The Historical Association of Lewiston will host Robert Emerson for its January program, “Old Fort Niagara: Saving a Historical Treasure”. The presentation will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Lutheran Church of the Messiah Fellowship Hall, 915 Oneida St., Lewiston.
This presentation will chronicle efforts to save Old Fort Niagara from certain ruin during the 1920s and early 1930s. In the early 20th century, the venerable buildings at the Old Fort began to decay. Massive damage to the fort’s seawall threatened the existence of the French Castle while other buildings were equally neglected, victims of the elements and tight military budgets.
In the early 1920s, local citizens became concerned about the deteriorating buildings and landscapes at the Old Fort and began to pressure Congress for funds to restore the Fort. These individuals, along with a coalition of civic organizations, banded together to fight a decade-long struggle to garner the needed funding. Forming the Old Fort Niagara Association in 1927, local citizens worked tirelessly to match Congressional appropriations until the Fort opened as a public museum in 1934. Set in the context of the Colonial Revival Movement of the 1920s, Bob examines the struggles and the triumphs of the men and women who saved the Fort for future generations.
Emerson has served as executive director of Old Fort Niagara since 1997. He served as a commissioner on the New York State French and Indian War 250th Anniversary Commemoration Commission and a member of the Bi-national War of 1812 Bicentennial Legacy Council. He has served on the boards of the Niagara Tourism and Convention Corporation, the Cultural Alliance of Niagara, the Niagara River Region Chamber of Commerce, and the Niagara Falls Chamber of Commerce. He currently serves as chair of the Niagara County USA 250th Anniversary Commemoration Committee. Over the course of his career, he has organized several academic conferences on industrial and military history as well as historic preservation. He collaborated with Niagara University and the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture on a conference dealing with the Seven Years War. In 2022, he was awarded the Ordre National du Mérite with the rank of Chevalier by President Macron of France in recognition of his work in preserving and interpreting French history on the Great Lakes.
This community event is free and open to all but donations are greatly appreciated to help support our museum, refreshments will be served.