Sackets Harbor, New York

Sackets Harbor, New York, one of seventeen of New York State's heritage areas, is a beautiful village resting off the eastern shore of Lake Ontario. The village is rich in history, but is generally quiet, save for the bustling life down Main Street. Summer is the liveliest season for the village as shops, marinas, campgrounds, and golf clubs are open to the locals, and travelers waiting to experience the area. Events are in motion for the season and the village, it seems, rarely sleeps.
The most informational stop of the whole village will be the Sackets Harbor Visitors' Center, located on West Main Street at the Augusts Sacket Mansion. You will find informational flyers and booklets on the village and surrounding area and most of them are free. There is also a small gift shop full of souvenirs and a video you can watch, in a side room, which tells you about the history of the village. If you are overwhelmed at trying to decide what to do or see first in the village, the visitors' center is the best place to start.

When I visit Sackets Harbor I take in all of the historical sites first until I get hungry and then search for a place to eat. If you're like I am then you will want to stop at the Lieutenant's House first and talk with the staff there about taking a tour of the Commandant's House located close by.

A couple of weekends ago I had the chance to chat with one of the staff members, Connie Barone, a hospitable woman, who is the site manager at the Sackets Harbor Battlefield State Historic Site. She directed me to a few places to visit which the village highlights as it's main attractions. I started out at the Sackets Harbor Battlefield State Historic Site, also known as The Lieutenant's House which has an orientation center with a War of 1812 Gallery. There is an assortment of gift shop merchandise from historical books, pottery, glassware and china that reflect the nineteenth century era of the Commandant's House next door. Many books, pamphlets and music CDs about nineteenth century history can be found at the Navy Yard shop.

The staff there is friendly and ready to chat with you and make sure you have a pleasant visit. During the Summer season, you may find the staff at the Lieutenant's House dressed in clothing that is reminiscent of the War of 1812 soldiers or laundresses. You may also see them dressed in the 1860's era of clothing that workers and domestic staff wore as you tour through the Commandant's House. You may even get a chance to try your hand a nineteenth century craft or carry a musket as you march with the troops. Several reproduction toys, craft items and muskets can be purchased at the gift shop.
When you visit the Lieutenant's House you have the option to take a tour of the Commandant's House which is on the same property. Once you pay your admission (fees and hours of operation vary) you are guided through the house which is furnished in the 1860's era. This building, located in the Navy Yard, allows you to capture a glimpse into the life of Commandant Josiah Tattnall, his family, and his servants.

Across the way and also adjacent to "The Battlefield" as it is commonly called, is the Pickering-Beach Museum. The museum was once the home of a nineteenth century ship builder by the name of Augustus Pickering. He was the first one to maneuver the first of commercial ships into Chicago Harbor in 1834. The house reflects the charming rural architecture of the early nineteen century. This was also the home of NYS Lieutenant Governor Allen C. Beach.

Walking onto the Battlefield was eerie for me as I envisioned the War of 1812 playing out in front of me and then of all the soldiers that may be lying to rest under my feet. Perhaps part of this had to do with the notes I had just taken at the Battlefield State Historic Site building on how the soldiers did everything they could to get away from the area and the war. It was a creepy, unsettled feeling strolling along the former battle ground, yet somehow the sparkling view of Lake Ontario, the trimmed green grass, a light wind and the warm sunshine made The Battlefield a serene place to be.
The luscious green land, with the Black River Bay for a backdrop, make this an ideal place for a picnic, weddings, receptions, July Fourth celebrations, reunions, concerts on the waterfront and any other event you can think of.
The views are wonderful for any photographer, novice or professional, to capture as ships maneuver in and out of Black River Bay. When evening approaches, the sky is shaded in hues of pink, gold and blue as the sun sets beyond the rippling, watery horizon and shady tone of Horse Island - a small island very near to Sackets Harbor.

The Battlefield also has an educational edge for visitors. There is an interpretive gravel trail with tablets of information about the War of 1812; there are ten of these informational stops, starting at one end of the Battlefield and ending near the Pickering-Beach Museum. This is a great way to learn about the history of the area and get a good work out too.
For more information on the Sackets Harbor Battlefield contact Constance Barone at: (315) 646-3634, or visit The Battlefield site online at: www.sacketsharborbattlefield.org.

Strolling down the well-structured sidewalk, you will come to the intersection of Main and Ray Streets. On the corner you will see a very large stone building once known as The Union Hotel, but today it is known as the Seaway Trail Discovery Center. Inside you will find a gift shop full of interesting items such as maps, books, t-shirts, charts, nautical gifts, journals, guidebooks and so much more. The gift shop is also where you pay your admission fee which is $4 for adults, $2 for children and $3 for military and seniors.

As you tour the building you will find many exhibits (some are interactive) on maritime history, War of 1812, lighthouses, natural history, agriculture and so much more. There are a couple of hidden surprises tucked into two rooms of the discovery center. There is a room of the side of the kitchen where you will find an animatronic of a cow who eyes, mouth and tail move as she talks about farm industry.

In a room to the right near the entrance to the building, you will find an animatronic of Ulysses S. Grant standing behind a tall wooden counter, where the hotel's guests would normally check in for the night. Grant will talk to you about area and what it was like for him when he was stationed at Madison Barracks. A very interesting site to see, but be careful not to get too spooked like I did from these real-life machines. They are nothing to be afraid, but they do give you a start if you have never seen such a thing.

There is so much more to be found at the Seaway Trail Discovery center but I don't want to give away everything. For more information visit the website at: http://www.seawaytrail.com/05_discoverycenter.asp, or call 1-800-SEAWAY-T (732-9298).
There were many other notable figures aside from Grant who visited or lived in Sackets Harbor through the years. Among them was Samuel Guthrie, a scientist and experimenter who invented chloroform; General Zebulon Pike, who founded Pikes' Peak out in Colorado, fought in the war and is buried here in Sackets; his body was first buried at The Battlefield, then at Fort Tompkins and now rests in the Military Cemetery; Franklin Roosevelt visited here and dedicated the monument in The Battlefield to the soldiers who fought in the war; Anna Mason lived in the area and was the first New York State mayor before women's suffrage; General Mark Clark, a World War II General was born in Sackets, and Achille LaGuardia, father of Fiorello LaGuardia, the New York City mayor who had an airport named after him, was a member in the eleventh infantry band at Madison Barracks in 1887. These are only a few of memorable faces of history that once walked the grounds of Sackets Harbor.

After the Discovery Center you have the rest of Main Street to enjoy, and enjoy I'm sure you will. Up and down both sides of the street are specialty shops such as George and Ida Mae's gift shop, Sackets Harbor Antiques and The Candle Parlor. There are many tasty places to eat and a few of them are The Sackets Harbor Brewing Company (I personally recommend!), Chrissy Beanz (Excellent coffee!), The Sackets Smokehouse and The Tin Pan Galley. There are a handful of places to stay such as The Lake Ontario Place Hotel where you not only receive excellent accommodations, but you can also pay $10 a person for a thirty to forty minute tour of Sackets. Other places to stay include bed and breakfasts such as the Candlelight Bed and Breakfast and the Jacob Brewster House B & B.

Also available for travelers, should they be needed, is a small post office and a bank ready to serve any needs.
Running across from Main Street is Broad Street where you will find a church, a local library, and on the south end, you will find Sackets Harbor High, a very small school of K-12 with roughly five hundred students.
Further away from the lake's edge, on New York State's Route Three, you will find other places to eat such as the Nu Pier Restaurant and Pennock's Ice Cream Stand; places to stay like the Seaway Trail Motel as well as recreation sites such as the Bedford Creek Golf Course, Old McDonald's Farm, and Westcott Beach State Park. Other amenities available for the recreational family are marinas and campgrounds such as the Madison Barracks Marina, Navy Point Marine, and Bedford Creek Marina and Campground.

As if the village wasn't lively enough, there are many events going on throughout the year, some are weather permitting. For a complete list of restaurants, shops and what's going on in the area visit: www.sacketsharborny.com/.

For directions on how to get there use Yahoo Maps, Google Maps, or a website I highly recommend: Windows Live Local at http://local.live.com.