MADRID -- Museum Board of Trustees were on hand recently to officially break ground for the replica Civil War-era Fort, which will be built at the St. Lawrence Power and Equipment Museum.

Construction will begin with phase I this fall with the stockade and main gate and the interior buildings completed in the spring.

“The SLP&E Museum is very excited at the opportunity to add this Civil War-era replica fort to our facility, states Joe Finnegan, museum board of trustees president. “The presence of this display at our museum will enrich the visitors’ appreciation of the colorful history of the North Country and its role in the ‘War Between the States.’”

“We look forward to moving ahead with this project and the associated activities that will take place at the fort,” Finnegan said.

This new exhibit will give visitors a glimpse of garrison camp life experienced during the war years, as well as provide an opportunity to school-aged children in grades 4 and 7 who are studying the American Civil War as part of the NYS curriculum, said a press release from the museum.

The Barracks, which will also be an exhibit area will have an honor roll with the names of all those serving during the War by Regiment. Located next to the fort’s main gate will be a memorial to the Medal of Honor recipients of St. Lawrence County.

Fundraising for the project is currently underway and will continue through next year, the release said.

“We have had such positive response to this project with major donors such as Community Bank, Numed, St. Lawrence FCU, SeaComm FCU and Niles Asset Management. Chad and Cathy Green, Donaldson and Donaldson-Seymour Funeral Home, who have graciously donated the monument for the Medal of Honor recipients,” said Scott Wilson, volunteer coordinator for Fort Project 2020.

“We also successfully were awarded a grant from the RVRDA as well. I am very grateful to all those who overwhelmingly support it and are now making this plan a reality,” said Wilson. “Patrick Curran, president and owner of Curran Logging too has been instrumental in moving this project forward. We have appreciated his dedication and support and intricate knowledge of the cedar materials going into the fort’s construction.”

The Museum is a 501 (c)(3) education corporation, provisionally chartered by the University of the State of New York. It is operated and managed by volunteer members. To follow the project’s progress visit Facebook FortProject2020.