R Island: August 3, 2015 - Rome and Utica NY

We drove to Rome and Utica from our temporary base in Brewerton to take a break from chores and see some things we missed along the way as we did not stop at either city as we traveled the Erie Canal in July.

Rome: We had heard good things about a wooden fort and wanted to see how/if it differed from the many stone and brick forts that we had seen to date on our two years of travels. The fort was originally built by the British in 1758 to protect the area, and trade route from the Mohawk Valley to the Great Lakes, from the French and their Indian allies. The layout of the fort is the typical star design with pointed ramparts. the only real difference is the wooden structures - especially with their 12-18 inch thick log walls. Also the extensive use of earth and sod to act as protection to the roofs from cannon fire and as insulation in the cold winter months. The original fort was actually abandoned and destroyed as early 19th century "progress" and the growth of downtown Rome sored and commercial buildings were developed on the site. In the late 1900's the city, county, state and federal governments took down the commercial buildings, discovered the old foundations and rebuilt the fort to it's original design! It is a federal park today and well worth stopping to see.

built in defenses - with sharp points!

Thick timbers and earth insulation.

Typical officers "bed"

Officers quarters along side the parade grounds

One of many "original" American flags prior to Geo Washington and Betsey Ross.

Nearby stone church.

Utica: We had only one reason to visit Utica - to see a beautiful train station. We were not disappointed! Interior grandeur like this is usually reserved for major cities like New York, Wash DC, or San Francisco; but in Utica they did it all on a smaller version. The marble is beautiful and the seating has these beautiful curved ends and internal air duct system. The balance of the town in typical to an older downtown, and "bully for them", few empty store fronts. Today there is still Amtrak service, Adirondack scenic tour trains, and it is the Bus Station, along with a local Dept. of Motor Vehicles office.