Fort Ticonderoga continues its Digital Campaign – an exciting virtual experience featuring interactive programming, engaging lectures series, and creative at-home educational activities and resources.
The unique virtual opportunity brings the layers of history and natural beauty into homes across the globe. Fort Ticonderoga staff continue to press forward with their commitment to providing resources and entertaining programs to engage, inspire, and give context to the world around us.
“Through this Digital Campaign, we are eager for our virtual visitors to enjoy behind-the-scenes information and special insider content,” said Beth L Hill, Fort Ticonderoga president & CEO. “We look forward to inspiring visits during special digital events throughout 2021 and beyond!”
Featured on our Upcoming Digital Campaign Event Calendar:
Sunday, January 10
Fort Fever Series: Uncovering the Pavilion Collection
ZOOM, 2pm
Built along the shore of Lake Champlain as a private retreat on the grounds of Fort Ticonderoga, the Pavilion served as a summer home for many generations of the Pell family. Over the last two years, as a Fort Ticonderoga Curatorial Assistant, Meredith Moore has worked to document the extensive collection of fine, decorative, and folk art from the Pavilion that has accumulated for over nearly two centuries, making it accessible to the public for the first time.
Join Meredith as she highlights the gems of the collection, the exciting discoveries, and the methodical process of reconciling over a century’s worth of documentation.
This program requires pre-registration. Fort Ticonderoga Members receive free admission; $10/general public.
Wednesday, January 13
Collections Speed Dating: Liège Muskets
Facebook, 1pm
Produced through the Tower of London and Dublin Castle the arms produced by the Ordnance Department gave the British soldier among the finest military arms of the 18th century. But what happened when production couldn’t meet demand as the Revolutionary War expanded? Join Fort Ticonderoga’s Curator, Dr. Matthew Keagle, to explore Britain’s Belgian solution to its musket shortage.
Sunday, January 17
Digital Author Series featuring Brady Crytzer and his book Hessians: Mercenaries, Rebels, and the War for British North America
ZOOM, 2pm
In 1775 Parliament passed one of its most divisive acts when it authorized the use of German auxiliary troops against its own Americans Colonists. The stories of these men and women offer new insights into the Revolution from an outsider’s perspective.
Brady Crytzer is the author of six books studying imperialism in North America, including Hessians: Mercenaries, Rebels, and the War for British North America. He teaches history at Robert Morris University.
This program requires pre-registration. Fort Ticonderoga Members receive free admission; $10/general public.
Saturday, January 23
Ticonderoga’s First British Winter
Facebook, 1pm
After almost five years of struggle, Fort Carillon finally fell to the British in July of 1759. Now a critical point on the route to Canada, British forces began to rebuild and repair the French barracks and fortifications, setting the stage for the longest any army had occupied the recently christened Fort Ticonderoga. Join us to learn about the challenges faced by the British garrison of Ticonderoga during its first British winter.
Wednesday, January 27
Fort Fever Series: Thomas Macdonough, the U.S.S. Ticonderoga, and the War of 1812 on Lake Champlain
ZOOM, 7pm
At the dawn of the 19th century, the region once again braced for an anticipated British invasion from Canada. A young naval Lieutenant, Thomas Macdonough, took on the challenge to defend and hold on to Lake Champlain in the face of a Royal Navy bent on controlling Lake Champlain. Learn about Macdonough and his fleet, including the first United States naval vessel Ticonderoga, in this presentation by Rich Strum, Fort Ticonderoga Director of Academic Programs.
This program requires pre-registration. Fort Ticonderoga Members receive free admission; $10/general public.
Thursday, January 28
From the Ground Up: Buttons
Facebook, 1pm
From 18th century soldiers to 19th and 20th-century tourists, learn about the different buttons found at Fort Ticonderoga in this new episode of From the Ground Up!
Saturday, January 30
Virtual Living History Event: A Day Longer in the Field
All programs will be featured on Facebook starting at the listed times:
11:00 am — Timber!
In the fall and winter of 1759, the British Army worked to rebuild Fort Ticonderoga. Watch each swing of the axe and each pass of the saw as New England soldiers gather the needed timber to rebuild the fort.
1:00 pm — The Long Haul with Oxen
Witness the power of oxen! See Red Devon Oxen, a common 18th century New England breed, in action as they haul logs from the woods just like in 1759.
2:00 pm — Hewing Beams
Watch as provincial soldiers snap a line and carefully cut with their axes to hew round logs into usable square beams.
3:00 pm — Framing British Ticonderoga
In 1759, skilled carpenters among provincial soldiers carefully cut joints to connect hewn timber into the frames of new buildings. Watch as we peg in-place mortise and tenon joints, creating a timber frame.
4:00 pm — “A road to be marked and cut…may be come known to and frequented by the people of New England”
General Jeffrey Amherst agreed to let New England provincial soldiers return home at the end of 1759 on the condition that they built a road to get there. Discover how this military road over the Green Mountains set the stage for Vermont, the Revolutionary War in the Champlain Valley, and remains a part of our geography today.
As we continue adding to our Digital Campaign, be sure to visit fortticonderoga.org and our social media accounts for more exciting live videos, on-site special events, lectures series, and educational at-home activities that bring history to life!
About Fort Ticonderoga:
Welcoming visitors since 1909, Fort Ticonderoga preserves North America’s largest 18th-century artillery collection, 2,000 acres of historic landscape on Lake Champlain, and Carillon Battlefield, and the largest series of untouched Revolutionary War era earthworks surviving in America. As a multi-day destination and the premier place to learn more about our nation’s earliest years and America’s military heritage, Fort Ticonderoga engages more than 70,000 visitors each year with an economic impact of more than $12 million annually and offers programs, historic interpretation, boat cruises, tours, demonstrations, and exhibits throughout the year, and is open for daily visitation May through October. Fort Ticonderoga is supported in part through generous donations and with some general operating support made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.