BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Coast Guard is scheduled to participate in events celebrating the commemoration of the bicentennial of the War of 1812 at various venues in Buffalo, Sept. 11- 17.
Buffalo is the sixth and final U.S. port in the Great Lakes region to host War of 1812 Bicentennial Commemoration events through August and September.
The commemoration in Buffalo will include Coast Guard cutter tours, performances by the Coast Guard Dixieland Band and Silent Drill Team, and search and rescue demonstrations — all designed to recognize the Coast Guard, America’s maritime first responder for more than 200 years.
The War of 1812 began due to Britain’s continued interference with American trade and shipping following the Revolutionary War.
U.S. Revenue Cutter Service Capt. Daniel Dobbins wrote in his 1808-1812 journal that Buffalo was “a mere a hamlet, and of but little account in a commercial point of view.”
However in 1810, recognizing the city’s potential, Congress appropriated money for construction of a lighthouse in the town of Black Rock, later to be named Buffalo.
On April 4, 1811, the state of New York gave the government a piece of land suitable for the lighthouse in Niagara County, near Black Rock. Work on the lighthouse was delayed by the War of 1812 due to its close proximity to the battles occurring in Lake Erie and the Niagara River.
On Dec. 29 and 30, 1813, a contingent of British troops and Mohawk Indians crossed the Niagara River and burned the entire village of Black Rock to the ground. At the time, Black Rock had a population of approximately 1,000 people and was just a small town of wooden buildings. Soon after the British departed, the village was re-inhabited and rebuilt by prior residents.
The Revenue Cutter Service, originally known as the Revenue-Marine, was established in 1790 and played a significant role in the War of 1812. The modern Coast Guard was established in 1915, when the Revenue Cutter Service merged with the U.S. Life-Saving Service.
Just as the current Coast Guard’s role in homeland security drastically increased as a result of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, so did its role in national defense operations as a result of the War of 1812.
Since then, the Coast Guard has played a role in every major war and the bicentennial commemoration provides an opportunity to recognize the service’s history in Buffalo.
The schedule of Coast Guard events in the War of 1812 Bicentennial Commemoration celebrations in Buffalo are:
Sept. 12 | ||
Free, public tours of Coast Guard Cutter Katmai Bay |
noon – 7 p.m. | Buffalo Naval Park 1 Naval Park Cove Buffalo, NY 14202 |
Historic Ship’s Company performance | noon – 7 p.m. | Buffalo Naval Park |
Sept. 13 | ||
Free, public tours of Coast Guard Cutter Katmai Bay |
noon – 7 p.m. | Buffalo Naval Park |
Historic Ship’s Company performance | noon – 7 p.m. | Buffalo Naval Park |
Sept. 14 | ||
Free, public tours of Coast Guard Cutter Katmai Bay |
noon – 7 p.m. | Buffalo Naval Park |
Historic Ship’s Company performance | noon – 7 p.m. | Buffalo Naval Park |
Coast Guard Drill Team performance | 6, 7, 8 p.m. | Walter M. Kenny Memorial Park in Tonawanda, N.Y. |
Coast Guard Dixie Land Band performance | 6:15, 7:15 p.m. | Walter M. Kenny Memorial Park in Tonawanda, N.Y. |
Sept. 15 | ||
Free, public tours of Coast Guard Cutter Katmai Bay |
noon – 7 p.m. | Buffalo Naval Park |
Historic Ship’s Company performance | noon – 7 p.m. | Buffalo Naval Park |
Coast Guard Drill Team performance | 11 a.m., noon, 1:30 p.m. | Buffalo Naval Park |
Coast Guard Dixie Land Band performance | 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m., | Buffalo Naval Park |
Search-and-rescue demonstrations | 2 p.m. | Buffalo Harbor |
Sept. 16 | ||
Free, public tours of Coast Guard Cutter Katmai Bay |
noon – 7 p.m. | Buffalo Naval Park |
Historic Ship’s Company performance | noon – 7 p.m. | Buffalo Naval Park |
Coast Guard Dixieland Band performance | 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m. | Buffalo Naval Park |
Coast Guard Drill Team performance | 11 a.m., noon, 1:30 p.m. | Buffalo Naval Park |
Search-and-rescue demonstrations | 2 p.m. | Buffalo Harbor |
Specific information about public events and media opportunities will be released as it becomes available.
In addition, some events will feature the Coast Guard’s 1812 Historic Ship’s Company, re-enactors delivering performances in uniforms like those worn in the early 19th century.
U.S. Navy crews aboard the USS De Wert and USS Hurricane are participating in bicentennial commemoration events as well. Click here for important safety information regarding naval vessel protection zones enforced around transiting and moored U.S. naval vessels.