Breitbeck Park & the Oswego Waterfront

Location: On Lake Ontario; including Breitbeck Park, past Wright’s Landing, to the Maritime Museum on pier;
city of Oswego; Oswego County; New York.

Maps: Google Map; Topographic; Interactive map

GPS Coordinates:

• Breitbeck Park parking area (west): N 43.46060 / W 76.52483
• Breitbeck Park parking area (east): N 43.46169 / W 76.52268
• Bell Tower: N 43.46224 /W 76.52287
• Splash Pad, Snack Bar, Mini Golf: N 43.46053 / W 76.52447
• Roadside parking near marina: N 43.46207 / W 76.52032
• Maritime Museum: N 43.46429 / W 76.51559

Directions from East/West: Take State Route 104 into Oswego and then turn north onto W 8th St. Follow it all the way to Breitbeck Park. The parking lot should be right there.

Directions from the South: Heading up NY-481 will be the fastest, but NY-48 is more or less the same route (just on the other side of the river). Once in Oswego, turn left (west) onto NY-104, then make a right (north) onto W 8th St. Follow it to the park.

Or use Google Maps.

Parking: There’s plenty of parking along the waterfront here. Keep in mind that some city events, such as Oswego Harborfest will require you to park elsewhere. Breitbeck Park has two lots off Lake St: one at the center of the park and one on the west end. On the east side of the park, there are a few dozen roadside spaces near the Civic Center/Music Hall – some with good views of the Marina. You can also park at the marina lot off of Lake St, but be careful not to use any trailer spaces during boating season. Spaces are more limited on the pier near the maritime museum: 8 near the canal dredge exhibit and about 20 at the museum itself. During Harborfest, I typically park along a residential side street a few blocks south of Breitbeck Park. Anything closer is a fantasy.

Typical Seasons/Hours: Breitbeck Park is open from dawn until dusk daily.

Wright’s Landing Marina’s boat launch facilities are open 4am to 8pm from May 1 to Oct 15. The parking area and Oswego Trail adjacent to the Marina is typically always open.

The H. Lee White Maritime Museum on the city pier is open 7 days a week 1-5pm, with extended hours, 10am-5pm, in July and August.

Admission: Breitbeck Park is free to visit. Reserving the pavilion or Bell Tower area carries a fee. The splash pad is free. The mini golf and cornhole costs a few bucks. Parking in the lot here, along Lake St, and in the Marina lot is free.

Parking at the Maritime Museum is also free. Admission to the H. Lee White Maritime Museum is $12 for adults, $6 ages 13-17, and children 12 years of age or younger are free.

Best time to visit: Summer weekend afternoons to ensure the various shops and restaurants within walking distance are open. The last weekend in July to experience Oswego Harborfest.

Time: A few hours or more. Pack a picnic or plan on visiting a local restaurant or cafe while you visit, and plan on visiting the Maritime Museum to make a full day.

Handicap accessibility: Breitbeck Park has a series of level paved pathways that offer great views of the lake and access to the pavilions, playgrounds, splash park and more. There are walkways leading past the Marina and to the pier and Maritime Museum. The Museum itself is accessible, but tours to the lighthouse and access to vessels are not.

Pets: Allowed in the park and walkways when on a leash. Not allowed in the Maritime Museum.

Swimming: Unfortunately, the City of Oswego has no public beaches for swimming in Lake Ontario. Some folks, especially students of SUNY Oswego used to swim at Flat Rock on the west side of the power plant, but as of 2022 the spot was closed and patrolled. The closest public beach for people looking to cool off will be to the west at Fair Haven Beach State Park.

Books can be, and have been, written about the history of the city, so there’s little reason for me to spend the time writing a half-assed version of it here. I’ll be brief and relevant to the sites in this guide, and hopefully entertaining, in my approach below.

Oswego Beginnings

The name “Oswego” comes from the Iroquois “os-we-go” meaning “pouring out place” in reference to the Oswego Lake Outlet in the middle of the city.

In 1722, the British established a palisaded trading post here, which eventually became Fort Oswego. In 1755, they built the Fort of Six Nations on the other side of the river, which eventually became known as Fort Ontario. Read more about the history of that fort here.

The harbor here remained natural until the government installed breakwaters from 1927-1929, forming what was called the inner harbor. From 1871-1874, a new set of breakwaters was installed on the west side, expanding the harbor to approximately its present day dimensions.

Oswego remained a small village up until the arrival of the Erie Canal in 1829, when the Oswego River was widened, locks were installed to take barges up “Oswego Falls” (which is now a dam) and developed to allow traffic from the major east-west canal system to travel north to the port on Lake Ontario. By its incorporation as a city in 1828, the population had grown 2-fold due to its role as a shipping hub for Upstate NY. Prior to the canal, the harbor housed a max of 180 tons of vessels at any given time. Upon the completion of the canal enhancements to the port, in 1929, Oswego harbor saw 37,000 tons of vessels.

The Marina

The area that is now the parking and offices for the Wrights Landing Marina and the Coast Guard Station was occupied by Ontario Iron Works, which was established in 1832 and specialized in steam engine parts/boilers. In the late 1800s through the 1950s, Oswego was home to several iron works.

Breitbeck Park

The land that comprises the park didn’t exist until the 1900s and this was all lake. At the time Oswego was an industrial shipping hub, the harbor break walls started at approximately 3rd St at the present day marina. West of here, Lake Street hugged the shoreline pretty closely. The installation of the west breakwaters from 1871-1874 caused sediment buildup along the shore here, which was further enhanced by occasional dumping of harbor dredging. When the power plant next door began operation in 1940, it burned coal, which was spilled along the plot of landfill that now houses much of the park.

H. Lee White Maritime Museum

The museum resides in the former office building (which also served as quarters, workshop, and powerhouse) for the New York State Grain Elevator. The elevator was constructed in 1925 from concrete and local beach stone and has a capacity of 1,000,000 bushels. It was situated on the north end of the office building, along with a firehouse (demolished in 1999). The grain elevator operated well into the 1980s and often loaded barley for shipment to a Genesee Brewery malthouse in Sodus. As grain shipments took advantage of the newly opened St. Lawrence Seaway, business through the Oswego elevator disappeared by 1990. The elevator was demolished in 1998.

H. Lee White was born in Oswego in 1912. He obtained his law degree from Cornell University and then Doctor of Law from Syracuse University and became a partner at a Binghamton law firm.  In 1940, he joined the US Navy, serving for the Secretary of the Navy, working his way up to Commander by 1846. In 1942, he founded Marine Transport Lines, a commercial steamship service, that ran supplies during the war. From 1953 to 1954 he served as secretary of the US Air Force. After, he joined Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft in NYC and eventually became a senior partner.

Oswego West Pierhead Lighthouse

The west pier lighthouse, 1 of 4 lighthouses (and many beacons) to serve the harbor was fabricated out of steel in Buffalo with a 13 ft tall tower, and installed in 1934. It replaced a hexagonal stone light constructed in 1880. It’s the only surviving lighthouse in Oswego today (although several navigational beacons are still scattered about). With a 20 square ft foundation, its basement (which is built into the breakwater) housed electric and foghorn equipment. The first floor has a radio room, living room, kitchen, and bedroom. It was automated in 1968. Today, tours to the lighthouse are offered through the H. Lee White Maritime Museum.

Difficulty: Easy. Paved paths and sidewalks.

Distance: 1.5 to 2.5 miles depending on the path you take. Our recommended walk is about 2 miles.

Markings: Paved pathways and street signs.

Description:

1. Start out at Breitbeck Park and wander the paths here taking in the view of the lake and Oswego West Pierhead Lighthouse. Don’t miss the splash park and mini golf in the southwest corner.
2. Walk past the Marina via the lakeside Oswego Trail or just walk east on Lake St.
3. Turn left onto W 1st St. Pass the old canal dredge, which is now a museum on the left. Continue down the pier to the Maritime Museum.
4. Turn around and go back the way you came or continue further south down W 1st St. to shops and eateries.

Maps: See the interactive map below.

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