The stone tower of Madison Barracks
A Sackets Harbor Preservation Nonprofit · Est. 1984

Keeping the Stone Tower standing, the fields alive.

We steward the historic open grounds and the limestone water tower at Madison Barracks — open land for the games, festivals, and gatherings that make Sackets Harbor a community.

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Our Mission

To preserve the historic grounds and structures of Madison Barracks — and to keep them open to the public for recreation, celebration, and remembrance.

40
Acres of protected open grounds
1819
Year the tower was built
3
Signature annual events
What We Steward

The fields, the tower, and the lakefront.

Adjacent to the Madison Barracks resort and waterfront, the Society holds and maintains the broad parade grounds and the landmark stone tower — land that belongs, in spirit, to everyone in Sackets Harbor.

01

The Parade Grounds

Forty acres of open green once used to drill soldiers in the War of 1812. Today they host youth tournaments, festival tents, marathon corrals, and quiet afternoons by the lake.

02

The Stone Water Tower

A limestone landmark on the Lake Ontario shoreline and the heart of our preservation work. Our goal: stabilize it, restore the interior stair, and open the top to visitors for the first time in generations.

03

The Lakefront Path

Where the grounds meet the water — a public walking route with some of the finest sunset views on the eastern end of Lake Ontario.

04

The Memorial Greens

Shaded ground that anchors ceremonies, weddings, and remembrance, kept free and accessible through community support.

On the Grounds

Three signatures, one summer.

Every dollar these gatherings raise goes back into the land and the tower. Come for the games, the beer, and the miles.

June
The 1812 ShootoutYouth Sports Tournament
Hundreds of young athletes fill the parade grounds for a weekend of tournament play on historic soil.
Youth Sports
August
Brew YorkMusic & Beer Festival
Regional breweries, live music, and food trucks under the open sky — the grounds at their liveliest.
Festival
September
The Harbor MarathonRun the Lakefront
A start and finish on the grounds, with a course tracing the Lake Ontario shoreline through historic Sackets Harbor.
Marathon
The Capital Campaign

Save the Tower.

More than two centuries of weather have taken their toll. Cracked masonry, a failed roof, and an unsafe interior stair keep the tower closed and at risk.

Our campaign will stabilize the stonework, rebuild the stair, and — for the first time in living memory — open the top so visitors can climb up and take in the view across Lake Ontario.

$0 of $750,000 goal
Donate to the Tower Fund
The Madison Barracks stone tower
1819
Original construction
68 ft
Height to the lookout
$750K
Needed to fully restore
Get Involved

Three ways to keep this ground open.

Give

Become a Member

Annual memberships from $40 fund year-round upkeep of the grounds and seed the tower restoration. Members get early event access and a vote at the annual meeting.

Join the Society →
Volunteer

Lend a Hand

Mow the greens, marshal a race, pour at Brew York, or help with a masonry workday. The grounds run on neighbors who show up.

Sign Up to Help →
Partner

Sponsor an Event

Local businesses can sponsor the Shootout, Brew York, or the Marathon — putting your name on the grounds and your dollars into preservation.

Become a Sponsor →

Stand with the tower.

Join the neighbors, families, and businesses keeping Madison Barracks open and standing for the next two hundred years.

Donate Today