1st Practice Run – Sampson State Park
A family friendly park steeped in history
Although Sampson State Park in Romulus, NY, exudes peace and beauty in its current existence, this corner of the Finger Lakes holds a longstanding connection to several of America’s conflicts. The ties to this location have touched four significant wars beginning with the American Revolution and spanning American history to the 1950s.
The American Revolution
Just south of this site, existed the Native American village Kendaia of the Seneca People, the “Western Gate Keepers” to the Six Nations of the Haudenosaunee (commonly known as the Iroquois Confederacy). The Seneca had allied themselves with the British in the fight against the American rebellion. Due to the frequently brutal nature of battle and raiding taking place all along the New York frontier, General George Washington ordered a portion of the Continental Army to march into Seneca territory (which centered on the Finger Lakes region) to “subdue” and knock them out of the war.
Known as the Sullivan-Clinton Campaign, led by General John Sullivan, the Continental soldiers passed through this area in 1779 marching from the Seneca village known as Catharine’s Town (near present-day Watkins Glen) to Kanadaseaga (today’s Geneva). These troops destroyed Kendaia, the crops, and the food stores just as they had been doing all along Seneca Lake and ultimately to the Genesee River near present-day Geneseo. Much of the Seneca population fled the region to the safety and support of the British presence at Fort Niagara never to return. After the Revolutionary War ended, many former Continental soldiers returned to the area to clear land granted to them by the newly formed United States government and commenced a new life of farming.
Civil War
In early 1862 during the American Civil War, a regiment was raised among the farmers and village residents of the central Finger Lakes region. The 126th New York Infantry Regiment embarked from Geneva on a steamboat headed south down the length of Seneca Lake. This was the beginning of their journey, resulting in undeserved infamy as a result of the surrender of Harper’s Ferry (they became paroled POWs inaccurately labeled as “the Harpers Ferry cowards”). Ultimately they received the well-earned status of heroes on the 2nd and 3rd days of the Battle of Gettysburg. As I looked out over Seneca Lake from Sampson’s sandy beach and beautifully designed harbor, I could imagine one would have been able to watch that steamboat from this vantage point, loaded with the men of the 126th, as they made their way toward Watkins Glen and their destiny. A trial that would take them from perceived failure to unquestioned redemption.
World War II
The location now known as Sampson State Park returned to peaceful farming for many decades after the Civil War, becoming what it would eventually be as a result of the needs of the United States Navy. America’s entry into World War II required many training bases, and the Navy selected the eastern shores of Seneca Lake, near the Army Ordnance Depot, to build one. The Sampson Naval Station (USNTS Sampson) was built in 1942 on 2,535 acres. It was named for Rear Admiral William Thomas Sampson, because he was born in nearby Palmyra, NY. Admiral Sampson had served the nation during both the Civil War and the Spanish-American War.
The Sampson Naval Station was much larger than the current state park and most of the buildings are gone, however, some of the roadways are still visible and a portion of one of the mess halls is now the Campground office. A museum has been established out of the restored former brig or base “prison”. Many displays and artifacts of Sampson’s duration as a military installation can be viewed within this museum, which I toured.
During the war, 400,000+ recruits were trained for war with the Axis enemies at Sampson, which was run by 4,000 to 5,000 Navy personnel. Due to the depth of Seneca Lake (630 ft max) and the fact that it’s approximately 200 feet below sea level, the Navy saw the site as a perfect inland base, safe from enemy attack. This may have allowed the Navy to use the location as a submarine training ground although I cannot state this with absolute certainty. I do know the U.S. Navy does still have a small facility on the western shore of Seneca Lake which has been used for sonar and submarine testing. A naval hospital was also established at the Sampson Naval Station during the war and the base was used as a center to process personnel out of active duty at the end of the war. In 1946, Sampson closed as a Naval base but was established as a temporary college for veterans under the G.I. Bill until 1949 when it was transferred to the United States Department of Agriculture for wheat storage.
Korean War
In 1949, New York State took interest in establishing a state park drawn as all have been, to the idyllic shores of Seneca Lake and so began the process of purchasing a portion of the land from the Navy. This quickly changed however when the North Korean armed forces crossed the 38th Parallel invading South Korea igniting the Korean War. Due to the American-led United Nations response to this invasion, the United States Air Force realized the additional need for recruit training. Therefore, the USAF took custody of the property before NY could complete the purchase, creating the Sampson Air Force Base to be used for basic training. After conducting renovations, the base received its first recruits in February 1951, training over 300,000 personnel before closing in 1956. Many of these recruits went on to service defending the sky over and around Korea. Once again, Sampson played a significant role in U.S. military activity.
Then in 1960, New York State was finally able to realize the vision this much-altered section of the Finger Lakes inspired. New York purchased a significant portion of the land from the U.S. Government resulting in the beautiful, peaceful park we see and enjoy today. Now instead of the sounds of untouched wilderness, Iroquois hunting, and fishing, marching Continental soldiers, 19th-century farming, the commands of Navy or Air Force trainers and the noise of active rifle ranges, the sounds of camping, children playing, singing birds and the ever-continuous lapping of Seneca Lake waves are now what is encountered at Sampson State Park.
