The Patriots' War, a rebellion that attempts to expel British rule from Canada, takes place in Canada. The U.S. border with Canada, including the Sackets Harbor naval station, is reinforced in response to this rebellion.
1838
U.S. President Martin Van Buren visits Madison Barracks. A volley of muskets fired in his honor nearly results in tragedy when a ramrod, left in a musket barrel by one of the soldiers, flies through the air like an arrow and pierces the ground near the President.
1840s
The Eighth Regiment leaves Madison Barracks to serve in the war against the Seminoles in Florida.
A two story schoolhouse is built on the corner of Broad and Washington Streets for a cost of $2,000.00.
1843
Cinders from the steamboat St. Lawrence start a devastating fire which sweeps from the wharves to destroy forty buildings in Sackets Harbor.
The McKee Iron Foundry begins manufacturing agricultural equipment in Sackets Harbor.
1848
The New York State Senate proposes to build a railroad from Sackets Harbor through the Adirondack Mountains to Saratoga Springs. The railroad, intended to encourage settlement in the Adirondacks and improve communications between eastern and western New York State, is never built.
1848-49
Lieutenant Ulysses S. Grant and his wife, Julia Dent Grant, are stationed at Madison Barracks.
1847-48
The U.S. Navy builds the Commandant's House and the Lieutenant's House near the harbor, on land that is now part of the Sackets Harbor Battlefield State Historic Site.
1840-50
Population of the village of Sackets Harbor reaches its highest peak at 4,146.
1851
Captain Ulysses S. Grant, accompanied by his wife and son, returns to Madison Barracks for a second tour of duty.
1853
The Sackets Harbor & Ellsiburg Railroad Company, founded in 1850, begins service. At Sackets Harbor, the railroad connects with the Ontario and St. Lawrence Steamboat Company. At Pierrepont Manor, it connects with the Rome, Watertown & Ogdensburg Railway. The Sackets Harbor & Ellisburg Railway is short lived and is abandoned in 1862.
1861-65
During the Civil War, Madison Barracks serves as a recruiting and training center under Colonel Walter B. Camp.
1875
The Utica and Black River Railroad opens service to Sackets Harbor.
1870-1930
Sackets Harbor enjoys tremendous popularity as a summer resort.
1876
Fire destroys nearly half of the Officers' Quarters at Madison Barracks. U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant decides to re-invest in and improve Madison Barracks.
1880
A storm destroys the building that protects the New Orleans, a ship kept in Sackets Harbor by the U.S. Navy since the War of 1812.
1883
The U.S. Navy sells the remains of the New Orleans, at auction for $427.50.
1886
Heirs of Elisha Camp donate land for the "Old Battlefield Park," to commemorate those who served in Sackets Harbor during the War of 1812.
1890s
The U.S. Army expands Madison Barracks by constructing several new brick buildings and the stone water tower.
1893
The New York Central Railroad absorbs the rail link at Sackets Harbor, incorporating it into one of the world's most extensive rail systems.
1898-1901
The Ninth U.S. Infantry, stationed in Sackets Ha, fights in Cuba and the Philippines during the Span Boxer Rebellion.
1900
A new passenger railroad station is built at Sackets Harbor to accommodate travelers and tourists.
