Fort Nassau (North River) facts for kids

Fort Nassau was the very first Dutch settlement in North America. It was located right next to the "North River," which we now call the Hudson River, in what is today Albany, New York. This small fort was mainly a trading post and a place to store goods. It was also known as Fort van Nassouwen.

The Story of Fort Nassau

In 1609, Henry Hudson explored the river that now bears his name for the Dutch. He found Castle Island, which was a busy spot for Native American fur trading.

Hendrick Christiaensen chose Castle Island to build Fort Nassau. This happened around 1614 or 1615. The fort was built to be both a warehouse for trading and a military defense. It was named in honor of the House of Orange-Nassau, a powerful family in the United Netherlands.

Some older historians thought that French fur traders had built a stone "castle" on Castle Island around 1540, even before Fort Nassau. However, modern experts have not found any proof for this idea. Fort Nassau was truly the first Dutch settlement in North America. When Christiaensen died in 1616, Jacob Eelkens took over as the fort's commander.

In 1617, a big flood, called a "freshet," badly damaged the fort. A freshet is a sudden rise in a river's water level, often from heavy rain or melting snow. Because of the damage, the fort was left behind. It was then rebuilt on safer ground near where the Normans Kill meets the Hudson River. The natives called this spot Tawasentha.

Jacob Eelkens built this new fort on a raised piece of land the natives called Tawass-gunshee. After the new fort was finished, the Dutch made their first treaty, or agreement, with the native peoples of North America. But in 1618, another freshet destroyed this new fort too. After that, Fort Nassau was abandoned for good.

Years later, in 1624, the Dutch built another fort nearby called Fort Orange.

Where Was Fort Nassau?

Fort Nassau was built on what is now called Westerlo Island. This island used to be part of the town of Bethlehem. But in 1926, it became part of the city of Albany. Since 1932, it has been part of the Port of Albany-Rensselaer. A "port" is a place where ships can load and unload goods.

What Fort Nassau Looked Like

Fort Nassau was a building about 36-foot (11 m) long and 26-foot (7.9 m) wide. It was surrounded by a strong wooden fence, called a stockade, that was 58-foot (18 m) square. Around the stockade was a wide ditch, or moat, about 18-foot (5.5 m) across.

The fort was protected by two large cannons and eleven smaller guns called swivel guns. Only about 10 to 12 soldiers lived and worked at the fort.