Fort Howard, Military fortification in Green Bay, Wisconsin, United States.
Fort Howard is a former military fort on the west bank of the Fox River in Green Bay, Wisconsin, built as a wooden stockade with blockhouses at its corners. The compound once held barracks, a hospital, officers' quarters, a school, and a jail for the stationed garrison.
The fort was established in 1816, after the War of 1812, to protect a waterway connecting the Great Lakes to Mississippi River trade routes. It operated as a military post for several decades before being abandoned as the surrounding region grew more settled.
Fort Howard served as a gathering point for the local French and American community, where military life and civilian routines overlapped. The fort housed the first school in the region, where children of soldiers and settlers received their education side by side.
Three original buildings from the fort can be visited today at Heritage Hill State Historical Park in Green Bay, including the hospital and officers' quarters. A visit to the park is the best way to see what remains of the fort firsthand.
Zachary Taylor commanded the fort before becoming the 12th President of the United States, making it an early stop in his rise to national office. What surprises many visitors is that the fort also served as a center for the first formal schooling in the region, a role rarely associated with a military post.
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