Base walking tour goes back in history

Attendees wander the US Oval area as part of the Clinton County Historical Association & Museum walking tour, including a look inside an officer's quarters and Memorial Chapel.

PLATTSBURGH — The Clinton County Historical Association & Museum recently hosted the first walking tour of the season at the Old Base Oval including a look inside an officer's quarters and Memorial Chapel.

Richard Caudill and Maribeth Dunajski led the tour, a group of nine, around the Oval to look at and discuss the historic buildings and markers on the site.

The two-hour tour spanned 19 of 30 locations featured on the grounds.

"Being part of Plattsburgh — the Oval — I mean, it's being a part of history," Helen Nerska, Clinton County Historical Association president, said.

"It's hard to say when the story really begins, I mean as early as the Battle of Plattsburgh, the War of 1812 even. and the Battle of Valcour Island, you can stand on the shore and see both locations of these battles."

A brief overview of the base history was given outside the former Band Barracks, now the Clinton County Historical Association and Museum, which was used to house the 21st and 26th infantry bands; later serving as the ROTC headquarters.

The 20 locations featured on this tour, in order, included:

• Band Barracks, 98 Ohio Ave

• Firehouse / Hose House, 111 Ohio Ave

• Regimental Headquarters, 206 US Oval

• Company Enlisted Men's Barracks, 194 US Oval

• Guard House, 186 US Oval

• Flagpole, across from 186 US Oval

• Officer's Quarters, 132-174 US Oval

• Commanding Officer's Quarters, 124 US Oval

• Gazebo, across from 124 US Oval

• Bachelors’ Quarters, 112 US Oval

• Memorial Chapel, 100 US Oval

• Fort Moreau Monument, Across from 100 US Oval

• Enlisted Men's Barracks, 64-70 US Oval

• Gymnasium and Theatre, 52 US Oval

• Post Sergeant Major's Quarters, 42 US Oval

• Post Hospital Building, 34 US Oval

• Company Enlisted Men's Barracks, 22-24 US Oval

OVAL USE

According to Caudill, the location of the Oval was used as early as the War of 1812 and became a more permanent base approaching World War I.

Most of the buildings located on the Oval were built between 1893 and 1934, and since then many have undergone several restorations and renovations to now house offices, a gym, apartments, and more.

During The Oval's time as a military base, many historical leaders visited, and even lived on site, including Leonard Wood, Douglas MacArthur, Jonathan Wainwright, Mark Clark, George Marshall and Theodore Roosevelt Jr.

Over 1,000 soldiers and personnel lived on the base, as much as 320 in barracks such as the Company Enlisted Men's Barracks at 194 US Oval, 64 through 67 US Oval and 22 through 24 US Oval.

THE PLATTSBURGH IDEA

According to Caudill, "The Plattsburgh Idea" which indirectly led to the ROTC program, was coined by Leonard Wood, instead of training officers from the ground up, he proposed individuals undergoing a higher level of education could undergo rigorous training to become officers.

The Officer's Quarters, also known as "officer's row", span from 132 to 174 US Oval as 14 duplexes used to house officers and their families, but are now home to families.

Carol Arnold, former Olympic torch relay team member, allowed the tour a look inside her home on "officer's row," which has not received any renovations, according to Arnold.

"I love living here," Arnold said.

"There's so much going on, it's convenient to downtown, it's convenient to all the museums, I mean I cannot complain."

Arnold bought the unit in 2006 but was not ready to retire just yet. She rented the space out for nine years, then a family member lived there while attending school, but once she settled down she knew it was home.

During the showing of Carol's home, she and a tour attendee learned they had both attended preschool and elementary school together in Keeseville, an unexpected reunion.

MEMORIAL CHAPEL

Just past "Officer's Row" stood the Bachelors’ Quarters, a building for the unmarried officers and social events such as parties, masquerade balls and other activities to maintain a social order amongst themselves.

Along the way, the tour was given a peek inside Memorial Chapel which was dedicated to the soldiers stationed at The Oval and who fought in World War I.

The chapel still has its original iron chandeliers handcrafted by the former base iron blacksmith and a bell from the battleship USS O’Brien.

According to the Memorial Chapel website, after being closed for some time after the base closed, the chapel was reopened as a non profit 501©(3) corporation governed by an elected board of directors and offers interfaith religious services, weddings, special events, art exhibits, music concerts and any other activity approved by its board of directors.

FORT MOREAU

Across from the chapel stands a stone monument with a plaque commemorating one of three forts that once stood across the Ovals grounds, Fort Moreau.

The plaque reads: "On this spot stood Fort Moreau, an embankment which constituted the center and key point of the American line of defense during the Battle of Plattsburgh, September 6-11, 1814. It was made by the 6th and 20th regiments of infantry under Colonel Melancthon Smith."

The other monuments include similar plaques dedicated to Fort Brown and Fort Scott.

"It is interesting how it got its name, ‘Moreau’," Caudill said.

"It is actually named after Jean Victor Marie Moreau, a man who helped Napoleon Boneparte rise to power. However he learned of a plan to conspire against (Napoleon) — but did not warn him. This led to Napoleon kind of banishing him. I’m not sure how he ended up around here, but they must have been big fans of the guy to name a fort after him."

On 52 US Oval, which is now the Plattsburgh YMCA or "Y on the Oval," was once a gymnasium and theater, known as "The Big Acre." It served as another social center for those serving at the Plattsburgh Barracks.

This building was used to host boxing tournaments and, on the other end of the building, films.

According to the Clinton County Historical Association and Museum, both the Oval and greater Plattsburgh area have played a crucial role in the development of the independent United States, and dating back to as early as the late 1700s, Clinton County has deep historic origins.

E-mail: [email protected]

Twitter: @jlotemplio

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