Patrick Smyth constructed the house in 1772 with timbers taken from the ruins of Fort Edward, a fortification from the French and Indian War.  During the Revolutionary period the house operated as a tavern, serving future presidents George Washington and James Monroe and playing host to other famous visitors such as Baroness Von Reidesel.

The house served as both a boarding house and a single family home at various times from the 1770s to the 1940s.  In 1953 the Old Fort House Museum opened to the public.

 

Take a trip back through time as you visit each room in the house.  Visit the tavern of the 1770s,   the living room of the 1830s, the bedroom of the 1850s, and the sitting room of the Victorian Era.  Dine in the 1850s and prepare your food in the 1940s kitchen.

The Old Fort House also hosts the permanent exhibit dedicated to Solomon Northup.  Author of 12 Years a Slave, Northup was married in 1828 and lived here during the first years of his marriage when the Old Fort House was a boarding house.