Go BackFort Amsterdam is a fort on the southern tip of Manhattan that is no longer standing today. Its construction, which began in 1620, marks the official founding date of New York City.
Fort Amsterdam was the administrative headquarters of the Dutch when they founded Manhattan, but changed hands eight times through various battles, and changed name to Fort James, then Fort Willem Hendrick, back to Fort James, then to Fort William, Fort Anne and Fort George.
The Americans took over Fort Amsterdam on Evacuation Day, in 1783. In 1790 they demolished it. However, realising they need a fort to protect Manhattan, they built a new one at Castle Clinton, just before the War of 1812. The site of Fort Amsterdam is today the Alexander Hamilton US Custom House.
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