinus Decker. He was a great-grandson of Jan Gerritsen Decker, one of the first Deckers in the Minisink Valley.
A Revolutionary War Story
During the American Revolutionary War, the area was known as "Peenpack." On July 19, 1779, a group of pro-British Native Americans attacked. Their leader was Joseph Brant. They burned down Fort Decker.
News of this attack reached Goshen. Patriot soldiers tried to fight back. But this led to a terrible defeat at the Battle of Minisink. This was the only big battle of the war in the upper Delaware Valley.
From Fort to House
The house you see today was built in 1793. It used the remains of the old fort. In 1826, engineers working on the Delaware and Hudson Canal lived there. One of these engineers was John B. Jervis. The city of Port Jervis was later named after him.
Fort Decker stayed a private home for many years. In 1903, the original roof was removed. In 1924, a fire caused some damage to the building.
A Museum Today
People wanted to turn Fort Decker into a museum as early as the 1880s. This finally happened in 1958. The Minisink Valley Historical Society bought the building for $1,000. They then turned it into a museum.
In 1974, Fort Decker was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It was one of the first buildings in Port Jervis to get this honor. The other two were the Erie Depot and the Post Office.
See also
