Fort Niagara Fort Niagara is a fortification originally built to protect the interests of New France in North America . It is located near Youngstown , New York , on the eastern bank of the Niagara River at its mouth , on Lake Ontario . Origin . René - Robert Cavelier , Sieur de La Salle built the first structure , called Fort Conti , in 1678 . In 1687 , the Governor of New France , the Marquis de Denonville , constructed a new fort at the former site of Fort Conti . He named it Fort Denonville and posted a hundred men under the command of Capt . Pierre de Troyes , Chevalier de Troyes . The winter weather and disease was severe , and all but twelve perished by the time a relief force returned from Montreal . It was decided in September 1688 to abandon the post and the stockade was pulled down . In 1726 , a two story " Maison a Machicoulis " or " Machicolated House " was constructed on the same site by French engineer Gaspard - Joseph Chaussegros de Léry . It was called the " House of Peace " or trading post to appease the Haudenosaunee , or Iroquois . The name used today , " The French Castle " was not used until the 19th Century . The fort was expanded to its present size in 1755 due to increased tensions between French and British colonial interests . British control . The fort played a significant part in the French and Indian War , and fell to the British in a nineteen day siege in July 1759 , called the Battle of Fort Niagara . The French relief force sent for the besieged garrison was ambushed at the Battle of La Belle - Famille , and the commander of the post , Francois Pouchot , surrendered the fort to the British commander , Sir William Johnson , who initially led the New York Militia . The Irish - born Johnson was not the original commander of the expedition , but became its leader when General Prideaux literally lost his head , stepping in front of a mortar being test - fired during the siege . The fort remained in British hands for the next thirty - seven years . Fort Niagara served as the Loyalist base in New York during the American Revolutionary War for Colonel John Butler and his Butler ' s Rangers , a Tory militia in the command of the British Army . Lt . Col . William Stacy , a high - ranking officer of the Continental Army , was captured at the attack on Cherry Valley , New York by Butler ' s Rangers . He was held captive at Fort Niagara during the summer of 1779 . Niagara became notorious for drinking , brawling , whoring , and cheating . Crude taverns , stores , and bordellos sprouted on " the Bottom " , the riverside flat below the fort . Though Fort Niagara was ceded to the United States after the Treaty of Paris ended the American War of Independence in 1783 , the region remained effectively under British control for thirteen years . Only after signing of the Jay Treaty did American forces occupy the fort in 1796 . In the interim , United Empire Loyalists fleeing persecution in the new USA were given land grants , typically per inhabitant in Upper Canada , and some were sustained in the early years partly by aid from the military stores of the fort . The British captured Fort Niagara during the War of 1812 , on the night of December 19 , 1813 . British forces relinquished it to the United States with the Treaty of Ghent . It has remained in US custody ever since . Nine currently active battalions of the Regular Army ( 4 - 1 FA , 1 - 2 Inf , 2 - 2 Inf , 1 - 3 Inf , 2 - 3 Inf , 4 - 3 Inf , 1 - 4 Inf , 2 - 4 Inf and 3 - 4 Inf ) are derived from American units ( Leonard ' s Company , 1st Regiment of Artillery , and the old 14th , 19th and 22nd Infantry Regiments ) that were at Fort Niagara during the War of 1812 . Later use . The name " Old Fort Niagara " which is associated with the fort today does not refer to its age but to distinguish the colonial - era fortress from its more modern namesake . The post - Civil War era saw the building of " New Fort Niagara " outside the original walls of the fort . Following the Civil War , masonry forts were abandoned for the style of military camp we now know ( masonry fared poorly under bombardment ) . The newer Fort Niagara contained a thousand - yard rifle range , access to rail lines , and access to large industrial areas ( Niagara Falls and Buffalo ) . Fort Niagara was used to train troops for the Spanish - American War and World War I , and during World War II as an induction center and later a POW camp for 1 , 200 German soldiers captured in North Africa . After WWII , the fort served as emergency housing for returning veterans . During the Korean War , the fort was used for the headquarters for anti - aircraft artillery and later Nike missiles . The US Army officially deactivated Fort Niagara in 1963 . Military presence on the site continues with the United States Coast Guard still operating at " The Bottoms " making Fort Niagara one of the longest continuously run military bases in the United States , 1726 – present day . In 1931 , after nine years of lobbying for repairs and preservation by local citizens , a formal operating license between Old Fort Niagara Association and the U . S . War Department established rights to preserve and operate the fort . In 1949 , Congress transferred Father Millet Cross National Monument ( a small memorial at Fort Niagara ) to the State of New York . In 1960 the fort was among the first sites designated as National Historic Landmarks . Today . Fort Niagara has been renovated and now serves as Fort Niagara State park and museum . The restored fort is the scene of frequent historical reenactments of 18th century battles that took place on the site , as well as period dances , fundraisers and other special events . Fort Niagara is a State Historic Site known as Old Fort Niagara State Historic Site . There are persons who believe the site to be haunted ; this was investigated by the Discovery Channel show Ghost Lab which aired on October 21 , 2010 . On October 5 , 2011 , Ghost Hunters investigated the site during their sixth season . Fort Niagara was designated a National Historic Landmark on October 9 , 1960 as " Old Fort Niagara " and the Colonial Niagara Historic District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15 , 1966 . It is a major contributing element to the Niagara Falls National Heritage Area . References . Taylor , Alan , " The Divided Ground " , 2006 , ISBN 0 - 679 - 45471 - 3