Fort Frederick (Albany)

Fort Frederick
Albany, New York
Fort Frederick in the 1700s as drawn by James Eights in the mid-1800s.
Map of Albany showing the stockade in 1695. North is to right, fort at top.
Coordinates	42°39′02″N 73°45′16″W / 42.65069°N 73.7545°W / 42.65069; -73.7545
Type	Fort
Site history
Built	1676
Materials	Wooden stockade in 1676, masonry in 1703
Demolished	1790
Garrison information
Garrison	English army (after 1707 British)

Fort Frederick was a fort in Albany, New York from 1676–1789. Sitting atop State Street Hill (Capitol Hill) it replaced the earlier decaying Fort Orange along the Hudson River. The fort was named for Frederick Louis, Prince of Wales, son of King George II. The fort was referred to as Fort Albany in the 1936 novel Drums Along the Mohawk. Several historical markers have been placed west of the location of the fort.

After the English takeover of New Netherland, including Beverwyck which became Albany, the Duke of York and of Albany (later James II & VII) required a permanent garrison to keep the peace in Albany; therefore Fort Frederick was built atop State Street Hill in 1676 to replace Fort Orange and guard the approaches to Albany from the west. Whereas Fort Orange was constructed more as a trading post along the Hudson River this new fort was designed to protect Albany from the Native Americans to the west and by overlooking the riverside community from atop a steep hill it was a constant reminder of English rule over the dominant Dutch population. The fort was located at the intersection of Lodge and State streets, construction began in March and concluded in June. Originally a wooden stockade it consisted of two small buildings surrounded by a stockade, Ensign Silvester Salisbury was the first commander of the fort. The fort became property of the English Crown when the Duke of York and of Albany became King James II & VII.

As the frontier pushed west and north away from Albany the fortifications at Albany became less important as a defense against attack. It was rebuilt as a masonry fortification 1702–35, as part of a general province-wide upgrade to forts, with 21-guns and a stockade that surrounded the entire village. During the Seven Years' War (often referred to as the French and Indian Wars in the United States) the fort saw its largest contingent of British soldiers, with additional barracks, magazines, storehouses, and a hospital being built. After the war the fort fell into disrepair and during the 1760s the residents of Albany began to salvage stone, wood, and other construction material from the fort for their own uses. In 1765 the barracks, hospital, and fort were purchased by the city from the provincial government which had already by that time abandoned it.