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Once the hunting grounds of several tribes of Native American Indians Ogdensburg was the first white settlement in the wilderness that became northern
New York State. On November 21, 1748 Abbe Francis Piquet, a Sulpician
missionary, arrived in the area from Canada. He established a fort and mission
here, naming the fort for the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, the day he arrived in the area. Located at the confluence
of the St. Lawrence and Oswegatchie Rivers, the fort was known as Fort La
Presentation. The fort served as church, school, trading post, Indian
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and citadel. The first Mass at the site (and the first in northern New
York) was celebrated by Abbe Piquet on June 1, 1749.
In 1760, under British Rule, the fort was renamed Fort Oswegatchie, and became a busy stopping place for traveling soldiers.
Under provisions of Jay's Treaty, the area was turned over to Nathan Ford,
agent for landowner Col. Samuel Ogden in 1796. The area continued to flourish as
settlers from Europe, Canada, New England, other parts of the world found their
way here. The settlement later became known as Ogdensburgh, named after
Col. Ogden.
Over the course of the next 16 years Ogdensburgh became an important border
community, and was seen as a strategic location during the War of 1812. In fact, Ogdensburg was attacked and
suffered severely at the hands of the British on February 22, 1813.
Ogdensburgh was incorporated as the first village in St. Lawrence County in
1817. It grew to be a busy shipping center for river traffic, and greeted its
first train in 1850. After the Civil War, growth continued. Attracting people
from far and wide, we became the "New York of the North." At that time
the community was known as "the Maple City" and a city form of
government was adopted on April 27, 1868. The spelling of the name Ogdensburgh
was then changed to drop the 'h', and is known today as Ogdensburg.
Some of the important names in Ogdensburg's history have been recalled in
naming the streets in the city, including Ford Street, Ford Avenue, Ogden Avenue, Jay Street and Piquet Drive.
 This statue standing guard over the
Greenbelt Area was erected in 1913 to honor the prominent Civil War hero Brevet
Major General Newton Martin Curtis, born in 1835. died in 1910.
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