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. This house was made from the remains of an old fort. It is the oldest building in Port Jervis. The house was built many years before the city itself.
Contents
History of Fort Decker
The First Fort
The first Fort Decker was built a long time ago. A Dutch settler named Frederick Haynes built it. This was before 1760, during the French and Indian War. It was used as a defense spot and a place for trading. The fort was made of stone and logs. It was about one and a half stories tall.
Around 1775, Frederick Haynes moved to New Jersey. He left the fort to his wife's family, the Deckers. The fort got its name from Lt. Martinus Decker. He was a great-grandson of Jan Gerritsen Decker. Jan was the first Decker to live in the Minisink Valley area.
Revolutionary War Attack
The Burning of Peenpack
On July 19, 1779, a sad event happened. This was during the American Revolutionary War. The area was then known as "Peenpack." The fort was burned down during a raid. This attack was led by Joseph Brant. He was a pro-British Native American leader.
Survivors of the attack brought the news to Goshen. American soldiers, called Patriots, tried to fight back. But this led to a big defeat for them. This battle was called the Battle of Minisink. It was the only major fight of the war in the upper Delaware Valley.
From Fort to House
Building the Current House
The house you see today was built in 1793. It was made using parts of the old fort that remained. Later, in 1826, engineers lived in the house. They were working on the Delaware and Hudson Canal. One of these engineers was John B. Jervis. The city of Port Jervis was later named after him.
The house stayed a private home for many years. In 1903, newspapers reported that the original roof was being removed. In 1924, a fire caused some damage to the building.
Fort Decker as a Museum
A Place for History
People started wanting to use Fort Decker as a museum as early as the 1880s. This dream came true 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. This is a list of important historical places. It was the first of three buildings in Port Jervis to get this honor. The other two were the Erie Depot and the Post Office.
See also
