Fort Ticonderoga

Fort Ticonderoga Fort Ticonderoga is a historic site, museum, center of learning and major cultural destination. Rain or shine, there’s something for everyone!
(2358)

Find inspiration and create family memories as we celebrate America’s 250th! World class exhibits, thrilling weapons demos, epic battle reenactments and hands-on activities connect you to America’s story. Enjoy stunning views from aboard the Carillon boat and our historic gardens.

06/02/2026

Today on Trades Tuesday we are sewing a Canada cap, the warm hat that became of a symbol of America's northern neighbors in 1776. Our reconstruction of this cap requires work with fur, piecing the crown together with glovers' needles. Within, we sew a crown of fine red cloth and a lining of glazed linen. As American soldiers departed Ticonderoga in late 1776, many took these caps with them, bringing this Canadian style to the crossing of the Delaware and a host of battles to the south.

With June comes poppies, our Flower of the Week! The King's Garden is alive in late spring color, with Japanese and Germ...
06/02/2026

With June comes poppies, our Flower of the Week! The King's Garden is alive in late spring color, with Japanese and German iris, lupines, columbine, and the first peony blooms opening.
Like something you see?
Our spring plant sale is Saturday June 6, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

On June 1, 1776—250 years ago today—the new issue of Newburyport printer John Mycall’s Essex Journal and New-Hampshire P...
06/01/2026

On June 1, 1776—250 years ago today—the new issue of Newburyport printer John Mycall’s Essex Journal and New-Hampshire Packet had war on its mind. The issue includes an excerpt from a speech given in Parliament in October 1775 by British naval officer George Johnstone. Johnstone argues against using harsh military measures against America, not only because it is unjust, “destructive despotism”, but because those methods are doomed to fail. “It is with pleasure I perceive the force of this country, when wielded in such a cause, is totally inadequate”, claims Johnstone. He argues that a war will cost more than Britain can afford and ruin a vital economic relationship in the process. Learning that words so supportive of their cause were being offered across the sea in Parliament likely heartened the readers of the Journal.

The Journal also included news from America, including a copy of a letter from Philadelphia that reported on the American army’s retreat from Quebec, a naval skirmish on the Delaware River, and the discovery of a counterfeiting ring on Long Island. Another letter, signed “The Forester”, a pen name for Thomas Paine, argues that it is too late for America to reconcile with Britain and that the only path to happiness is self-government: “To live beneath the authority of those whom we cannot love, is misery, slavery, or what name you please.” Months earlier, Mycall had published an edition of Paine’s influential pamphlet Common Sense.

While this issue was dominated by war news, the readers of the Journal had other interests too. The lead article in this edition shared tactics discovered in Amsterdam for reviving drowned people. Methods for saving drowning victims would have interested many people in the seaside town of Newburyport. The actual efficacy of these methods may have varied, though; suggestions offered by the article included performing rescue breaths, warming the victim, tickling the nostrils with a feather, and “blowing air or smoke up the fundament.”

Learn more about this issue (object ID MS.7325, property of Robert Nittolo) on the Ticonderoga Online Collections database: https://fortticonderoga.catalogaccess.com/archives/31125

For a limited time, July-August 2, Fort Ticonderoga will display one of its most significant objects: Benjamin Warner’s ...
05/29/2026

For a limited time, July-August 2, Fort Ticonderoga will display one of its most significant objects: Benjamin Warner’s Knapsack. Carried by Revolutionary War soldier Benjamin Warner and handed down to his descendants, the knapsack has survived with a call to future generations to defend America’s hard-won liberty against all threats.

The 250-year-old knapsack, made of painted linen, was carried by Benjamin Warner of New Haven, Connecticut, during service in the Revolutionary War that took him to Boston, Quebec, New York and elsewhere over his years in the ranks. Later in life, Warner left it to his son as a memento of his service and a reminder of what he fought for, writing:

“This Napsack I caryd (sic) Through the War of the Revolution to achieve the American Independence. I Transmit it to my olest sone (sic) Benjamin Warner Jr. with directions to keep it…and whilst one shred of it shall remain never surrender you libertys to a foren envador or an aspiring demegog (sic).”

The letter is signed, “Benjamin Warner Ticonderoga March 27, 1837.” Both the knapsack and its note are carefully preserved in the collection at Fort Ticonderoga where they have resided for almost a century but have not been on display for over a decade.

READ MORE: https://fortticonderoga.org/news/fort-ticonderoga-honors-250th-anniversary-of-american-independence-with-special-exhibit-highlighting-soldiers-knapsack-and-its-powerful-message/

On May 29, 1776—250 years ago today—Massachusetts was celebrating Election Day. This holiday, actually the opening day o...
05/29/2026

On May 29, 1776—250 years ago today—Massachusetts was celebrating Election Day. This holiday, actually the opening day of the year’s legislative session, was one of the colony’s few public holidays. For legislators, it was also a day of religious and moral instruction, as the Massachusetts General Assembly heard an Election Day sermon from a prominent minister.

In 1776, the man chosen to give the Election Day speech was Reverend Samuel West of Dartmouth, MA. West was a passionate patriot who had volunteered as a military chaplain after the Battle of Bunker Hill. He was also an intellectual who had decrypted a coded letter sent by the head of the army’s hospital, Dr. Benjamin Church, and discovered that Church had been passing information to the British. On Election Day, West combined his intellectual vigor and patriotism to deliver a Biblical defense of the right to rebel against tyranny.

West had much to say on his chosen topic. This printed version of his sermon, expanded from his original speech to the Assembly, is over 17,000 words in length. West argued that people had a moral and religious duty to obey a good government (likely a popular proposition with the legislators in his audience). However, that duty only existed when the government was moral and representative: “As magistrates have no authority but what they derive from the people, whenever they act contrary to the public good…they forfeit their right to govern the people.”

As people had a duty to obey a good government, they had an equal duty, sanctioned by God, to oppose a tyrannical one. The American struggle against Britain was thus entirely justified, and defending American rights by military means was “an indispensable duty… which we owe to God and our country.” As the Continental Congress in Philadelphia debated independence, West took a firm stance on the matter: “Providence seems plainly to point to us the expediency, and even necessity, of our considering ourselves as an independent state.”

Learn more about this sermon (object ID MS.7833, property of Robert Nittolo) on the Ticonderoga Online Collections database: https://fortticonderoga.catalogaccess.com/archives/31778

Outfitting the army with fi****ms was a challenge for the American colonies in the early years of the Revolutionary War,...
05/28/2026

Outfitting the army with fi****ms was a challenge for the American colonies in the early years of the Revolutionary War, but it was just the first step. To keep a unit’s firepower at full strength throughout the campaign season, its fi****ms had to be maintained and repaired. 18th-century muskets were complex machines with multiple components, any of which could wear down over time or be broken by accident or neglect. The prolonged exposure to the elements that arms experienced during a campaign increased the odds that something would go wrong.

Armies had several systems to ensure that arms were kept in good repair and fixed when needed. Soldiers were ordered to keep their guns clean, wiping down locks, cleaning the barrel with hot water, polishing and oiling the gun, and screwing in components like flints tightly so that they would not fall out when needed. This preventive maintenance helped to fend off rust and other deterioration.

When arms needed repairs, soldiers could turn to their regiment’s armorer. Armorers and their assistants serviced weapons and performed minor repairs. Major problems that required tools that armorers didn’t have in the field or access to a forge could be passed along to the army’s skilled artillery artificers.

This pay order, issued on May 28, 1776—250 years ago today—by the Connecticut Committee of the Pay Table, records the service of one armorer’s assistant, Ephraim Beardsley. Beardsley began his service on May 10, 1775 as a fifer in Colonel David Waterbury’s 5th Connecticut Regiment, but his mechanical skills made him a suitable assistant to regimental armorer Thomas Escott. He spent 20 days in August working on guns under Escott at Fort Ticonderoga as the regiment made final preparations for their push into Canada. Thanks to Beardsley, Escott, and other armorers, the army entered Canada with guns in good working order. Beardsley was rewarded for his work—he received 24 shillings on top of his regular pay for his services.

Learn more about this order (object ID MS.7709, property of Robert Nittolo) on the Ticonderoga Online Collections database: https://fortticonderoga.catalogaccess.com/archives/31622

Celebrate the Scot in you at Fort Ticonderoga on June 13th! Explore Scottish clan tents and vendors featuring kilts, cra...
05/27/2026

Celebrate the Scot in you at Fort Ticonderoga on June 13th! Explore Scottish clan tents and vendors featuring kilts, crafts, and Celtic goods; witness thrilling musket demonstrations showcasing Highland soldiers and their weapons; march alongside clans and the Black Watch to a moving memorial ceremony at the Scottish Cairn; and enjoy guided tours of the fort, museum collections, historic gardens, and Mount Defiance.

Throughout the day, experience the stirring sounds of fifes, drums, bagpipes, and traditional Scottish music performances, discover the evolution of Highland military uniforms, uncover surprising Scottish stories hidden within Ticonderoga’s collections, and even take part in the ceremonial Presentation of the Haggis, celebrating Scottish tradition and community.

Learn more and view the visitor schedule: https://fortticonderoga.org/ft_events/living-history-event-scots-day-3/

Did you know that Vermont was a country before it was a state? Watch our newest video to get the full story!The New Hamp...
05/27/2026

Did you know that Vermont was a country before it was a state? Watch our newest video to get the full story!

The New Hampshire Grants, between Lake Champlain and the Connecticut River, was cleared by settlers with land grants issued by New Hampshire. But New York claimed the same territory leading to friction. Settlers with New Hampshire charters resisted, giving birth to the Green Mountain Boys, who used the threat of violence against New Yorkers to preserve their claims. The tumult of war in 1775 disrupted the settlement of these disputes and lead the inhabitants of the region to declare a separate independence in 1777, creating the state of Vermont. It remained independent until 1791, when New York relinquished its claims allowing Vermont to become the 14th state.

Check out our newest video and be sure to see these objects in person in "A Revolutionary Anthology: Revolutionary Possibilities" on view thorugh October 25th!

https://youtu.be/o72t590XbiA?si=M7p2wUgKrLSjsvCI

The King's Garden is a riot of color this morning with bearded iris as our Flower of the Week. Lupines, columbines, gera...
05/26/2026

The King's Garden is a riot of color this morning with bearded iris as our Flower of the Week. Lupines, columbines, geraniums, and some sneaky tulips brighten up the niches of the garden walls. Poppies are getting ready to pop next week!

Address

102 Fort Ti Road
Ticonderoga, NY
12883

Opening Hours

Tuesday 9:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 9:30am - 5pm
Thursday 9:30am - 5pm
Friday 9:30am - 5pm
Saturday 9:30am - 5pm
Sunday 9:30am - 5pm

Telephone

+15185852821

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Fort Ticonderoga posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Fort Ticonderoga:

Shortcuts

Share

Category