It’s Oswego … not Owego or Otsego
By Stephan Yablonski
● Oswego is known as the Port City of Central New York. Its beautiful waterfront is complemented by the maritime theme found throughout the city. Many parks afford a panoramic view of Lake Ontario.
● The first European settlement at Oswego was a British trading post established in 1722. They later built a wooden fence around it, which became Fort Oswego. The first fort at the site of today’s Fort Ontario was built by the British in 1755. They called it the “Fort of the Six Nations.”
● British forces briefly captured the city during the War of 1812, but were defeated later.
● Oswego was first incorporated as a village on March 14, 1828, before becoming a city in 1848.
● Oswego’s dynamic history resonates in its name — from the Haudenosaunee phrase meaning “the pouring out place.”
● A rich 19th-century character, mirroring its time as an industrial port community, remains preserved in many residential homes and downtown storefronts.
● About 17,000 people live in Oswego, based on the 2020 census.
● Oswego is the main city of Oswego County and serves as county seat.
● The building of the Oswego Canal, which connects to the Erie Canal, opened in 1829, helped the city grow substantially. It brought more people and businesses. Oswego was also a major rail hub for many years.
● In the 1850s, Oswego was home to the Oswego Water Cure Center. People came here for special water treatments, which helped the city grow even more.
● Today, Oswego’s economy mainly relies on making things and providing services. The city is led by a mayor, currently Rob Corradino, a Republican, and a council.
● Oswego Speedway is a famous car racing track.
● SUNY Oswego is partially in the city — but mostly in Oswego Town.
● In 1944, during World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt created a camp at Fort Ontario called the Fort Ontario Emergency Refugee Shelter or “Safe Haven.” About 982 mostly Jewish refugees fleeing the Holocaust lived there from August 1944 to February 1946. They came from 18 different European countries.
The refugees were kept behind barbed wire. They had to sign papers agreeing to return to their home countries after the war. But because of public pressure, President Harry S. Truman allowed them to apply for U.S. citizenship.
The camp had 200 buildings, which were old army barracks. Today, this site is the Safe Haven Museum.
Famous people from Oswego
• Joey Belladonna: Singer for the heavy metal band Anthrax.
• Owen Benjamin: An actor and comedian.
• David Branshaw: A professional golfer on the PGA Tour.
• Al Roker: A national weather anchor on NBC’s TODAY show and a former SUNY Oswego student.
• Erik Cole: An NHL hockey player and Olympian.
• Noel Francisco: Former Solicitor General of the United States.
• George Grant: A doctor and inventor.
• Robert M. Hensel: A disability advocate, poet and world record holder.
• David H. McConnell: The person who started California Perfume Company, which later became Avon Cosmetics.
• Dan Reynolds: A nationally published cartoonist and author.
• Mary E. Walker (Oswego Town): The only female doctor during the American Civil War. She was also the only woman to receive the Medal of Honor.
• Rosemary Nesbitt was a theater professor at SUNY Oswego and a famous historian from Oswego. She founded the Marine Museum and wrote books about the city’s history. Every Halloween season, she would tell ghost stories that had a connection to the city.
• Ludwig Bemelmans, who wrote the popular ‘Madeline’ stories, was stationed at Fort Ontario in 1917. He wrote a book about his experiences called “My War with the United States.”
