YOUNGSTOWN, N.Y. — From listening to military music, to learning about veterans’ lives, visitors are coming to Old Fort Niagara for Soldiers Through the Ages.
“My personal belief is to go forward, we need to know what we’ve been through, so it’s important to understand not only civilian, but military histories," said interpretive programs manager for Old Fort Niagara Glenn Gugino.
“It’s really 400 years of military history,” explained Old Fort Niagara executive director Robert Emerson. “Old Fort Niagara has a long history of occupation.”
Over Memorial Day weekend, Western New Yorkers have been gathering to learn about military history as Old Fort Niagara hosted demonstrations, like a look at military weapons from the early 17th century through the 1960s. People also learned about the evolution of military uniforms and vintage military vehicles, all while being reminded of the important role Old Fort Niagara played in history.
“Fort Niagara being located on the peninsula where the Niagara River feeds into Lake Ontario,” said Gugino. “This is actually one of the most important points in North America when it comes to travel. Anyone who wants to go into the continent further or out of the continent, has to pass Fort Niagara, so this was such an important military instillation during the 18th and 19th century.”
Gavin Lindahl is one of the individuals helping to remind people about history by representing a British soldier during the First World War at Soldiers Through the Ages. He has been reenacting for about 10 years and joined the Marine Corps a few years ago.
“I honestly believe that being one makes you better at the other,” explained Lindahl. “When I was got to recruit training and I was going through my initial training, there were field craft things that I knew from reenacting.”
If you weren’t able to experience Soldiers Through the Ages, Old Fort Niagara has other events coming up. More information can be found here.