Around CNY- Fort Stanwix

(Joe) Hi there everybody! Welcome to another edition of Around Central New York! I'm Joe Kelly. Where are we this week? Well a couple of hints...We are in Rome, New York. We're in a place made almost entirely of wood. And the place is surrounded by a fence. Did you get it? We're in Fort Stanwix.

And we're joined by Kimberly Szewczyk. And Kimberly, Chief of Interpretation here at Fort Stanwix, what does that entail?

(Kim) Chief of Interpretation is the person who's in charge of daily operations within the park. 

(Joe) And that operation continues 365 almost. 

(Kim) It does, all except for just a few holidays.

(Joe) Kimberly, what I've told people for years, you correct me if I'm wrong, I've told people because of what happened here at Fort Stanwix in Rome we're carrying American passports today versus British passports.

(Kim) During the Siege in August 1777, we hold up the British, forcing themselves in Saratoga. By holding the British up, we win Saratoga. And that gets us French support and of course Spain and the Netherlands signs on. It goes from an insurrection in the colonies to a global war.

(Joe) So when you say what happened at Fort Stanwix was crucial, that's not an overstatement.

(Kim) No, not at all. It was hugely significant in the American Revolution.

(Joe) And we're joined by William Sawyer, a thirty-year veteran of the National Park Service. All of it right here at Fort Stanwix. What a great place to come to work everyday! How accurate is the Fort today, the replica of Fort Stanwix Bill?

(Bill) Extremely accurate. We sit right on the original foundation. Having that coupled with the original plans and maps that are still available has given us a very, very, very accurate representation of the Fort.

(Joe) Good, good for you. That's going to do it for us this week. We'll be back next week. Don't forget CNYhomepage.com if you'd like to give us a suggestion of where in Central New York to go. We'll see you next time everybody!