Celebrate America 250 in Montgomery County

Before it became Montgomery County, this was Tryon County, one of the most contested regions in Revolutionary New York. From the Tryon County Committee of Safety’s Stone Arabia Resolves supporting patriots of Boston in the wake of the infamous Tea Party to the Liberty Pole uprising in 1775, from the construction of Fort Plain to Gen. George Washington’s celebratory visit in 1783 – Montgomery County and the Mohawk Valley preserve stories of resistance, survival, military action and community resilience that shaped the Revolution in New York State.

Van Alstyne Homestead

The Van Alstyne Homestead was built in 1749 by Martin J. Van Alstyne. Here in Canajoharie, 16 of 31 meetings of the Tryon County Safety Committee were held in 1774-75. Gen. Herkimer also received a commission as Brigade General here in 1775.

Today, the Van Alstyne Homestead Society is the volunteer organization dedicated to preserving the building, collections and extraordinary history of the Van Alstyne house.

Liberty Pole Uprising

Just weeks following the battles at Lexington and Concord, a gathering of approximately 300 local inhabitants met near the John Veeder mill, west of the Cayadutta Creek, to raise a Liberty Pole supporting the effort to denounce British authority in the colonies. Upon the arrival of a group led by Sir John Johnson to stop the raising of the liberty pole and disperse the crowd, a conflict ensued when young Jacob Sammons was severely beaten for calling Johnson a villain and a liar, thus marking the first bloodshed of the Revolutionary War in the Mohawk Valley. 

A replica Liberty Pole was erected in May 2025 at the Saint Kateri National Shrine and Historic Site to commemorate the event.

Fort Plain  

A military outpost erected near Sand Hill during the Revolutionary War became known as Fort Plain. On August 2, 1780, a raid on Fort Plain was led by Joseph Brant, a corn planter, and approximately 500 Loyalists and Native Americans. Crops, homes and the Sand Hill church were burned, some residents were killed and others taken captive. Those not killed or taken captive ran to the fort for protection upon hearing the alarm. Most of the soldiers stationed at the fort were away on a mission, so the women donned men’s uniforms, stood on the parapet and intimidated the enemy into not attacking the fort.

In the summer of 1783, General Washington decided to visit the upstate New York area before returning home to Mount Vernon. On July 28, Washington reviewed the troops at Fort Rensselaer (Fort Plain) and received a welcome worthy of the Commander-in-Chief.

Fort Klock

Fort Klock served as a self-sufficient refuge during both the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War, offering sanctuary to family and neighbors amidst turbulent times. Reflective of the region’s history, several fortified homes dot the valley. Johannes (John) Klock, a patriot and member of the Tryon County Committee of Safety, constructed the stone house for his family in 1750, with a kitchen addition added in the 1760s. Positioned along the river and King’s Highway, the Klocks and their fellow valley residents likely hosted notable historical figures during and after the Revolution. Notably, the Battle of Klock’s Field, the last skirmish of the devastating 1780 loyalist raid, is believed to have occurred nearby. On October 19, 1780, British forces were defeated in Revolutionary War battle, ending their raid of the Mohawk and Schoharie valleys.

Stone Arabia

On Oct. 19, 1780, Sir John Johnson led an army of 900 Loyalists and British Regulars on an invasion of the Mohawk Valley. After following a circuitous route across southern New York State, they swept north up the Schoharie Valley and entered the Mohawk Valley at Fort Hunter, where the army turned west toward the Canajoharie/Palatine Districts. The invaders camped the evening of Oct. 18 near the Noses, a geological feature that forms the great divide in the Appalachian Mountain chain. The following day, they crossed the Mohawk River at Keator’s Rift and burned Jellis Fonda’s mill before continuing on to attack the settlement of Stone Arabia, located a mile and a half north of the Mohawk River in the Palatine District. Colonel John Brown of the Massachusetts Militia marched his 380 militiamen out of Fort Paris to meet the enemy on a field about a mile from the fort. Outnumbered nearly three-to-one, he was shot from his horse, and his men fled the field. Stone Arabia was completely destroyed by the enemy, including the twin Dutch Reformed and German Lutheran Churches. Both churches were rebuilt after the war ended and still stand today. Today, the battlefield is marked with a New York State historical marker sign. Further interpretation of the Battle of Stone Arabia can be seen at the Fort Plain Museum.

Isaac Paris House  

This historic site was originally built by Isaac Paris, Jr. as a trading post and home. At the time of the Revolutionary War, Isaac’s family lived in Stone Arabia. Isaac was 15 years old when his father and brother were killed at the Battle of Oriskany. After the war, Isaac moved from Stone Arabia to Fort Plain and established his trading post. Its location in the Mohawk Valley and trails made it successful and a stop for notable figures of the time, including Continental Lt. Col. Marinus Willett and Mohawk War Chief Joseph Brant. Isaac died at age 29 in 1790. The home was sold several times following his death. In 1835, William Bleecker purchased the home. His descendants occupied the home for nearly 100 years. 

In 1932, the Diefendorf family purchased the home and grounds and gave it to the Fort Plain Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, which continues to maintain the historic house located off Mohawk Street.

July 3, 2026
4^th on the 3^rd (opens in a new tab)
Fort Plain Museum & Historical Park

July 4, 2026
Independence Day Celebration (opens in a new tab)
Fort Klock Historic Restoration

Aug. 2, 2026
Holding Down the Fort
Fort Plain Museum & Historical Park

Aug. 30, 2026
Revolutionary Collections (opens in a new tab)
Fort Plain Museum & Historical Park