Fort Stanwix National Monument

Using extensive documentation and oral history interviews, historian Joan M. Zenzen examines the full sweep of the site's history by looking back at the 1777 siege that helped turn the tide at Saratoga, describing political commemorations during the turn of the twentieth century, detailing events leading to urban renewal and fort reconstruction in the 1970s, and explaining how the park's superintendents have managed this fort. She also discusses four important themes in historic preservation--authenticity, reconstruction, reenactment, and memory--to understand the processes that resulted in the establishment of Fort Stanwix National Monument. Tied to these themes is the idea of partnerships, a key ingredient that has kept the national park site engaged with such local communities as Rome businesses, Oneida Six Nations, New York State historic sites, regional tourism boards, and reenactment groups.