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Salem, Fort
Description: Fort Salem Town of Salem: Washington County, 1777. Also known as White Creek Fort for White Creek and one of the Village's original names. Also referred to as Fort Williams in some accounts, but this likely belonged to another site (see Fort Williams). Also called Number 5. The partially completed New England (Presbyterian) church was converted into a fort by addition of a picket wall, 26 July 1777. The stockade was about 60 feet from the church and constructed from 10 inch diameter 12 to 13 foot sections of an old log meeting house, the balance of the logs went for a blockhouse (see Fort Williams). The area about the fort was also referred to as Fort Edward green. Garrisoned by Cpt. (Col) McCraken's Militia Company (White Creek Militia), of Col. Webster's Regiment. The Militia had left the Town and most citizens had left due to the advance of Bugoyne, when royalists/tories burned the fort between the end of August to 25 September 1777. Plaque reads "Site of The White Creek Fort, Erected as a Presbyterian Church in 1774 and converted to a fort early in the Revolution, Garrisoned by Charlotte County Militia under Command of Col. Joseph McCraken, it was the starting point of many raids on the supply lines of Gen. Burgoyne during the invasion from the North, destroyed by tories and British in 1777."
Thanks to William A. Cormier, Town Historian, for this information, www.sover.net/~salemny/histh1.html
County: Washington County
City, State: Salem, New York