Old Fort Niagara
Old Fort Niagara is a non-profit historic fort and museum in Youngstown, NY, preserving seven original 18th-century buildings including the 1726 French Castle. It serves families, school groups, and reenactors through immersive living history programs, admission tickets, memberships, donations, and sponsorships.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1927
- HeadquartersYoungstown, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Old Fort Niagara does
Old Fort Niagara is an independent non-profit organization (Old Fort Niagara Association, Inc.) that operates a historic fort and museum in Youngstown, New York, near Niagara Falls. Established in 1927, the organization preserves and presents the 1726 French Castle and six other original 18th-century structures across more than 23 acres, making it the steward of the oldest buildings on the Great Lakes. The organization is led by Executive Director Bob Emerson and supported by approximately 15 employees and a community of volunteers and reenactors. Programming centers on immersive living history — musket demonstrations, reenactments, seasonal events such as the French and Indian War Encampment and King's Birthday celebration — and educational field trips for K-12 school groups.
The business model is a diversified non-profit revenue mix. Earned revenue includes general admission ($21 adults, $13 children, free under age 6), an annual membership program with Individual ($75), Family ($125), and Lifetime ($1,000 payable over five years) tiers, museum shop sales, and food service through the on-site Prideaux's Head snack bar. Contributed revenue includes tax-deductible donations (including the Commandant's Circle for $500+ donors) and a tiered French Castle 300th Birthday sponsorship campaign ranging from $300 to $10,000. Distribution is primarily direct: online and on-site ticket sales, group tour scheduling with a 3-week lead time, and on-premises retail and food service.
The site operates in cooperation with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation as a designated State Historic Site, and receives programming support from the New York State Council on the Arts. The organization maintains a content marketing presence through its website blog, email newsletter, and social media, and engages in community outreach through festival booths and reenactor partnerships. A new Native American Education Center is planned for spring 2026 to expand educational programming around Native perspectives, with $200,000 of fundraising already secured toward a remaining $50,000 goal.
Old Fort Niagara firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Old Fort Niagara
- Legal name
- Old Fort Niagara Association, Inc.
- Website
- https://oldfortniagara.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1927
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Old Fort Niagara is a non-profit historic fort and museum in Youngstown, NY, preserving seven original 18th-century buildings including the 1726 French Castle. It serves families, school groups, and reenactors through immersive living history programs, admission tickets, memberships, donations, and sponsorships.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Old Fort Niagara industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Historic Site & Museum Services
- NAICS
- Historical Sites (71212), Historical Sites (712120), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Historic Sites, Heritage Landmarks & Archaeological Sites (THAJACAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI)
Keywords
Where Old Fort Niagara is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Youngstown
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Old Fort Niagara business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Admission Tickets: Visitors purchase tickets for daily admission to the historic fort and museum. Additional surcharges may apply for special events.
- Membership Fees: Annual membership program offering free admission, discounts, and newsletter access. Individual $75, Family $125, Lifetime $1,000 (payable over 5 years).
- Donations: Tax-deductible donations supporting preservation, education, and operations. Includes annual fund campaign with Commandant's Circle for $500+ donors.
- Sponsorships: French Castle 300th Birthday sponsorship opportunities ranging from $300 to $10,000 with various benefits including event tickets, recognition, and advertising.
- Museum Shop: Museum gift shop selling merchandise, publications, and historic reproductions with discounts for members and volunteers.
- Food Service: Prideaux's Head snack bar providing food service for visitors.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Adult admission to Old Fort Niagara |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Child admission (ages 6-17 typically) |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Children 5 and under |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Senior Citizens |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Military Personnel and Veterans |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | AAA/CAA Members |
| Subscription | Annual | Individual Annual Membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Family Annual Membership |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Lifetime Membership |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Old Fort Niagara product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Old Fort Niagara operates a historic fort and museum site offering immersive 18th-century living history experiences through general admission tickets, guided tours, and seasonal reenactment events. The site consists of seven original 18th-century buildings on over 23 acres along the Niagara Frontier, supplemented by an annual membership program, scheduled group/school tours, a museum shop, and an on-site food service. Supporting revenue comes from donations, corporate sponsorships, and volunteer-driven reenactment programs.
Product overview
Old Fort Niagara operates as a historic fort and museum complex offering a unified visitor experience centered on the fort grounds and historic structures. The core product is the historic site itself, spanning 23+ acres with seven original 18th-century buildings, the oldest on the Great Lakes. Supporting products include general admission tickets ($21 adults, $13 children), an annual membership program (Individual $75, Family $125, Lifetime $1,000), and donation opportunities. Additional offerings include volunteer programs, reenactment participation, group/school tours, and a lighthouse webcam. A planned Native American Education Center is scheduled to open in spring 2026 to expand educational programming focused on Native perspectives. The organization is an independent non-profit (Old Fort Niagara Association) that has operated the site since 1927 in cooperation with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- General Admission Tickets Daily admission tickets to the historic fort and museum site, including musket demonstrations, walking tours through centuries-old buildings, and access to interpretive programs. Adult $21.00, child $13.00, children 5 and under free. Discounted rates available for seniors, military, AAA/CAA members, and NYS Parks Discovery Pass holders (in-person only).
- Annual Membership Program Annual membership offering free admission for 12 months, free admission to special events, discounted guest rates, 10% museum shop discount, and newsletter access. Tiers include Individual ($75/year), Family ($125/year), and Lifetime ($1,000 payable over five years).
- Group and School Tours Guided group tours for schools and other organizations, scheduled through a formal request process requiring at least 3 weeks of advance notice. Includes educational programs tailored to various grade levels covering early American history.
- French Castle 300th Birthday Sponsorship Program Corporate and individual sponsorship opportunity celebrating the 300th birthday of the French Castle in 2026. Tiers include Presenting Sponsor ($10,000), Commander's Society ($5,000), Loyal Defender ($2,500), French Castle Guardian ($1,500), French Castle Companion ($500), and Friend of the French Castle ($300), with benefits including event tickets, recognition, and advertising.
- Museum Shop On-site museum gift shop selling merchandise, publications, and historic reproductions, with discounts available for members and volunteers.
- Food Service (Prideaux's Head Snack Bar) On-site snack bar providing food service for visitors during their visit to the historic fort.
Quantifiable outcome
- Supports preservation of 7 original 18th-century buildings
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Old Fort Niagara
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Old Fort Niagara technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Old Fort Niagara partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- New York State Council on the ArtscoreOld Fort Niagara's programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with support from the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. This government arts funding supports educational programming and cultural preservation efforts.
- New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic PreservationcoreOld Fort Niagara is a State Historic Site operated by the Old Fort Niagara Association in cooperation with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation. State parks partnership provides operational support and visitor access.
- United States Daughters of 1812minorNational organization supporting historical preservation. The Daughters of 1812 placed a commemorative plaque near the site of Betsy Doyle's heroic actions and continues to support the fort.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Old Fort Niagara competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Old Sturbridge Village: A large living history museum in Massachusetts that re-creates early 19th-century rural New England life with costumed interpreters, historic buildings, and educational programs — similar immersive history model at greater scale.
- Colonial Williamsburg: The largest living history museum in the U.S., operating restored colonial-era buildings with immersive interpretation, reenactments, and educational programming. A scaled-up version of Old Fort Niagara's operating model with broader subject scope.
- Mystic Seaport Museum: The largest maritime museum in the world, operating a recreated 19th-century seafaring village with historic buildings, interpreters, and educational programming — a comparable living-history non-profit model at larger scale.
- Mount Vernon: The preserved estate of George Washington operated as a historic house museum with immersive interpretation and educational programs. Comparable as a major non-profit historic site with diversified revenue and educational mission.
Direct peers
- Historic Deerfield: A preserved New England historic village museum featuring original early American buildings, period interpreters, and educational programming. Comparable as a small non-profit historic site operator.
- Fort Mackinac (Mackinac Island State Park): A preserved 18th-century British/American fort in Michigan operated as a museum with reenactments and historic demonstrations. Comparable in size, programming, and reliance on seasonal tourism.
- Fort George National Historic Site (Parks Canada): A British-era fortification in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, with direct geographic and historical ties to Fort Niagara. It offers comparable reenactments, museum programming, and educational tours on the same colonial military history.
- Fort William Henry Museum: An 18th-century fort and museum in Lake George, NY, featuring reconstructed structures, living history demonstrations, and educational tours. Comparable in scale, scope, and regional Northeast tourism positioning.
- Fort Ticonderoga: A non-profit historic fort and museum in New York State that preserves 18th-century military structures and offers living history programs, reenactments, and educational tours — closely comparable in mission, regional setting, and programming model.
Regional players
- Saratoga National Historical Park (NPS): The National Park Service site of the Battles of Saratoga in New York, offering visitor center, museum exhibits, and interpretive programming on the American Revolution — an overlapping subject matter peer with comparable educational mission in the same state.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Old Fort Niagara social profiles
Digital presenceOld Fort Niagara financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Old Fort Niagara leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Old Fort Niagara funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Old Fort Niagara M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Old Fort Niagara
What does Old Fort Niagara do?
Old Fort Niagara operates a historic fort and museum site offering immersive 18th-century living history experiences through general admission tickets, guided tours, and seasonal reenactment events. The site consists of seven original 18th-century buildings on over 23 acres along the Niagara Frontier, supplemented by an annual membership program, scheduled group/school tours, a museum shop, and an on-site food service. Supporting revenue comes from donations, corporate sponsorships, and volunteer-driven reenactment programs.
Is Old Fort Niagara a public or private company?
Old Fort Niagara is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Old Fort Niagara founded?
Old Fort Niagara was founded in 1927. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Old Fort Niagara based?
Old Fort Niagara is headquartered in Youngstown, United States, in the North America region.
How does Old Fort Niagara make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Admission Tickets are the primary driver. The others are membership Fees, donations, sponsorships, museum Shop and food Service.
Who are Old Fort Niagara's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Old Sturbridge Village, Colonial Williamsburg, Mystic Seaport Museum and Mount Vernon. Direct peers are Historic Deerfield, Fort Mackinac (Mackinac Island State Park), Fort George National Historic Site (Parks Canada), Fort William Henry Museum and Fort Ticonderoga. Saratoga National Historical Park (NPS) is listed as a regional player.
Does Old Fort Niagara have an API?
No public API is recorded for Old Fort Niagara.
What industry is Old Fort Niagara in?
Old Fort Niagara's product category is Historic Site & Museum Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJACAC, Historic Sites, Heritage Landmarks & Archaeological Sites, with a secondary code of THAJADAI, Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations). Its NAICS code is 71212 and its SIC code is 7990.