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Foundation Document, Fort Stanwix National Monument, New York

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Foundation Document, Fort Stanwix National Monument, New York NATIONAL PARK SERVICE • U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Foundation Document Fort Stanwix National Monument New York August 2016 Signatures 8-26-2016 69 49 Foundation Document 46 C I T Y O F To Delta Lake State Park 46 r 26 North To Erie ROME e Canal 46 r v 0 1 Kilometer C i d Village 49 o Court St R o 0 1 Mile 69 WW Dominick St k Site of landing x w E a rie N James St Blv h d W o Black River Blvd M Marinus Willett Center Visitor Information Erie Blvd E Fort Stanwix National Monument E D Mill St o min ick St To Utica and exit 31, Bellamy Harbor Park ERIE CANAL New York State Thruway / 90 Site of Amtrak lower station Martinlanding St M x o h 26 a w Route of origina k R i v e r l Eri 49 e Ca S James St nal 69 69 365 To Oneida,Turning Stone Resort, 233 and exit 33, New York State Thruway / 90 To Westmorland and Oriskany Battlefield exit 32, New York State Thruway / 90 State Historic Site Lake Champlain Fort Crown Point June 26 BURGOYNE (Departs St. Johns, Canada, June 17) Fort Ticonderoga July 6 Lake LAKE George ONTARIO Hubbardton July 7 Fort Skenesboro Oswego St. Leger departs July 26 Fort Anne July 8 ST. LE GER Fort Edward ek r d Cre Lake Oneida Woo Oriskany e v August 6 i Fort Stanwix Oriska R August 3-23 HE Onondaga Castle RK IM Fort (Syracuse) n E Chittenango o Oneida Castle R Dayton s (Herkimer) Herkimer d Home u Fort Klock H Caughnawaga A (Fort Hunter) RNOLD Fort Johnson Cayuga Castle M oh aw Saratoga Canandaigua Fort Plain k (Stillwater) Seneca Castle Canajoharie R Sept 19; Oct 7 iv e Bennington r GATES August 16 Schenectady Albany r e v i R n o s d u H New York ATLANTIC OCEAN Fort Stanwix National Monument Contents Mission of the National Park Service 1 Introduction 2 Part 1: Core Components 3 Brief Description of the Park 3 Park Purpose 4 Park Significance 5 Fundamental Resources and Values 6 Other Important Resources and Values 6 Related Resources 7 Interpretive Themes 9 Part 2: Dynamic Components 10 Special Mandates and Administrative Commitments 10 Administrative Commitments 10 Assessment of Planning and Data Needs 11 Analysis of Fundamental Resources and Values 11 Analysis of Other Important Resources and Values 19 Identification of Key Issues and Associated Planning and Data Needs 20 Planning and Data Needs 21 Part 3: Contributors 26 Fort Stanwix National Monument 26 Reviewed by Fort Stanwix National Monument staff 26 NPS Northeast Region 26 Other NPS Staff 26 Local Partners 26 Appendixes 27 Appendix A: Enabling Legislation for Fort Stanwix National Monument 27 Appendix B: Fort Stanwix National Monument Interpretive Themes Matrix 28 Foundation Document Fort Stanwix National Monument Mission of the National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. The National Park Service cooperates with partners to extend the benefits of natural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout this country and the world. The NPS core values are a framework in which the National Park Service accomplishes its mission. They express the manner in which, both individually and collectively, the National Park Service pursues its mission. The NPS core values are: · Shared stewardship: We share a commitment to resource stewardship with the global preservation community. · Excellence: We strive continually to learn and improve so that we may achieve the highest ideals of public service. · Integrity: We deal honestly and fairly with the public and one another. · Tradition: We are proud of it; we learn from it; we are not bound by it. · Respect: We embrace each other’s differences so that we may enrich the well-being of everyone. The National Park Service is a bureau within the Department of the Interior. While numerous national park system units were created prior to 1916, it was not until August 25, 1916, that President Woodrow Wilson signed the National Park Service Organic Act formally establishing the National Park Service. The national park system continues to grow and comprises more than 400 park units covering more than 84 million acres in every state, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. These units include, but are not limited to, national parks, monuments, battlefields, military parks, historical parks, historic sites, lakeshores, seashores, recreation areas, scenic rivers and trails, and the White House. The variety and diversity of park units throughout the nation require a strong commitment to resource stewardship and management to ensure both the protection and enjoyment of these resources for future generations. The arrowhead was authorized as the official National Park Service emblem by the Secretary of the Interior on July 20, 1951. The sequoia tree and bison represent vegetation and wildlife, the mountains and water represent scenic and recreational values, and the arrowhead represents historical and archeological values. 1 Foundation Document Introduction Every unit of the national park system will have a foundational document to provide basic guidance for planning and management decisions—a foundation for planning and management. The core components of a foundation document include a brief description of the park as well as the park’s purpose, significance, fundamental resources and values, other important resources and values, and interpretive themes. The foundation document also includes special mandates and administrative commitments, an assessment of planning and data needs that identifies planning issues, planning products to be developed, and the associated studies and data required for park planning. Along with the core components, the assessment provides a focus for park planning activities and establishes a baseline from which planning documents are developed. A primary benefit of developing a foundation document is the opportunity to integrate and coordinate all kinds and levels of planning from a single, shared understanding of what is most important about the park. The process of developing a foundation document begins with gathering and integrating information about the park. Next, this information is refined and focused to determine what the most important attributes of the park are. The process of preparing a foundation document aids park managers, staff, and the public in identifying and clearly stating in one document the essential information that is necessary for park management to consider when determining future planning efforts, outlining key planning issues, and protecting resources and values that are integral to park purpose and identity. While not included in this document, a park atlas is also part of a foundation project. The atlas is a series of maps compiled from available geographic information system (GIS) data on natural and cultural resources, visitor use patterns, facilities, and other topics. It serves as a GIS-based support tool for planning and park operations. The atlas is published as a (hard copy) paper product and as geospatial data for use in a web mapping environment. The park atlas for Fort Stanwix National Monument can be accessed online at: http://insideparkatlas.nps.gov/. 2 Fort Stanwix National Monument Part 1: Core Components The core components of a foundation document include a brief description of the park, park purpose, significance statements, fundamental resources and values, other important resources and values, and interpretive themes. These components are core because they typically do not change over time. Core components are expected to be used in future planning and management efforts. Brief Description of the Park Fort Stanwix National Monument occupies approximately 16 acres in the heart of downtown Rome, New York. It includes the archeological remains of Fort Stanwix, which was constructed in 1758 and burned in 1781; a 1970s earth and timber-clad, reinforced concrete partial reconstruction of the fort built on its original site; the Marinus Willett Collections Management and Education Center (built in 2005); and one-half mile of trails with wayside exhibits. The site was established as a national monument in 1935. The fort reconstruction commenced in 1974, when an archeological study by the National Park Service was completed. The reconstructed fort was opened to the public in 1976, exhibiting a portion of the extensive archeological collections found on-site. The site of the fort, but not the reconstructed structure, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is a national historic landmark, significant for the events that transpired there during the American Revolution and for the information potential of the archeological resources. Fort Stanwix tells the story of the Oneida Carrying Place, a six-mile portage connecting the Mohawk River and Wood Creek. This portage was a vital link in water transportation between the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes. The American Indians referred to this area as the “Great Carrying Place” or “Two Rivers Together.” The British built Fort Stanwix in 1758 during the French and Indian War (Seven Years’ War) to protect the Carry and to prevent the French from moving south from Canada into New York’s Mohawk Valley. It was abandoned by the British in 1766 and rebuilt by the Continental Army, renamed Fort Schuyler, in 1776. The following year, the Continental garrison refused to surrender during a 21-day siege by a contingent of British soldiers, Loyalists, foreign troops, and their Indian allies. Following the nearby Battle of Oriskany and the arrival of Continental Army reinforcements, the British withdrew. In 1781, fire destroyed part of the fort and it was decommissioned. Significant treaties were signed at Fort Stanwix, including the 1768 Boundary Line Treaty and 1784 Treaty of Fort Stanwix.
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