On Christmas day in 1829, Solomon Northup, a black man who was born free, and his bride Anne Hampton, moved into the “old yellow house” and lived there until 1832.  Drugged and sold in Washington, D.C., Northup gained national fame in 1853 when he was found and freed in Louisiana after spending twelve hard years in slavery.  Upon his return to New York Solomon wrote “Twelve Years as a Slave” detailing his life.  Today his book, thoroughly researched and still in print, is considered to be one of the most important unbiased narratives on slavery as told by an educated, free person who was enslaved in the deep south.

Five additional buildings, including a one-room schoolhouse, an 1853 Law Office, an 1840 Tollhouse, Riverside Schoolhouse, Village Water Works Barn, and the Cronkhite Pavilion also sit on the museum campus.  The Tollhouse, constructed in the 1840s, served as the entrance and exit to the Glens Falls Moreau Plank Road.  Originally located at what is now the southern end of the Fort Edward Road which carries travelers from Fort Edward to South Glens Falls, the building later was used as a small train stop in the Town of Moreau and then an antique shop before being moved to the museum campus in 1972.  The tollhouse has been restored to reflect the toll collector’s living quarters.

The one-room Schoolhouse was originally located on the West River Road in the Town of Northhumberland, Saratoga County.  Built around the turn of the 20th century, students could receive their education through the eighth grade here.  The building was closed and later abandoned before being donated to the Fort Edward Historical Association in 1994.  It was then moved to the Museum, restored, and opened in 1996.

The Village Water Works Barn is complete with its own "lock-up" with the original door and window from the village jail, a replica store, tool display and winter transportation, as well as a Delaware and Hudson Railroad hand car.

The Cronkhite Pavilion was one of the last surviving structures from the first Washington County Fair, which opened in 1872 in Fort Edward.  An exhibit detailing the history of Fort Edward and Sandy Hill/Hudson Falls opened in 2000.  Models of the fortification of Fort Edward, the Island and the early Champlain Canal can be found in the Pavilion, as well as information on transportation, architecture, industry, religion, agriculture and early education.

The Museum offer the following free education programs for every class and every age, both on-site and for classroom use.

• Solomon Northup
:  2 Years a Slave
• Jane McCrea:   Facts, Myths and Legends
• Discovering Sandy Hill
• History of Fort Edward
• Champlain Canal
• Native Americans, for K-grade 2

The campus is open June-August (1-5 pm daily) and September-mid-October (weekends).  School tours, motorcoach and large group tours are available throughout the year by appointment and special rates (Adults $3, under 18 free).

Each year during December, the museum is decorated and open 1-4 daily for special Christmas tours beginning the first Sunday in December through December 20th.  On December 28, special Christmas Candlelight Tours are held from 7-9 pm.  (Adults $4, under 18 free). 

The Fort Edward Historical Association office at 31 Broadway and the Baldwin Barn Gallery and Gift Shop at the Old Fort House Museum are open weekdays, 10-4 pm.  The John P. Burke Research Center at 22 Broadway is open Wednesdays 10-4 pm and the photographic archives located at the Fort Edward Art Center, 83 Broadway are open on Mondays.  The research center and the photo archives house extensive regional historical and genealogical information and photos including a substantial amount of material pertaining to Kingsbury and Hudson Falls as well as the Fort Edward area.