Exciting Living History Event planned for opening weekend, May 7 – 8

Experience an immersive living history event at Fort Ticonderoga highlighting the occupation of Ticonderoga by the American Northern Continental Army. On Saturday May 7 through Sunday May 8, guests will step into the year 1777 as soldiers muster together to train and dig-in, preparing for General Burgoyne’s British and Brunswick army expected at any time. This event will kick off the 2016 season at Fort Ticonderoga and capture the site’s epic story from the American perspective. Event tickets are included with daily admission. Two-day admission ticket discounts apply. Members of Fort Ticonderoga, Ticonderoga Ambassador Pass holders, and children age 4 and under are free. For more information, call (518) 585-2821 or visit fortticonderoga.org.

“‘Carry on the Works of the Northern Army’ living history event will trace the footsteps of New England regulars and militia as they encamp, cook and entrench themselves to keep the Ticonderoga camp in American hands,” said Stuart Lilie, Fort Ticonderoga’s Senior Director of Interpretation. “Saturday morning, nearly to the same day as in 1777, guests will witness Massachusetts soldiers dig in and recreate a full scale redoubt, small enclosed fortifications, built to better reinforce the American position at Ticonderoga. In real scale, with the same type of tools and materials used 239 years ago, Fort Ticonderoga Museum Staff and re-enactors will raise earthen walls, which could stop or deflect musket and cannon fire, as they responded in kind. This amazing hands-on piece of experimental archaeology will help to teach us about the military science in 1777. Guests will have the opportunity to grab a shovel and lend a hand to see what it takes to build such massive earthworks! The excitement will continue into Sunday as oxen demonstrate just how easily they can move logs weighing thousands of pounds.”

“Fort Ticonderoga has the largest surviving network of Revolutionary War earthworks in North America,” said Beth Hill, Fort Ticonderoga’s President and CEO. “The miles of entrenchments built along the Ticonderoga peninsula were the sole defense for the American Army in 1776 and 1777. This living history event will recreate this epic narrative through immersive programming and demonstrations, and bring together the science and math with the day-to-day work of American soldiers preparing to defend Ticonderoga in 1777.”

Every day is an event at Fort Ticonderoga and every year is a new experience. It is the only site in the world that tells a new story each year through dynamic historical interpretation, exhibitions, and educational programming. This year is 1777 at Fort Ticonderoga; a fundamental year and turning point in the American Revolution. Guests will discover 1777 as German, Canadian, British, and American soldiers, as well as their native allies, fought to control the vital Lake Champlain corridor. Daily programming will bring to life this epic story through tours, soldier’s life programs, historic trades, soldier’s gardening, hands-on family programs, museum exhibitions, and daily boat tours aboard Fort Ticonderoga’s 60 ft. cruise boat, the Carillon.

Visitor Schedule

Saturday May 7

9:30 AM Fort Opens to Visitors

10:15 AM Key to the Continent Tour: The Year of the Hangman (Begins at the American Flag)
Could Ticonderoga have been held by the Continental Army in 1777? Was its loss a disaster or a prudent retreat? Create your own answers to questions that have enthralled officers and armchair generals alike for 239 years. Explore how two decades of military occupation culminated with rich cultures and characters at Ticonderoga in 1777.

11:00 AM Musket Demonstration (Fort Demonstration Area)
Artillerymen were first trained as soldiers. In a pinch soldiers were trained to serve the artillery. Discover how muskets and carbines, slung across the backs of cannon crews, were vital in the defense of their guns, their positions, and their lives.

11:30 AM Strengthen Our Works at Ticonderoga (Begins at the American Flag)
On nearly the same day, close to the same ground, watch as Massachusetts soldiers dig in and recreate a full scale redoubt. Foot by foot – see the work that goes into building such massive earthworks, and pick up a shovel to lend a hand!

11:30 AM Continent’s Collection Tour: A Guided Tour of the Fort Ticonderoga Museum (Parade Ground)
Exhibitions staff will lead you on a guided tour of this remarkable museum’s highlights. Begun more than a century ago, the Fort Ticonderoga museum has North America’s largest and most important collection of 18th-century military material culture. Get the scoop on the most significant, rare, and interesting pieces in the collection.

12:30 PM “An Independent Corps of Artillery” (Mars Education Center Great Room)
Join Senior Director of Interpretation, Stuart Lilie, to discuss Major Ebenezer Stevens’ Corps of Artillery, the men who manned the guns of Ticonderoga in its defense in 1777. Explore their clothing and equipment from their roots in 1776 through their rear guard defense of Ticonderoga that may have saved an army.

1:15 PM Key to the Continent Tour: The Year of the Hangman (Begins at the American Flag)
Could Ticonderoga have been held by the Continental Army in 1777? Was its loss a disaster or a prudent retreat? Create your own answers to questions that have enthralled officers and armchair generals alike for 239 years. Explore how two decades of military occupation culminated with rich cultures and characters at Ticonderoga in 1777.

2:00 PM Cannon Demonstration (Fort Demonstration Area)
Don’t let the wooden wheels fool you, the cannon and its carriage was an intricate piece of military hardware. Discover the surprising power of a well-drilled cannon crew operating this finely-tuned weapon.

2:30 PM Breaking Ground Tour (Begins at the American Flag)
From military garrison gardens to a secluded colonial revival commemorative spectacle of color and light, explore one of the oldest cultivated landscapes in America. Discover the layers of horticultural history of the Ticonderoga peninsula.

2:30 PM Continent’s Collection Tour: A Guided Tour of the Fort Ticonderoga Museum (Parade Ground)
Exhibitions staff will lead you on a guided tour of this remarkable museum’s highlights. Begun more than a century ago, the Fort Ticonderoga museum has North America’s largest and most important collection of 18th-century military material culture. Get the scoop on the most significant, rare, and interesting pieces in the collection.

3:00 PM Key to the Continent Tour: The Year of the Hangman (Begins at the American Flag)
Could Ticonderoga have been held by the Continental Army in 1777? Was its loss a disaster or a prudent retreat? Create your own answers to questions that have enthralled officers and armchair generals alike for 239 years. Explore how two decades of military occupation culminated with rich cultures and characters at Ticonderoga in 1777.

5:00 PM Fort Closes to Visitors

Sunday May 8

9:30 AM Fort Opens to Visitors

10:15 AM Key to the Continent Tour: The Year of the Hangman (Begins at the American Flag)
Could Ticonderoga have been held by the Continental Army in 1777? Was its loss a disaster or a prudent retreat? Create your own answers to questions that have enthralled officers and armchair generals alike for 239 years. Explore how two decades of military occupation culminated with rich cultures and characters at Ticonderoga in 1777.

11:00 AM Musket Demonstration (Fort Demonstration Area)
Artillerymen were first trained as soldiers. In a pinch soldiers were trained to serve the artillery. Discover how muskets and carbines, slung across the backs of cannon crews, were vital in the defense of their guns, their positions, and their lives.

11:30 AM The Power of Oxen (Begins at the American Flag)
While slower than horses, the incredible pulling power of oxen made them extremely useful in Ticonderoga’s military and agricultural history. Watch as these oxen demonstrate just how easily they can move logs weighing thousands of pounds.

11:30 AM Continent’s Collection Tour: A Guided Tour of the Fort Ticonderoga Museum (Parade Ground)
Exhibitions staff will lead you on a guided tour of this remarkable museum’s highlights. Begun more than a century ago, the Fort Ticonderoga museum has North America’s largest and most important collection of 18th-century military material culture. Get the scoop on the most significant, rare, and interesting pieces in the collection.

12:30 PM 12 Boxes of Chocolate (Parade Ground)
Follow Massachusetts soldiers as they gather food for the next days’ breakfast. Discover the ingredients needed to make good drinking chocolate and just how common this beverage was to begin the day in 1777.

1:15 PM Key to the Continent Tour: The Year of the Hangman (Begins at the American Flag)
Could Ticonderoga have been held by the Continental Army in 1777? Was its loss a disaster or a prudent retreat? Create your own answers to questions that have enthralled officers and armchair generals alike for 239 years. Explore how two decades of military occupation culminated with rich cultures and characters at Ticonderoga in 1777.

2:00 PM Cannon Demonstration (Fort Demonstration Area)
Don’t let the wooden wheels fool you, the cannon and its carriage was an intricate piece of military hardware. Discover the surprising power of a well-drilled cannon crew operating this finely-tuned weapon.

2:30 PM Breaking Ground Tour (Begins at the American Flag)
From military garrison gardens to a secluded colonial revival commemorative spectacle of color and light, explore one of the oldest cultivated landscapes in America. Discover the layers of horticultural history of the Ticonderoga peninsula.

2:30 PM Continent’s Collection Tour: A Guided Tour of the Fort Ticonderoga Museum (Parade Ground)
Exhibitions staff will lead you on a guided tour of this remarkable museum’s highlights. Begun more than a century ago, the Fort Ticonderoga museum has North America’s largest and most important collection of 18th-century military material culture. Get the scoop on the most significant, rare, and interesting pieces in the collection.

3:00 PM Key to the Continent Tour: The Year of the Hangman (Begins at the American Flag)
Could Ticonderoga have been held by the Continental Army in 1777? Was its loss a disaster or a prudent retreat? Create your own answers to questions that have enthralled officers and armchair generals alike for 239 years. Explore how two decades of military occupation culminated with rich cultures and characters at Ticonderoga in 1777.

5:00 PM Fort Closes to Visitors

What to Do and See All Day 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM

Carrying on the Works (Redoubt Construction Site)
With the looming threat of General John Burgoyne’s British and Brunswick invasion, American hands were constantly at work building up the entrenchments around Ticonderoga. Watch as Massachusetts soldiers go about their “fatigue”, literally turning level ground into a fortified position.

Hucksters & Traders (Glacis, Adjacent the Log-House)
In 1776, Ticonderoga saw sutlers flocking to the peninsula to sell their goods to the army. Such business opportunities continued into 1777, by which time a well regulated system was emplaced to allow fair trade. Learn about the economic impacts of local traders at Ticonderoga.

Soldiers’ Dinner (Camp Kitchen)
“195 barrels of beef, at 212 lbs,” each equals FOOD, on the scale of an army. Join the mess cook at the camp kitchen to discover how Ticonderoga was more supply depot than Fort. See how in 1777 soldiers’ rations could spell retreat, victory, or surrender.

Musket Maintenance (Inside Fort Parade Ground)
Whether cobbled together fowlers or brand new imported muskets, these weapons depended on the soldiers’ time and attention to keep them in working order. Watch as hot water, grease, and a little brick dust keep these weapons working; lock, stock and barrel.

Officer’s Quarters (Second floor of the West Barracks)
Step inside the officer’s quarters and learn of the luxuries within. From beds to brandy, learn about officers’ duties and comforts. See how an officer and gentleman was also a businessman.

Public Stores (Ground floor of the West Barracks)
See the array of supplies and tools needed to maintain an army preparing for a siege. Watch as artillerymen tend to the cannons and munitions for the army & fleet. See how supplies such as dry goods, hardware, textiles, and equipment were accounted for by clerks.