by Contributor | July 21, 2024 8:28 pm
OSWEGO – The Safe Haven Holocaust Refugee Shelter Museum invites the public to join in the 80th anniversary commemoration of the Fort Ontario Emergency Refugee Shelter and its residents on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 2 and 3.
On Friday, Aug. 2, bells will ring throughout the city of Oswego at 7:30 a.m. to signify the arrival of nearly 1,000 European refugees of the Nazi Holocaust during World War II.
On Friday and Saturday, Aug. 2 and 3, the Safe Haven Holocaust Refugee Shelter Museum, located at 2 E. Seventh St. in Oswego, will offer free admission from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Residents and visitors alike can browse exhibits and learn about the significant role the Port City and its people played during this chapter of American history.
The Fort Ontario Emergency Refugee Shelter was the only site of its kind in the U.S. during the second World War. The refugees – of a variety of religious faiths and skilled labor – came from across 18 war-torn countries in Europe as invited “guests” of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Dedicated to keeping alive the stories of the 982 refugees who called Oswego home from August 1944 to February 1946, the museum was completely renovated in 2020. It now contains an introduction movie, artifacts and state-of-the-art video screens and stations.
To learn more about the museum, go to www.safehavenmuseum.com[1].
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