Fort Edward is a village in Washington County, New York, United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The village population was 3,375 at the 2010 census. The name is derived from the younger brother of King George III, Edward Augustus, Duke of York and Albany.The village is part of the town of Fort Edward, which contains the county seat of Washington County just north of the village limits.HistoryEarly historyFort Edward, or "The Fort", has been strategically important during its long and illustrious history, for it commands the Hudson River and Champlain River valleys. The Hudson River at this point north is no longer a navigable waterway because of waterfalls and rapids. Historically, travelers through this area would leave the Hudson at Fort Edward and carry their canoes overland to Lake George. The Indians called the area around Fort Edward Wahcoloosencoochaleva, which means "The Great Carrying Place." Fort Edward's location was the most northerly point on the Hudson River for the early Dutch, and was near the boundary between the Province of New York and New France.
