May 31, 2024 • 41 mins
Hello! 👋 send me a text message! Tell me what your thoughts 💭 are about this episode
Carleton Island has some mystery about it. 🔮When James H. Durham decided to take on uncovering the true origin of The Old Fort in 1889, he was diving into a not so clear path of discovering the easy answer.
The island had several names, Buck, Deere, Isle aux Chevreuils and Carleton Island. I purchased the book titled, The Old Fort Carleton Island In The Revolution, written by James H. Durham in 1889. It was reintroduced and reprinted by the St. Lawrence River Historical Foundation in 2010.
The Golden Age 🌉 of the Thousand Islands was just beginning during this time period. Cape Vincent was a booming village with a train station and the first port on the western edge of the Thousand Islands.
The entire area was becoming a summer ☀️ ⛱ 🏊♀️ playground for some of the major industrialists and social elite of the late 19th century. ☕️ 🥮
Many excursions and tourist vessels 🚢 streamed in and out of Cape Vincent. Major Durham found the markings of a fort that was so massive in construction that it would have required thousands of people to construct it! 😳
I would like to credit the nature sound effects titled waves hitting the rocks - (Cagan Celik) https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/waves-hitting-the-rocks-16680/ birds singing/calm river - (Sounds For You) https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/birds-singing-calm-river-nature-ambient-sound-127411/ small waves onto the sand (DennisH18) https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/small-waves-onto-the-sand-143040/ all via Pixabay https://pixabay.com/ Thank you! 🤩
LINKS!
- https://thousandislandslife.com/books/ ( where you can purchase The Old Fort and other books about the Thousand Islands )
- https://www.srhf.info/ ( non-profit corporation - St. Lawrence River Historical Foundation to promote research & education regarding maritime history of the St. Lawrence River )
- https://www.forthaldimand.com/ ( history of Fort Haldimand along with various dates of past and present events, and souvenir store items )
- https://shipwreckstories.com/hms-ontario ( various shipwrecks including the HMS Ontario that was lost in 1780 )
- https://timuseum.org/ ( Thousand Islands Museum - Clayton, NY - no charge for admission - modern gallery of permanent & rotating exhibits, a Research Library, older duck decoys, a display by the local diving club and more! )
- https://www.carletonvilla.com/ ( the story of the Carleton Villa - some history about William O. Wyckoff - contact info for general inquires and further info )
- https://www.facebook.com/CarletonVilla ( link to connect to Carleton Villa's Facebook page )
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Julie Rogers (00:05):
No one ever said life is easy, but I believe by
giving yourself permission, youwill find you have more control
over your life than you realize.
I'm Julie.
I hope you will join me bytaking responsibility for
yourself, by only controllingthe things you can and letting
go of the things that you can't.
By doing this, you will havediscovered the secret to having
(00:30):
happy, healthy and morefulfilling relationships.
This is Nearest And DearestPodcast.
I'm Julie Rogers and you arelistening to Season 2, episode 7
, Carleton Island Past AndPresent - The Old Fort.
Carleton Island has somemystery about it.
(00:53):
When James H Durham decided totake on uncovering the true
origin of the Old Fort in 1889,he was diving into a
not-so-clear path of discoveringthe easy answer.
The island had several namesBuck, Deere,
(01:22):
Isle-Aux-Chevreuils, andCarleton Island.
I purchased the book, The OldFort Carleton Island in the
Revolution, written by James HDurham in 1889.
It was reintroduced andreprinted by the St Lawrence
River Historical Foundation in2010.
Kathi McCarthy wrote anintroduction to guide and give
(01:47):
knowledge about Major Durham,along with added facts and
sources for the modern reader.
Kathi and her husband, DennisMcCarthy, are both historians
(02:08):
and authors about shipwrecks inthe Thousand Islands and are
active with several localhistorical museums.
Dennis co-founded the StLawrence Historical Foundation
in 1994, which has documentedseveral shipwrecks in the
Thousand Islands and registeredthem with the New York State
Historic Preservation.
Both Kathi and Dennis arecurrent directors of the St
(02:31):
Lawrence River HistoricalFoundation.
I want to take a moment and saythank you to both Kathi and
Dennis.
Corresponding with them while Iwas researching the book The
Old Fort and asking them to readthrough my notes to make sure I
interpreted the facts correctlywas greatly appreciated.
(02:56):
I respect the opportunity tocontinue and share the history
of Carleton Island, along withtheir own commitment.
(03:18):
Who was James H Durham?
He was born in 1821 nearSyracuse, New York.
He graduated from West Pointand served as a major on the
Western Plains in campaignsagainst the Indians.
During the Civil War, he waswounded four times and was among
the northern soldiersincarcerated in Libby Prison and
the Andersonville Stockade.
After the Civil War, he livedin Utica, Carthage and Watertown
(03:44):
, New York.
After the death of his firstwife he remarried and around
1875, they moved to Cape Vincent, New York.
He lived there until he passedin 1916.
He was well known for being avalued speaker and a writer.
(04:06):
He became interested in theruins on Carleton Island.
The island is located downstreamand in the center of the
American Channel.
It consists of almost 2,000acres and has two protected bays
at its head.
On the bluff above the NorthBay were a group of stone
(04:31):
chimneys.
They were enclosed in a massiveearthwork that provided an
outline of a large military fortwith its barracks and magazines
.
When he spoke to various people, they all had different ideas
about when and who actuallybuilt the fort and the original
(04:56):
name of the island.
He wanted to write The Old Fortto clarify the island's names
and to identify the fort'sbuilders and its history.
The Golden Age of the ThousandIslands was just beginning
(05:17):
during this time period.
Cape Vincent was a boomingvillage with a train station and
the first port on the westernedge of the Thousand Islands.
The entire area was becoming asummer playground for some of
the major industrialists andsocial elite of the late 19th
(05:41):
century.
Many excursions and touristvessels streamed in and out of
Cape Vincent.
Major Durham found the markingsof a fort that was so massive
in construction that it wouldhave required thousands of
(06:01):
people to construct it.
He began to seek the answers.
He couldn't comprehend thatthere was no documentation or
any real knowledge about thefort.
The French and English were nottalking about it.
No archives from either nationor from the United States had
(06:25):
anything to contribute about thesubject.
Most people at this timebelieved it was an established
fact that it was erectedsometime during the 18th century
.
Numerous relics have been foundin the vicinity of the fort.
Buttons, brooches, belt plateshave been plowed up.
(06:49):
Coins have been found.
It was mostly the numbers anddevices on the buttons which
seemed to answer the question asto the nationality of the
troops who once occupied thegrounds.
What was found was unmistakablyEnglish.
(07:12):
According to Bouchette, whowrote History of Canada
published in 1815, he statesthat Carleton Island was
converted into a large magazineor depot for military supplies
and a general rendezvous in 1774to 75 by the British government
(07:38):
in anticipation of trouble withher American colonies.
Bouchette also states thatCanada fell into the hands of
the English, with trading poststhat were established along the
St Lawrence and Lake Ontario.
The Indians would meet up onthe island, who were friendly to
(08:02):
the English, and receivedpresents and put on their war
paint and set forth on theirraid expeditions against the
defenseless outlying settlementsof New York.
We can come to a conclusionbased on that suggestion, along
(08:23):
with various letters writtenbetween August and October in
1778, to support that the nameof the island was changed to
Carleton in honor of MajorGeneral Sir Guy Carleton, who
(08:43):
was then in command and wasgovernor of the Providence of
Quebec.
Before this, the island seemedto be known as Deere Island.
Guy Carleton was born in Ireland.
He began his military career atan early age.
(09:07):
In 1758, he was assigned toduty with the 72 Regiment as a
Lieutenant Colonel in the Army.
His promotion to the rank ofColonel was in America only.
He was promoted to the rank ofMajor General in 1772.
(09:29):
In 1775, the Americans capturedMontreal.
General Carleton escaped in acanoe and reached Quebec,
accompanied only by his boatmanand an aide-de-camp, which is a
military officer acting as aconfidential assistant to a
(09:54):
senior officer.
According to the research doneby James Durham, he believes
quote "it was no doubt owingCarlton's untiring energy and
unceasing watchfulness thatQuebec was saved from capture.
(10:18):
General Carlton's humanetreatment of American prisoners
did much to mitigate, or simplyput lessen, the horrors of war.
End quote.
He was appointed Knight of theBath on July 6, 1776.
(10:53):
He was well aware that he didnot stand in high favor with
Lord George Germain, who was hismajesty's secretary of state.
The appointment of Burgoyne tothe command of the army to
invade New York, Carleton askedto be relieved of his command in
Canada.
He did not sail for Englanduntil 1778, until he was
(11:15):
relieved by General Haldimand.
He became Baron Dorchester ofDorchester, Oxfordshire.
He died in Berkshire in 1808.
General Sir Frederick Haldimandwas born in Switzerland.
(11:36):
His first military service wasin the Prussian Army and
eventually entered the Britishservice with General Bouquet.
He was promoted to beLieutenant Colonel of the 60th
Royal Americans and came toAmerica in 1757.
(11:58):
He was in England in 1775,giving the ministry information
regarding the colonies.
He came back to America in 1776with the rank of lieutenant
general.
It was then when he succeededSir Guy Carleton as Governor
(12:22):
General of Canada.
He held that office until 1784and returned to Switzerland and
died in 1791.
Full disclosure.
I did some research in anattempt to correctly pronounce
(12:42):
the names of some of thesehistoric officials and other
names with whom I have notofficially met in person.
My full apologies if I didn'tget it right.
A letter dated October 14, 1778by Sir Guy Carleton and sent to
(13:07):
Lord George Germaine, hisMajesty's Secretary of State,
provided testimony to thehappenings concerning Carleton
Island.
He writes about how he sentorders to Twiss of the Engineers
, with Captain Aubrey and threecompanies remaining of the 47th
(13:31):
Regiment in Canada, a detachmentfrom Sir John Johnson's Corps,
the Royal Greens, together witha body of skilled craftsmen, to
establish a post at the entranceof Lake Ontario to serve the
purpose of a safe place for thetraders to send their goods,
(13:56):
which go from Montreal in boatsuntil transferred to the king's
vessels.
Secure a harbor for thesevessels and a defense against
the rebels.
He also writes that he sent upLieutenant Schank of the Navy,
(14:20):
who is the commissioner of theDock Yards, for the benefit of
his judgment with regard to thebest places for a harbor and
with orders to construct as soonas possible for that lake a
number of gunboats which are souseful in many respects.
(14:44):
He continues with statingquote, " the place pitched upon
by these gentlemen, after havingbeen carefully examined, is an
island about 12 miles below theentrance of Lake Ontario, having
(15:05):
Grand Island, which in presentday it is now called Wolf Island
, on one side, from which isdivided by a channel of
something less than a mile andthe South continent on the other
, at a distance of one mile anda quarter from it.
(15:28):
End quote.
He finishes his letter withthis quote, this island had gone
for some time by the name ofDeer Island, having been
mistaken for that, called by theFrench Isle aux Chevres, which
(15:50):
is found to be higher up, andthen the name of Carlton Island
is now given to this in question.
Very favorable ground forfortifying, commanding a sizable
and safe harbor which thisisland possesses at the upper
(16:10):
end of it looking toward thelake, induced the gentlemen sent
on this service to fix uponthis spot where a fort is begun
and barracks are building forthe troops, and the place will
be in a tolerable state ofdefense and habitation by the
(16:35):
winter, a plans of which shallbe transmitted as soon as
possible.
" End quote.
A letter dated March 24, 1779,was sent from Carleton Island
from John Clunes, who was aclerk and foreman for the
(16:58):
British military.
He writes about how he was ableto escape being a prisoner
during the battle at Ticonderoga.
He also writes how the rebelssent in a flag of truce but
General Powell would not see itand ordered them to fire on them
(17:20):
, which they did, and out offive, they killed three and
eventually the rebels were beatand afterward Clunes got news of
General Burgoyne's army beingprisoners about three weeks
after General Carleton sentorders up to General Powell to
(17:44):
burn Ticonderoga to the groundand return to Canada with his
men, which he did.
(18:05):
Clunes states that he came toCarleton Island along with the
commanding engineer, Lt.
William Twiss.
He writes that this garrison isvery near finished and he
believes it is the strongestplace in North America.
General Henry Watson Powell,who at that time commanded the
British troops at Ticonderoga,was charged with having violated
(18:28):
the utilization of civilizedwarfare by ordering his men to
fire upon a flag of truce.
This charge was strongly deniedby General Powell.
According to Mr Durham'saccount of this through the
letters he shares, he writesquote," Mr Kluntz, innocently
(18:55):
and honestly, because heevidently saw no breach of
custom in firing upon a rebelflag.
" End quote Colonel Claus wrotea letter to Chief Thayendinaga,
or was better known as JosephBrant, on March 3rd 1781 quote,
(19:20):
"the general who would beHaldeman has for some time
intended sending a party ofabout 60 chosen loyalists under
the command of Major Jessup,toward Fort Edward this party
might join you againstPalmerstown, (which is now known
(19:41):
as Saratoga Springs),could you ascertain the time and
place, which might be nearlydone by calculating the time
your express would take to comefrom Carlton Island.
" End quote.
He also writes, quote, "Shouldyou, upon this, adopt the
(20:06):
General's offer and opinion andproceed from Carleton Island to
Palmerstown, which place I amsure several of Major Ross's men
and others at the island areall well acquainted with, I wish
you the aid of providence withall the success imaginable, in
(20:30):
which case it will be one of themost essential services you
have rendered your King this war, and cannot but by him be
noticed and rewarded.
Your return to Canada will bethe shortest and most eligible,
and we shall be most happy tosee you here.
(20:53):
" end quote.
Because of this letter, Mr.
Durham concludes that CarletonIsland was once the headquarters
of that noted Chief of the SixNations, Thayendanegea.
Colonel Daniel Claus was anative of the Mohawk Valley and
(21:17):
in early life acquired aknowledge of the Iroquois
language.
He was attached to thedepartment of Sir William
Johnson as an interpreter andaccompanied him as a Lieutenant
of Rangers.
He eventually was in Montrealwith the Army, at which place he
(21:38):
was stationed as DeputySuperintendent of Indians.
Joseph Brandt,Chief Thayendanaga, was a
pure-blooded Onondaga Indian,son of a chief, and was educated
by Sir William Johnson at MoorSchool.
He was a suitable scholar andin a short time he became an
(22:02):
interpreter for Dr CharlesJeffrey Smith, who was a young
missionary.
It was said of him by ReverendSamuel Kirkland, quote, "he
conducted himself so much like aChristian and a soldier that he
gained great esteem, end quote.
(22:24):
When he became Chief of the SixNations, he showed great
authority and cooperated at alltimes with Sir William Johnson.
He was always an ablevindicator of what he deemed the
rights of his people, both byvoice and pen.
(22:46):
It was also known that headhered to the British
government during the war andthe Treaty of Peace, in which no
provision was made for hispeople.
He struggled hard to retainwhat they had formerly possessed
.
At the close of the war heretired to Canada and spent his
(23:10):
later years under the protectionof those with whom he made a
common cause.
During 1774 to 1775,.
It is discovered that therewere two small vessels built on
Carleton Island, Charity andCaldwell, each carrying a small
(23:35):
firearms but employed mainly inconveying goods and military
stores from the island toNiagara.
Both these vessels were madeuse of by St Leger in
transporting his troops andsupplies from the island to
Oswego during his advance onFort Stanwix.
(23:59):
Later, the Ontario, theLimnade, and smaller gunboats
were built at Carleton.
The purpose of these vesselswere for war as well as
commercial craft.
The Ontario was the most famousship built at Carleton Island.
(24:23):
She was built and sunk in 1780.
It was in the early evening ofOctober 31st when the British
ship sank, with over 120 men,women, children and prisoners on
board, during a sudden andviolent gale.
(24:45):
Everyone, including Durham, waslooking for this wreck.
Kathi McCarthy shared thispiece of history with me, along
with the fact that in May of2008, Jim Kennard and Dan
Scoville, who are divers andalso through relentless years of
(25:09):
searching, found the ship inRochester, New York, in deep
water off the southern shore ofLake Ontario.
If you want to learn more aboutthis discovery, look for the
links at the end of my shownotes that will take you to this
and other shipwreck storiesfrom Jim and Dan.
(25:32):
There are wrecks of twomoderately sized hulks that
could be seen in 1889 in NorthBay, Carleton Island, when the
water is still.
Kathi McCarthy, in her notesfrom her introduction to the Old
Fort, makes clear that, quote"Many historians, including
(25:59):
Major Durham, have mentioned theremains of two vessels in North
Bay.
One vessel is not in doubt asit was first documented on an
1810 chart drawn by a LieutenantA.
Gray, of the British Army.
(26:21):
The second hull or wreck ismore problematic.
Scuba divers from neither ofthe two underwater surveys have
ever located a second wreck.
The best evidence for itsexistence is a stereo view by A.
(26:43):
C.
McIntyre that dates from the1890s.
The frames of a small vesselcan be seen positioned where
several historians have locatedit.
The wreck in the stereo viewpicture is small.
(27:04):
If it does date from the timeof Fort Haldimand, it would most
likely be a gunboat and not oneof the major vessels.
" End quote.
The first step towards theacquirement of any property on
(27:25):
Carleton Island started with aclass right for military
services to William Richardson,a Sergeant in the New York line
during the Revolution.
Two men, Matthew Watson andWilliam Guilland became the
(27:51):
buyers of this right and locatedit on Carleton Island on
October 2, 1786.
The properties went through afew more names before it ended
up with Charles Smyth, whofinally applied to the
legislature to have his claimlocated and also applied for the
purchase of the remainder ofthe island.
Smyth sold to Abijah Mann, andon March 2, 1821, an act was
(28:18):
passed directing a patent to beissued for 500 acres from the
west end of the island.
Some more transactions occurredby changing hands, it landed
joint owners, Colonel S.
B.
Hance of Cape Vincent and ahalf-interest in the lands to
(28:41):
Henry Folger of Kingston, makingthem joint owners in the tract
by May 22, 1848.
There were squatters early onthe island and when Colonel
Hassler surveyed it in 1823,many persons had become
(29:03):
residents and a large amount ofbusiness was done.
Around this time there was aplat of land on the east shore
containing about 30 acres of old, improved soil know as King's
Garden.
In 1821, Avery Smith, aCanadian, began lumbering here
(29:30):
and business grew rapidly thatin a short time the population
had increased to almost 200people.
In 1823, there was a school,post office and a tavern.
(29:52):
In the fort, dwellings had beenbuilt to the old chimney stacks
from where the barracks hadbeen burned prior from the
British at the very beginning ofthe War of 1812.
For a while it appeared thatCarleton Island sustained a busy
and flourishing settlement, butstarted to decline with the
(30:13):
growing importance of thevillage of Cape Vincent.
During this period the remainsof the old fort suffered their
greatest devastation.
The outwork of fortificationswere demolished to make room for
(30:33):
cottage doors and yards.
Loads of stone were taken awayfor various purposes and a great
well became a receptacle forall manner of rubbish.
One by one, the chimneys havecrumbled and fallen or have been
(30:56):
overthrown due to reckless orintentional disregard of the
property, until just a fewremain standing.
Side note that I want to share.
On June 26, 1812, an Americaninnkeeper, Abner Hubbard, along
(31:21):
with two men and a boy row outfrom Millens Bay in New York,
which is about two miles from myresidence, towards Carleton
Island on the St Lawrence River.
The British have Fort Haldimandon the island.
(31:43):
The island was supposed to havebeen surrendered to the
Americans under Jay's treaty.
Abner Hubbard takes mattersinto his own hands.
He leads his small force ontothe island, captures the fort
(32:05):
and takes the inhabitants asprisoners.
No one was hurt in his invasion.
This assault was the firstaction that occurred in the War
of 1812.
The island will be retained bythe Americans after the war.
In 1817, it is added by thestate of New York after
(32:33):
objections from the British.
Carleton Island is conceivablythe only territory acquired by
any of the soldiers in the Warof 1812.
Major Durham concludes bystating his admiration for the
(32:57):
Thousand Islands.
But I can't help but notice hisabundance of love and his hope
for the reader to also becaptivated by the history of
Carleton Island as he gatheredevidence to how those old
chimney stacks stood so stoic ona beautiful island surrounded
(33:24):
by the mighty St Lawrence River.
I will leave you with a coupleof quotes from Durham that shows
his pride and love for CapeVincent and why he chose to
reside there until he died.
Quote, "it is not hard topredict the future of Carleton
(33:50):
Island.
In a short time an eleganthotel will grace one of the most
delightful sights on the riverand cottages will spring up
everywhere.
The great passenger streamerswill make daily trips to its
(34:13):
wharfs, and where now is but asuccession of grove and field
will stand a succession ofsummer residences.
" He also goes on and finisheswith this quote, the island
cottager will look at the ruinsof old Fort Haldimand and think
(34:38):
perchance of the wonderfulcontrast which the years have
brought about.
The Indian warrior encamps hereno more.
No longer are the groves of theisland made hideous by the war
(35:00):
whoop as the war songs arechanted and the scalp dance
indulged in.
No longer do they prepare for araid on Stanwix or Wyoming,
Cherry Valley or Fort Edward.
Some of those who once gracedthis island with their presence
(35:27):
gained high places of honor, anddistinction in army and navy,
and their names live after them.
But they never once dreamed ofthe thousand islands of today,
much less of the Carlton Islandas it is before, long to be.
(35:54):
" End quote.
My next episode about CarletonIsland Past and Present series
will be about the CarletonIsland Villa, a 15,000 square
foot historic mansion that sitson the southwestern head of
(36:17):
Carleton Island.
This historic villa was builtin 1895 for William O Wyckoff,
who was a former Union captain,during the Civil War.
He built a fortune selling thenewly invented typewriters for
(36:39):
the Remington Arms Company.
He eventually opened his owncompany and bought them out.
William and his wife Francessearched for the perfect
location to build their dreamsummer home.
The villa has been longabandoned.
(37:01):
It is in ruins and has beendeteriorating for almost 100
years.
Recently, new owners, Ron Clapp,a property developer with a
history of flipping houses andbuilding vacation rental
properties in Florida and Hawaii, and his partner Janaina Leite,
(37:25):
who is a real estate agent,have begun to take on bringing
the villa back to its formerglory, or quote, "or something
even beyond that end quote.
I'm looking forward to meetingboth Ron and Janaina and learn
(37:48):
more about their commitment andchallenges they are both taking
on.
Recently they shared on theirFacebook page Carelton Villa a
couple of virtual tours.
The shares are views frominside the first floor and the
(38:10):
basement.
I spoke with Janaina and sheshared with me how her and Ron
first saw the listing for thevilla through Realtor.
com around Halloween time.
They were very intrigued by theappearance of the once glorious
villa and the caption underRealtor.
(38:34):
com had it listed as a possiblehaunted house.
They decided to come to NewYork from Florida to take a look
at it.
She told me the moment they gotoff the boat and walked onto
the property they both had avery positive and emotional
(38:56):
connection to it.
When they approached the villaand looked up at one of the
broken upper windows inside onthe wall, Ron noticed his name
Ron.
That was graffiti from aprevious visitor from 1984.
(39:18):
He took it as a sign.
He has never been known to backdown from a challenge.
They both have a strong faith,along with a solid foundation,
and will keep moving forward torenovate and save the Carleton
(39:42):
Villa for a possible bed andbreakfast and restaurant.
I'll share links in my shownotes for the Old Fort, the St
Lawrence River HistoricalFoundation website, Fort
(40:04):
Haldimand's website, shipwreckStories website, the Thousand
Islands Museum website andCarleton Villa Facebook's page.
I am traveling to Italy withWoody for a once-in-a-lifetime
trip for most of this month.
(40:26):
My next episode will be aboutthis trip, so look for it by the
end of May.
Thank you for listening.
The views and opinionsexpressed by Nearest And Dearest
Podcast are those of theauthors and do not necessarily
(40:49):
reflect the official policy orposition of Nearest And Dearest
Podcast.
Any content provided by JulieRogers or any other authors are
of their opinion.
They are not intended to malignany religion, ethnic group,
club, organization, company,individual or anyone or anything
(41:12):
.
Thank you.
No one ever said life is easy, but I believe by
giving yourself permission, youwill find you have more control
over your life than you realize.
I'm Julie.
I hope you will join me bytaking responsibility for
yourself, by only controllingthe things you can and letting
go of the things that you can't.
By doing this, you will havediscovered the secret to having
(00:30):
happy, healthy and morefulfilling relationships.
This is Nearest And DearestPodcast.
I'm Julie Rogers and you arelistening to Season 2, episode 7
, Carleton Island Past AndPresent - The Old Fort.
Carleton Island has somemystery about it.
(00:53):
When James H Durham decided totake on uncovering the true
origin of the Old Fort in 1889,he was diving into a
not-so-clear path of discoveringthe easy answer.
The island had several namesBuck, Deere,
(01:22):
Isle-Aux-Chevreuils, andCarleton Island.
I purchased the book, The OldFort Carleton Island in the
Revolution, written by James HDurham in 1889.
It was reintroduced andreprinted by the St Lawrence
River Historical Foundation in2010.
Kathi McCarthy wrote anintroduction to guide and give
(01:47):
knowledge about Major Durham,along with added facts and
sources for the modern reader.
Kathi and her husband, DennisMcCarthy, are both historians
(02:08):
and authors about shipwrecks inthe Thousand Islands and are
active with several localhistorical museums.
Dennis co-founded the StLawrence Historical Foundation
in 1994, which has documentedseveral shipwrecks in the
Thousand Islands and registeredthem with the New York State
Historic Preservation.
Both Kathi and Dennis arecurrent directors of the St
(02:31):
Lawrence River HistoricalFoundation.
I want to take a moment and saythank you to both Kathi and
Dennis.
Corresponding with them while Iwas researching the book The
Old Fort and asking them to readthrough my notes to make sure I
interpreted the facts correctlywas greatly appreciated.
(02:56):
I respect the opportunity tocontinue and share the history
of Carleton Island, along withtheir own commitment.
(03:18):
Who was James H Durham?
He was born in 1821 nearSyracuse, New York.
He graduated from West Pointand served as a major on the
Western Plains in campaignsagainst the Indians.
During the Civil War, he waswounded four times and was among
the northern soldiersincarcerated in Libby Prison and
the Andersonville Stockade.
After the Civil War, he livedin Utica, Carthage and Watertown
(03:44):
, New York.
After the death of his firstwife he remarried and around
1875, they moved to Cape Vincent, New York.
He lived there until he passedin 1916.
He was well known for being avalued speaker and a writer.
(04:06):
He became interested in theruins on Carleton Island.
The island is located downstreamand in the center of the
American Channel.
It consists of almost 2,000acres and has two protected bays
at its head.
On the bluff above the NorthBay were a group of stone
(04:31):
chimneys.
They were enclosed in a massiveearthwork that provided an
outline of a large military fortwith its barracks and magazines
.
When he spoke to various people, they all had different ideas
about when and who actuallybuilt the fort and the original
(04:56):
name of the island.
He wanted to write The Old Fortto clarify the island's names
and to identify the fort'sbuilders and its history.
The Golden Age of the ThousandIslands was just beginning
(05:17):
during this time period.
Cape Vincent was a boomingvillage with a train station and
the first port on the westernedge of the Thousand Islands.
The entire area was becoming asummer playground for some of
the major industrialists andsocial elite of the late 19th
(05:41):
century.
Many excursions and touristvessels streamed in and out of
Cape Vincent.
Major Durham found the markingsof a fort that was so massive
in construction that it wouldhave required thousands of
(06:01):
people to construct it.
He began to seek the answers.
He couldn't comprehend thatthere was no documentation or
any real knowledge about thefort.
The French and English were nottalking about it.
No archives from either nationor from the United States had
(06:25):
anything to contribute about thesubject.
Most people at this timebelieved it was an established
fact that it was erectedsometime during the 18th century
.
Numerous relics have been foundin the vicinity of the fort.
Buttons, brooches, belt plateshave been plowed up.
(06:49):
Coins have been found.
It was mostly the numbers anddevices on the buttons which
seemed to answer the question asto the nationality of the
troops who once occupied thegrounds.
What was found was unmistakablyEnglish.
(07:12):
According to Bouchette, whowrote History of Canada
published in 1815, he statesthat Carleton Island was
converted into a large magazineor depot for military supplies
and a general rendezvous in 1774to 75 by the British government
(07:38):
in anticipation of trouble withher American colonies.
Bouchette also states thatCanada fell into the hands of
the English, with trading poststhat were established along the
St Lawrence and Lake Ontario.
The Indians would meet up onthe island, who were friendly to
(08:02):
the English, and receivedpresents and put on their war
paint and set forth on theirraid expeditions against the
defenseless outlying settlementsof New York.
We can come to a conclusionbased on that suggestion, along
(08:23):
with various letters writtenbetween August and October in
1778, to support that the nameof the island was changed to
Carleton in honor of MajorGeneral Sir Guy Carleton, who
(08:43):
was then in command and wasgovernor of the Providence of
Quebec.
Before this, the island seemedto be known as Deere Island.
Guy Carleton was born in Ireland.
He began his military career atan early age.
(09:07):
In 1758, he was assigned toduty with the 72 Regiment as a
Lieutenant Colonel in the Army.
His promotion to the rank ofColonel was in America only.
He was promoted to the rank ofMajor General in 1772.
(09:29):
In 1775, the Americans capturedMontreal.
General Carleton escaped in acanoe and reached Quebec,
accompanied only by his boatmanand an aide-de-camp, which is a
military officer acting as aconfidential assistant to a
(09:54):
senior officer.
According to the research doneby James Durham, he believes
quote "it was no doubt owingCarlton's untiring energy and
unceasing watchfulness thatQuebec was saved from capture.
(10:18):
General Carlton's humanetreatment of American prisoners
did much to mitigate, or simplyput lessen, the horrors of war.
End quote.
He was appointed Knight of theBath on July 6, 1776.
(10:53):
He was well aware that he didnot stand in high favor with
Lord George Germain, who was hismajesty's secretary of state.
The appointment of Burgoyne tothe command of the army to
invade New York, Carleton askedto be relieved of his command in
Canada.
He did not sail for Englanduntil 1778, until he was
(11:15):
relieved by General Haldimand.
He became Baron Dorchester ofDorchester, Oxfordshire.
He died in Berkshire in 1808.
General Sir Frederick Haldimandwas born in Switzerland.
(11:36):
His first military service wasin the Prussian Army and
eventually entered the Britishservice with General Bouquet.
He was promoted to beLieutenant Colonel of the 60th
Royal Americans and came toAmerica in 1757.
(11:58):
He was in England in 1775,giving the ministry information
regarding the colonies.
He came back to America in 1776with the rank of lieutenant
general.
It was then when he succeededSir Guy Carleton as Governor
(12:22):
General of Canada.
He held that office until 1784and returned to Switzerland and
died in 1791.
Full disclosure.
I did some research in anattempt to correctly pronounce
(12:42):
the names of some of thesehistoric officials and other
names with whom I have notofficially met in person.
My full apologies if I didn'tget it right.
A letter dated October 14, 1778by Sir Guy Carleton and sent to
(13:07):
Lord George Germaine, hisMajesty's Secretary of State,
provided testimony to thehappenings concerning Carleton
Island.
He writes about how he sentorders to Twiss of the Engineers
, with Captain Aubrey and threecompanies remaining of the 47th
(13:31):
Regiment in Canada, a detachmentfrom Sir John Johnson's Corps,
the Royal Greens, together witha body of skilled craftsmen, to
establish a post at the entranceof Lake Ontario to serve the
purpose of a safe place for thetraders to send their goods,
(13:56):
which go from Montreal in boatsuntil transferred to the king's
vessels.
Secure a harbor for thesevessels and a defense against
the rebels.
He also writes that he sent upLieutenant Schank of the Navy,
(14:20):
who is the commissioner of theDock Yards, for the benefit of
his judgment with regard to thebest places for a harbor and
with orders to construct as soonas possible for that lake a
number of gunboats which are souseful in many respects.
(14:44):
He continues with statingquote, " the place pitched upon
by these gentlemen, after havingbeen carefully examined, is an
island about 12 miles below theentrance of Lake Ontario, having
(15:05):
Grand Island, which in presentday it is now called Wolf Island
, on one side, from which isdivided by a channel of
something less than a mile andthe South continent on the other
, at a distance of one mile anda quarter from it.
(15:28):
End quote.
He finishes his letter withthis quote, this island had gone
for some time by the name ofDeer Island, having been
mistaken for that, called by theFrench Isle aux Chevres, which
(15:50):
is found to be higher up, andthen the name of Carlton Island
is now given to this in question.
Very favorable ground forfortifying, commanding a sizable
and safe harbor which thisisland possesses at the upper
(16:10):
end of it looking toward thelake, induced the gentlemen sent
on this service to fix uponthis spot where a fort is begun
and barracks are building forthe troops, and the place will
be in a tolerable state ofdefense and habitation by the
(16:35):
winter, a plans of which shallbe transmitted as soon as
possible.
" End quote.
A letter dated March 24, 1779,was sent from Carleton Island
from John Clunes, who was aclerk and foreman for the
(16:58):
British military.
He writes about how he was ableto escape being a prisoner
during the battle at Ticonderoga.
He also writes how the rebelssent in a flag of truce but
General Powell would not see itand ordered them to fire on them
(17:20):
, which they did, and out offive, they killed three and
eventually the rebels were beatand afterward Clunes got news of
General Burgoyne's army beingprisoners about three weeks
after General Carleton sentorders up to General Powell to
(17:44):
burn Ticonderoga to the groundand return to Canada with his
men, which he did.
(18:05):
Clunes states that he came toCarleton Island along with the
commanding engineer, Lt.
William Twiss.
He writes that this garrison isvery near finished and he
believes it is the strongestplace in North America.
General Henry Watson Powell,who at that time commanded the
British troops at Ticonderoga,was charged with having violated
(18:28):
the utilization of civilizedwarfare by ordering his men to
fire upon a flag of truce.
This charge was strongly deniedby General Powell.
According to Mr Durham'saccount of this through the
letters he shares, he writesquote," Mr Kluntz, innocently
(18:55):
and honestly, because heevidently saw no breach of
custom in firing upon a rebelflag.
" End quote Colonel Claus wrotea letter to Chief Thayendinaga,
or was better known as JosephBrant, on March 3rd 1781 quote,
(19:20):
"the general who would beHaldeman has for some time
intended sending a party ofabout 60 chosen loyalists under
the command of Major Jessup,toward Fort Edward this party
might join you againstPalmerstown, (which is now known
(19:41):
as Saratoga Springs),could you ascertain the time and
place, which might be nearlydone by calculating the time
your express would take to comefrom Carlton Island.
" End quote.
He also writes, quote, "Shouldyou, upon this, adopt the
(20:06):
General's offer and opinion andproceed from Carleton Island to
Palmerstown, which place I amsure several of Major Ross's men
and others at the island areall well acquainted with, I wish
you the aid of providence withall the success imaginable, in
(20:30):
which case it will be one of themost essential services you
have rendered your King this war, and cannot but by him be
noticed and rewarded.
Your return to Canada will bethe shortest and most eligible,
and we shall be most happy tosee you here.
(20:53):
" end quote.
Because of this letter, Mr.
Durham concludes that CarletonIsland was once the headquarters
of that noted Chief of the SixNations, Thayendanegea.
Colonel Daniel Claus was anative of the Mohawk Valley and
(21:17):
in early life acquired aknowledge of the Iroquois
language.
He was attached to thedepartment of Sir William
Johnson as an interpreter andaccompanied him as a Lieutenant
of Rangers.
He eventually was in Montrealwith the Army, at which place he
(21:38):
was stationed as DeputySuperintendent of Indians.
Joseph Brandt,Chief Thayendanaga, was a
pure-blooded Onondaga Indian,son of a chief, and was educated
by Sir William Johnson at MoorSchool.
He was a suitable scholar andin a short time he became an
(22:02):
interpreter for Dr CharlesJeffrey Smith, who was a young
missionary.
It was said of him by ReverendSamuel Kirkland, quote, "he
conducted himself so much like aChristian and a soldier that he
gained great esteem, end quote.
(22:24):
When he became Chief of the SixNations, he showed great
authority and cooperated at alltimes with Sir William Johnson.
He was always an ablevindicator of what he deemed the
rights of his people, both byvoice and pen.
(22:46):
It was also known that headhered to the British
government during the war andthe Treaty of Peace, in which no
provision was made for hispeople.
He struggled hard to retainwhat they had formerly possessed
.
At the close of the war heretired to Canada and spent his
(23:10):
later years under the protectionof those with whom he made a
common cause.
During 1774 to 1775,.
It is discovered that therewere two small vessels built on
Carleton Island, Charity andCaldwell, each carrying a small
(23:35):
firearms but employed mainly inconveying goods and military
stores from the island toNiagara.
Both these vessels were madeuse of by St Leger in
transporting his troops andsupplies from the island to
Oswego during his advance onFort Stanwix.
(23:59):
Later, the Ontario, theLimnade, and smaller gunboats
were built at Carleton.
The purpose of these vesselswere for war as well as
commercial craft.
The Ontario was the most famousship built at Carleton Island.
(24:23):
She was built and sunk in 1780.
It was in the early evening ofOctober 31st when the British
ship sank, with over 120 men,women, children and prisoners on
board, during a sudden andviolent gale.
(24:45):
Everyone, including Durham, waslooking for this wreck.
Kathi McCarthy shared thispiece of history with me, along
with the fact that in May of2008, Jim Kennard and Dan
Scoville, who are divers andalso through relentless years of
(25:09):
searching, found the ship inRochester, New York, in deep
water off the southern shore ofLake Ontario.
If you want to learn more aboutthis discovery, look for the
links at the end of my shownotes that will take you to this
and other shipwreck storiesfrom Jim and Dan.
(25:32):
There are wrecks of twomoderately sized hulks that
could be seen in 1889 in NorthBay, Carleton Island, when the
water is still.
Kathi McCarthy, in her notesfrom her introduction to the Old
Fort, makes clear that, quote"Many historians, including
(25:59):
Major Durham, have mentioned theremains of two vessels in North
Bay.
One vessel is not in doubt asit was first documented on an
1810 chart drawn by a LieutenantA.
Gray, of the British Army.
(26:21):
The second hull or wreck ismore problematic.
Scuba divers from neither ofthe two underwater surveys have
ever located a second wreck.
The best evidence for itsexistence is a stereo view by A.
(26:43):
C.
McIntyre that dates from the1890s.
The frames of a small vesselcan be seen positioned where
several historians have locatedit.
The wreck in the stereo viewpicture is small.
(27:04):
If it does date from the timeof Fort Haldimand, it would most
likely be a gunboat and not oneof the major vessels.
" End quote.
The first step towards theacquirement of any property on
(27:25):
Carleton Island started with aclass right for military
services to William Richardson,a Sergeant in the New York line
during the Revolution.
Two men, Matthew Watson andWilliam Guilland became the
(27:51):
buyers of this right and locatedit on Carleton Island on
October 2, 1786.
The properties went through afew more names before it ended
up with Charles Smyth, whofinally applied to the
legislature to have his claimlocated and also applied for the
purchase of the remainder ofthe island.
Smyth sold to Abijah Mann, andon March 2, 1821, an act was
(28:18):
passed directing a patent to beissued for 500 acres from the
west end of the island.
Some more transactions occurredby changing hands, it landed
joint owners, Colonel S.
B.
Hance of Cape Vincent and ahalf-interest in the lands to
(28:41):
Henry Folger of Kingston, makingthem joint owners in the tract
by May 22, 1848.
There were squatters early onthe island and when Colonel
Hassler surveyed it in 1823,many persons had become
(29:03):
residents and a large amount ofbusiness was done.
Around this time there was aplat of land on the east shore
containing about 30 acres of old, improved soil know as King's
Garden.
In 1821, Avery Smith, aCanadian, began lumbering here
(29:30):
and business grew rapidly thatin a short time the population
had increased to almost 200people.
In 1823, there was a school,post office and a tavern.
(29:52):
In the fort, dwellings had beenbuilt to the old chimney stacks
from where the barracks hadbeen burned prior from the
British at the very beginning ofthe War of 1812.
For a while it appeared thatCarleton Island sustained a busy
and flourishing settlement, butstarted to decline with the
(30:13):
growing importance of thevillage of Cape Vincent.
During this period the remainsof the old fort suffered their
greatest devastation.
The outwork of fortificationswere demolished to make room for
(30:33):
cottage doors and yards.
Loads of stone were taken awayfor various purposes and a great
well became a receptacle forall manner of rubbish.
One by one, the chimneys havecrumbled and fallen or have been
(30:56):
overthrown due to reckless orintentional disregard of the
property, until just a fewremain standing.
Side note that I want to share.
On June 26, 1812, an Americaninnkeeper, Abner Hubbard, along
(31:21):
with two men and a boy row outfrom Millens Bay in New York,
which is about two miles from myresidence, towards Carleton
Island on the St Lawrence River.
The British have Fort Haldimandon the island.
(31:43):
The island was supposed to havebeen surrendered to the
Americans under Jay's treaty.
Abner Hubbard takes mattersinto his own hands.
He leads his small force ontothe island, captures the fort
(32:05):
and takes the inhabitants asprisoners.
No one was hurt in his invasion.
This assault was the firstaction that occurred in the War
of 1812.
The island will be retained bythe Americans after the war.
In 1817, it is added by thestate of New York after
(32:33):
objections from the British.
Carleton Island is conceivablythe only territory acquired by
any of the soldiers in the Warof 1812.
Major Durham concludes bystating his admiration for the
(32:57):
Thousand Islands.
But I can't help but notice hisabundance of love and his hope
for the reader to also becaptivated by the history of
Carleton Island as he gatheredevidence to how those old
chimney stacks stood so stoic ona beautiful island surrounded
(33:24):
by the mighty St Lawrence River.
I will leave you with a coupleof quotes from Durham that shows
his pride and love for CapeVincent and why he chose to
reside there until he died.
Quote, "it is not hard topredict the future of Carleton
(33:50):
Island.
In a short time an eleganthotel will grace one of the most
delightful sights on the riverand cottages will spring up
everywhere.
The great passenger streamerswill make daily trips to its
(34:13):
wharfs, and where now is but asuccession of grove and field
will stand a succession ofsummer residences.
" He also goes on and finisheswith this quote, the island
cottager will look at the ruinsof old Fort Haldimand and think
(34:38):
perchance of the wonderfulcontrast which the years have
brought about.
The Indian warrior encamps hereno more.
No longer are the groves of theisland made hideous by the war
(35:00):
whoop as the war songs arechanted and the scalp dance
indulged in.
No longer do they prepare for araid on Stanwix or Wyoming,
Cherry Valley or Fort Edward.
Some of those who once gracedthis island with their presence
(35:27):
gained high places of honor, anddistinction in army and navy,
and their names live after them.
But they never once dreamed ofthe thousand islands of today,
much less of the Carlton Islandas it is before, long to be.
(35:54):
" End quote.
My next episode about CarletonIsland Past and Present series
will be about the CarletonIsland Villa, a 15,000 square
foot historic mansion that sitson the southwestern head of
(36:17):
Carleton Island.
This historic villa was builtin 1895 for William O Wyckoff,
who was a former Union captain,during the Civil War.
He built a fortune selling thenewly invented typewriters for
(36:39):
the Remington Arms Company.
He eventually opened his owncompany and bought them out.
William and his wife Francessearched for the perfect
location to build their dreamsummer home.
The villa has been longabandoned.
(37:01):
It is in ruins and has beendeteriorating for almost 100
years.
Recently, new owners, Ron Clapp,a property developer with a
history of flipping houses andbuilding vacation rental
properties in Florida and Hawaii, and his partner Janaina Leite,
(37:25):
who is a real estate agent,have begun to take on bringing
the villa back to its formerglory, or quote, "or something
even beyond that end quote.
I'm looking forward to meetingboth Ron and Janaina and learn
(37:48):
more about their commitment andchallenges they are both taking
on.
Recently they shared on theirFacebook page Carelton Villa a
couple of virtual tours.
The shares are views frominside the first floor and the
(38:10):
basement.
I spoke with Janaina and sheshared with me how her and Ron
first saw the listing for thevilla through Realtor.
com around Halloween time.
They were very intrigued by theappearance of the once glorious
villa and the caption underRealtor.
(38:34):
com had it listed as a possiblehaunted house.
They decided to come to NewYork from Florida to take a look
at it.
She told me the moment they gotoff the boat and walked onto
the property they both had avery positive and emotional
(38:56):
connection to it.
When they approached the villaand looked up at one of the
broken upper windows inside onthe wall, Ron noticed his name
Ron.
That was graffiti from aprevious visitor from 1984.
(39:18):
He took it as a sign.
He has never been known to backdown from a challenge.
They both have a strong faith,along with a solid foundation,
and will keep moving forward torenovate and save the Carleton
(39:42):
Villa for a possible bed andbreakfast and restaurant.
I'll share links in my shownotes for the Old Fort, the St
Lawrence River HistoricalFoundation website, Fort
(40:04):
Haldimand's website, shipwreckStories website, the Thousand
Islands Museum website andCarleton Villa Facebook's page.
I am traveling to Italy withWoody for a once-in-a-lifetime
trip for most of this month.
(40:26):
My next episode will be aboutthis trip, so look for it by the
end of May.
Thank you for listening.
The views and opinionsexpressed by Nearest And Dearest
Podcast are those of theauthors and do not necessarily
(40:49):
reflect the official policy orposition of Nearest And Dearest
Podcast.
Any content provided by JulieRogers or any other authors are
of their opinion.
They are not intended to malignany religion, ethnic group,
club, organization, company,individual or anyone or anything
(41:12):
.
Thank you.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com