National Historic Landmark · fort · Albany, New York

Fort Orange Archeological Site

Historic site in Albany, New York. Added to the National Register in 1993, and a National Historic Landmark.

National Historic LandmarkListed 1993
Castle Island and Fort Orange Albany, New York 1629Van Rensselaer Island
Photos via Wikimedia Commons · 2 in the Commons category

What it is

Fort Orange was the first permanent Dutch settlement in New Netherland; the present-day city and state capital Albany, New York developed near this site. It was built in 1624 as a replacement for Fort Nassau, which had been built on nearby Castle Island and served as a trading post until 1617 or 1618, when it was abandoned due to frequent flooding. Both forts were named in honor of the Dutch House of Orange-Nassau. Due to a dispute between the Director-General of New Netherland and the patroonship of Rensselaerswyck regarding jurisdiction over the fort and the surrounding community, the fort and community became an independent municipality, paving the way for the future city of Albany. After the English reconquered the region they soon abandoned Fort Orange in favor of a new fort: Fort Frederick, constructed in 1676.

Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The record

Property typeSite
AddressJct. of I-787 and US 9 and 20, Albany, NY
CountyAlbany County
ListedNov 4, 1993
Listed forNative archaeology of the historic period
Level of significanceNational
Also known asFort Albany; NYS Site Number AO0140.000396
Reference number93001620
Type of placefort, archaeological site
DesignationsNational Historic Landmark
Contributing resources1 site

Visiting

AddressJct. of I-787 and US 9 and 20, Albany, NY
Coordinates42.6449° N, 73.7499° W · Directions ↗
Also in Albany79 listed places in Albany →
Nearest national park unitMartin Van Buren National Historic Site · 19 miles · on Park Atlas
Listing on the Register does not open the door. Unless a museum or park runs it, treat this as private property and see it from the sidewalk.

Explore

Map

Local history books for Albany County

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

Guidebooks to historic places in New York

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

When was Fort Orange Archeological Site listed on the National Register?

Nov 4, 1993. It is also a National Historic Landmark, the higher of the two designations.

Source: National Park Service

Where is Fort Orange Archeological Site?

Jct. of I-787 and US 9 and 20, Albany, Albany County, New York. The nearest national park unit is Martin Van Buren National Historic Site, 19 miles away.

Source: Martin Van Buren National Historic Site

Is there cell service at Fort Orange Archeological Site?

FCC coverage maps show Verizon 5G, AT&T 5G, and T-Mobile 5G at the listed point. Coverage indoors and behind old masonry is another matter.

Source: FCC Broadband Map

Sources

Location, type and contributing counts come from the National Park Service's National Register spatial data. Listing dates come from the National Register office's spreadsheet where it carries the listing. Construction date, architect, style, photograph and encyclopedia link come from Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons, matched on reference number 93001620. Nothing here is transcribed by hand. The nomination form and photographs ↗ at NPGallery are the original nomination as filed with the National Park Service, and the form is often the best description of the place. The description under "What it is" is the opening of the Wikipedia article, CC BY-SA.