Construction Complete on Historical Stockade Fort in Honor of St. Lawrence County Residents Who Fought in the American Civil War

For Immediate Release: 9/03/20

Contact: Paul DeMichele | paul.demichele@nypa.gov | (914) 390-8186

 

New York Power Authority Provides Funding Support of $25,000

 

Video of the Completed Fort

 

WHITE PLAINS—The St. Lawrence Power and Equipment Museum in the North Country has completed construction on a historical stockade fort with funding support from the New York Power Authority. The new exhibit will act as a tribute to St. Lawrence County residents who fought in the American Civil War.

 

The fort, located in Madrid, includes a barracks, headquarters, and a parade ground with a flagpole as its center piece, acting as a working model to demonstrate Civil War garrison life. Located near the fort’s entrance is a memorial to the St. Lawrence County Medal of Honor recipients with an honor roll featuring the names of all those from the North Country who served during the Civil War, listed by regiment.

 

“NYPA is proud to support this important monument to the North Country’s Civil War heroes,” said Judge Eugene L. Nicandri, NYPA vice chairman and Massena resident. “The Power Authority’s power proceeds program leverages the low-cost hydropower from our St. Lawrence-FDR Power Project in support of a multitude of economic development opportunities in the North County, including culturally rich tourist attractions like this one developed by the St. Lawrence Power and Equipment Museum.”

 

“It is a great privilege to be associated with a project that will honor those who came before us and who ultimately ensured our country remained unified,” said Scott A. Wilson, volunteer fort project coordinator at the St. Lawrence Power Museum. “History is rich in the North Country and although no battles in the Civil War were fought in New York, our state provided more to troops in the Union Army than any other state. This is the least we can do to show our honor to those who devoted and sacrificed so much. We are so pleased that the New York Power Authority is assisting the museum with funding and thereby heightening its ability to attract needed tourism, which is expected to have a significant impact on the future landscape of our regional economy.”

 

The $25,000 funding award from NYPA is from the Northern New York Power Proceeds program, which applies net earnings from unutilized hydropower from Massena's St. Lawrence-Franklin D. Roosevelt Power Project in Massena to St. Lawrence County businesses and institutions. The Northern New York Power Proceeds Act, which was authorized by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo in December 2014, allowed for NYPA to deposit the net earnings from the market sale of unutilized electricity into a fund, which can then be used to support economic development projects in St. Lawrence County.

 

Patrick J. Kelly, New York Power Proceeds Allocation Board chairman and St. Lawrence County Industrial Development Agency CEO, said, “The NYPA funded programs in St. Lawrence County, including the Power Proceeds and River Valley Redevelopment programs, support a range of projects, including ones like the Power and Equipment museum, which are creating important cultural and historic attractions and further developing the tourism and recreation sectors of our economy.”

 

The Northern New York Power Proceeds Allocation Board makes regular funding recommendations on economic development projects in St. Lawrence County to the NYPA Board of Trustees. Learn more about business growth opportunities supported by the Power Authority on NYPA’s Economic Development webpage.

 

###

About NYPA

NYPA is the largest state public power organization in the nation, operating 16 generating facilities and more than 1,400 circuit-miles of transmission lines. More than 80 percent of the electricity NYPA produces is clean renewable hydropower. NYPA uses no tax money or state credit. It finances its operations through the sale of bonds and revenues earned in large part through sales of electricity. For more information visit www.nypa.gov and follow us on Twitter @NYPAenergy, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr and LinkedIn.