American History Happened in Youngstown
The Niagara River Village of Youngstown, known in the early 1800's as "Young's town" (named after property owner John Young) has witnessed American history in the making, from the opening of the continent by early French explorers and through the British presence, then the American independence.
The Village of Youngstown began just south of Fort Niagara which is stratgically located at the southwestern end of Lake Ontario and at the mouth of the Lower Niagara River. The fort has been controlled by the French, the British, and finally the Americans. Native peoples once lived in the area, and in the 1990's a burial ground containing both native and non-native burials was found on Main Street. New Fort Niagara, a U.S. Army fort and military base, developed on the land between Fort Niagara and Youngstown and from this location hundreds of soldiers were sent off to wars. From 1944 to 1945, German and Austrian POWs were interred at New Fort Niagara at a secured camp along Jackson Street, and they provided a ready supply of manpower needed to work in the factories and on the region's farms. New Fort Niagara was decommissioned in 1963 and the land was turned over to New York State and became Fort Niagara State Park.
The village welcomes visitors to Old Fort Niagara, and in 2006 the regional publication Business First wrote, "Youngstown offers the best quality of life of any small village in Western New York."