State buys island at site of War of 1812 battle

SACKETS HARBOR, N.Y. (AP) >> New York state has acquired an island off Lake Ontario’s eastern shore that was the scene of a War of 1812 battle between British and American forces.

The Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation recently announced that it has purchased 24acre Horse Island, located off the village of Sackets Harbor, 60 miles (96 kilometers) north of Syracuse.

The island will become part of Sackets Harbor Battlefield State Historic Site in Jefferson County.

After war broke out between the U.S. and Great Britain in June 1812, Sackets Harbor became a key American military base. When British and Canadian forces attacked the shipyard there in May 1813, they initially assaulted Horse Island.

Most of the nearly $820,000 purchase price was provided through a federal grant procured by the American Battlefield Trust.