Park Fun

 
A little girl and a woman stand holding a folding wooden toy between them. The rest of their family plays behind them.
Why not try playing with some old-fashioned toys when you come to Fort Stanwix?

National Park Service


There are many fun things to do while visiting Fort Stanwix National Monument. Below are a few examples:

Decide and declare your allegiance to the Crown or to Independence
Build your own wooden fort
See a model of the fort
Become a Junior Ranger

 

Explore the Fort!

Loading results...
     
     
    a boy with a green shirt opens his arms and smiles wide. he is showing the camera a model fort that was made by hand!

    National Park Service

    Build Your Own Fort!

    Are you having trouble imagining life during the American Revolution?
    Why don't you do what this Junior Ranger did and build your own fort!

    How does a fort work to protect the soldiers and families within? Check out the link to the following Anatomy of a Fort video series.


     
    A bunch of popsicle sticks arranged to look like a miniature fort.
    This fun fort activity brought to you courtesy of Junior Ranger "S."

    National Park Service

    You can make your own fort out of anything from popsicle sticks, to blocks, to cardboard!

    Junior Ranger "S." spent a lot of time completing his popsicle stick Fort Stanwix. It has a draw bridge and even four bastions. He even found cannons and model soldiers to put inside of it to represent a siege!

    To compare the pieces of your fort to the pieces of Fort Stanwix you can click on the link here: Fort Description Page


     
    A man sits behind a wooden table with papers sprawled on top. He uses a quill pen to write on them.
    The Orderly Book of Major John Grahm's Company of the 1st New York Regiment was kept at Fort Stanwix, N.Y. from August 9, 1779 to July 12, 1780.

    M. Colangelo Sr/National Park Service

    Make Your Own Ink

    Traveling with a special book called a "journal" makes it much easier to remember the special things you have done and where you've been.

    During the American Revolutionary War, different soldiers and officers kept special journals called "Orderly Books" to keep track of the day's orders and commands. Click here to learn about the history of the First New York Regiment.

    You can make a journal out of a few scraps of paper strung or stapled together.
    To make ink to write in your journal, follow the instructions below:
     
    a brightly drawn purple feather in a black ink jar

    Make Your Own Ink Supply List:

    - 1 cup ripe blackberries
    - 1 tablespoon vinegar
    - 1 tablespoon salt
    - Strainer or cheesecloth
    - A jar with lid

    Steps:

    1. Mash the berries through the strainer into the jar to make a berry juice.

    2. Add the vinegar and salt to the juice so that it will last a long time.

    3. Keep the lid on the jar when not using the ink, so that it doesn’t dry up.


     
    A photo of 4 people dressed as Continental soldiers. They stand in formation with their muskets moving in unison.

    Practice Like a Soldier

    What does it take to become a Continental Soldier?
    Click on the link here to find out!

     
    graphic, logo, National Park Service, mountain, lake, trees, bison.

    National Park Service Arrowhead

    Did you know that every detail of the arrowhead was chosen to represent something that the National Park Service cares about and protects within its parks? Let's take a closer look at the arrowhead and see what symbols we can find.

     
     

    Last updated: July 20, 2023

    Park footer

    Contact Info

    Mailing Address:

    112 East Park St.
    Rome, NY 13440

    Phone:

    315-338-7730

    Contact Us