Oneida Carrying Place Rome was founded along an ancient Native American portage path known as the
Oneida Carrying Place,
Deo-Wain-Sta, or
The Great Carrying Place to the
Six Nations (Iroquois), or the
Haudenosaunee in their language. These names refer to a
portage road or path between the
Mohawk River to the east, which flows east to the
Hudson River, and
Wood Creek to the west, which flows into Oneida Lake and, eventually, Lake Ontario via the Oneida and Oswego Rivers. Now located within the modern Rome city limits, this short portage path was the only overland section of a water trade route stretching more than 1,000 miles between Lake Ontario and the lower Hudson. Travelers and traders coming up the Mohawk River from the Hudson had to transfer their cargo and boats and transport them overland between 1 and six miles (depending on the season) to continue west on Wood Creek to Oneida Lake which was drained by the Oswego River that ultimately flowed into Lake Ontario. This ancient trade route joined the
Great Lakes and Canada via the
Mohawk River to the
Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean. of Rome with list of landmarks from 1886 by
L.R. Burleigh During the
French and Indian War, the North American front of the
Seven Years' War, this region was the scene of much fighting. The
British erected several small forts to guard the Oneida Carrying Place and the lucrative fur trade against French incursions from Canada; however, a combined French regular army, Canadian, and allied Native American force overwhelmed and massacred a British force here in the
Battle of Fort Bull. Later in 1758, after several abortive attempts to fortify the area, the British sent a very large force to secure the Oneida Carry and build a stronger fortification, which they named
Fort Stanwix. Following their defeat by Britain during the war, the French ceded their territory in North America east of the
Mississippi River to the British. The British signed the
Treaty of Fort Stanwix in 1768 with the Iroquois, under the terms of which they promised to preserve areas west of the
Appalachian Mountains as an Indian reserve and to prohibit American colonial settlement. The treaty has also been described as "the last desperate effort of the British to create order west of the Appalachians. The British were unable to enforce their promise, as American colonists continued to move west of the Appalachians, causing conflicts with native tribes. The British abandoned Ft. Stanwix after that war; it deteriorated and was eventually torn down, its parts and materials used by settlers for other structures.
Revolutionary War and Fort Stanwix At the outbreak of the
Revolutionary War,
American Continental forces took control of the
Fort Stanwix site, rebuilding and improving the fort. The installation survived a siege by the British in the
Saratoga Campaign of 1777, and it became renowned as "the fort that never surrendered". Patriot militia, regulars, and their
Oneida Nation allies under the command of Col.
Peter Gansevoort, successfully repelled a 21-day siege in August 1777 by British, German, Loyalist, and Canadian troops and warriors from several Native American nations, all commanded by British Gen.
Barry St. Leger. The failed siege, combined with the battle at nearby
Oriskany as well as the battles of
Bennington, and
Saratoga, thwarted a coordinated British effort to take the northern colonies. Following this success, the Americans were able to gain alliances with France and the Netherlands, as both countries were becoming more confident that the rebels had a chance to win. After the repulsion of the British at Fort Stanwix, bloody fighting erupted along the American northern frontier and throughout the Mohawk Valley. There were heavy losses for both American settlers and the people of the
Six Nations, as each side made retaliatory raids against the other in a round of violence. Because many of the Oneida were fighting with the rebels and against the four nations allied with the British, especially the Mohawk and Seneca, the Iroquois had members attacking each other, which they had avoided doing earlier in this century. The Americans used Fort Stanwix as the primary staging point for attacks against British loyalist units and their
Haudenosaunee allies. The
Sullivan Expedition of 1779 was launched from here as a scorched earth campaign against villages of
Iroquois nations that were allied with the British. Commander
George Washington ordered the campaign in retaliation for the fierce frontier attacks in New York, such as the
Cherry Valley Massacre by Loyalist irregulars led by
Mohawk Chief
Joseph Brant and
John Butler. The Sullivan campaign destroyed nearly 50 Iroquois villages and their food stores, leading to starvation of many people of these nations during the following winter. Many Iroquois went to Upper Canada for refuge but struggled with starvation there, too. The American forces abandoned the fort in 1781. After the war, as the area became settled, pioneers took materials to use in constructing their own homes and barns. They built the Rome Canal along Wood Creek, to connect it to the Mohawk River and enable continuous passage by water from Lake Ontario via the Mohawk and Hudson rivers to
New York City. After completion of the
Erie Canal in 1825, development of Rome increased. The city became an industrial and trade center in the western Mohawk Valley. The fort site was reduced to a mound of dirt, with bushes and grasses growing over it. During the
Great Depression in the early 20th century, Congress passed the Fort Stanwix Act of 1935 to establish the fort as a
National Monument because of the site's historic importance. The site was administered by the
National Park Service (NPS). In 1973, the NPS began reconstruction of Fort Stanwix, based on historical evidence related to 18th-century construction and occupation. It was completed in 1976. The fort is operated by the National Park Service as a museum. On July 2, 2005, the Marinus Willet Center opened on the grounds of the monument. It provides audio-visual programs to orient visitors, as well as secure storage space for the museum's collection of artifacts and related historic materials.
Commercial growth: Erie Canal The critical east/west American trade route through the frontier was improved by construction of the
Erie Canal. On July 4, 1817, construction on the canal began in Rome. The Erie Canal reaches a summit in Rome, attaining an elevation of 420 feet. The first phase was completed in 1825, connecting the
Hudson River by waterway to the
Great Lakes. It resulted in an increase in trade and traffic between communities around the Great Lakes and New York City, stimulating development all along the route.
First Cheese Factory In 1851,
Jesse Williams founded the first cheese factory in the United States at Rome. Williams also developed the process used today for large-scale cheese manufacturing. Fifteen years later, New York State had about 500 cheese factories operating in a similar fashion. During the later 19th century, there were numerous dairy farms in the area and throughout the Mohawk Valley. Many shipped their milk and cheese to customers in New York City.
Copper City During the Industrial Revolution, Rome became known as the “Copper City,” as its metal industries produced approximately 10 percent of all copper in the United States. The City of Rome was incorporated in 1870.
Revere Copper Products, Inc., founded in Rome during 1928 and 1929, is one of the oldest manufacturing companies in the United States. It developed from a series of mergers between several companies, including
Revere Copper Company located in
Canton, Massachusetts. The first president of
Revere Copper Products, Inc,
George H. Allen, was formerly the president of Michigan Copper and Brass Company, which was one of the companies included in the merger. The early history of Revere Copper Products, Inc is detailed in the book
Copper Heritage: The Story of Revere Copper and Brass, Inc. by Isaac F. Marcosson. At one time, 10 percent of all copper products used in the United States were manufactured in Rome.
Cold War to present day Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome was open from 1942 to 1995, when it closed as part of the
Base Realignment and Closure process. It remains home to
Rome Laboratory, which is now part of the
Air Force Research Laboratory, and to the
Eastern Air Defense Sector. Some of the land that formerly made up the land has been redeveloped:
Rome Free Academy, the city's public high school, moved onto former base land in 2002. Its airstrip is now part of
Griffiss Airport.
Woodstock 1999 was held in Rome, at the former Griffiss AFB site. The three-day rock festival was held over the weekend of July 23–25, and drew a crowd of about 200,000 people. Cable network
MTV covered the concert extensively, and live coverage of the entire weekend was available on
pay-per-view. The festival featured acts including
Metallica,
Kid Rock,
DMX,
Red Hot Chili Peppers,
Rage Against the Machine,
Korn,
Limp Bizkit,
Alanis Morissette and
Wyclef Jean; early reviews for many of the acts were positive. Critics particularly praised performances by
George Clinton,
Jamiroquai,
James Brown,
Sheryl Crow, and
Rage Against the Machine. However, the festival ended in a riot, with bonfires being lit in the crowd, brawls with police, and looting. During the
September 11 attacks, Boston Center contacted the
Eastern Air Defense Sector in Rome at 8:37 AM. This was the first report of a hijacking that reached
NORAD on that day. On
July 16, 2024, a high-end
EF2 tornado struck Rome, causing widespread power outages and property damage. The tornado touched down just north of the
Erie Canal, passed through the center of Rome, and lifted up on the far side of
Griffiss Air Force Base. A decommissioned
B-52 on display near the airport was moved nearly 25 feet off its platform. Among other heavily damaged structures, two churches were heavily damaged, losing their steeples and having their roofs collapse. Many brick structures collapsed. States of emergency were declared by the city, county, and state governments. ==Geography==