OSWEGO – Fort Ontario State Historic Site hosts “Law and Disorder” lantern tours Thursdays, Oct. 5 and 12. Each event begins at 7 p.m. inside the old stone fort located at 1 E. Fourth St. in Oswego.
Similar to last year’s “Murder, Mystery, Mishaps and Mayhem” lantern tours, the tours feature costumed interpreters who lead participants in an exploration of the chaotic events in Fort Ontario’s history in the hope of uncovering why so many spirits seem to linger there.
In 1775, Lieutenant Fitzsimmons tried to quell a riotous mutiny with his pistol and sword. In 1845, Private Tydd was forced to stand on a barrel wearing his shame around his neck. In 1908, a brawl broke out in an East Ninth Street tavern, leaving a soldier dead.
This year’s lantern tours focus on soldiers’ criminal activities – from desertion to murder – and the punishments they received for them – from imprisonment to flogging. Walk the grounds of the fort by candlelight and learn the sometimes humorous, sometimes gruesome history of life at Fort Ontario.
Tickets for the tours are $20 and can be pre-purchased in the museum gift shop or by calling the fort at 315-343-4711 during regular business hours. Tickets at the gate will be offered first come, first serve until the tour is at capacity.
Tours take place outdoors, rain or shine, after dark and may include up to a mile of walking, so participants are asked to dress accordingly. Children aged under 8 years are not permitted and parental discretion is advised for all others.
For more information about the lantern tours or Fort Ontario State Historic Site, call 315-343-4711. Regular business hours are from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and from noon to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday. The fort is located at the north end of East Fourth Street in Oswego, N.Y.
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees more than 250 parks, historic sites, recreational trails, golf courses, boat launches and more, which are visited by 78 million people annually.
For more information on any of these recreational areas, visit www.parks.ny.gov, download the free NYS Parks Explorer mobile app or call 315-474-0456. Also, connect on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
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