Fort Ticonderoga is launching a new schedule of programs during its Winter Quarters season. From now through April, visitors will be immersed in exciting living history events, engaging seminars, specialty programs, behind-the-scenes VIP Tours, and hands-on workshops. Guests will have the opportunity to explore Fort Ticonderoga during what was traditionally the “Winter Quarters” season for armies of the 18th century. Groups of 15 or more are also invited to schedule a visit to have the entire site to themselves and a dedicated historic interpreter for their tour during Winter Quarters. To learn more about the full schedule visit www.fortticonderoga.org or call 518-585-2821.
“Discover a new perspective of Ticonderoga’s epic history and stunning historic landscape during our Winter Quarters season,” said Beth Hill, Fort Ticonderoga President and CEO. “Just as the armies of the 18th century moved into Winter Quarters during this period of the year, Fort Ticonderoga captures the story, activities, and winter-time beauty of the site. Fort Ticonderoga is leading the way for regional destinations to offer year-round experiences. From special group tours and field trips, classroom visits, incredible living history events, seminars and lectures series and a variety of other programs and new exhibitions, Fort Ticonderoga’s Winter Quarters is a must-do for residents in the region as well as the many tourists who visit the Adirondacks for its story, beauty, and wintertime activities.”
Living History Events
- December 7 & 8, 2018: Colonel Knox is Now at Ticonderoga
Immerse yourself in the daily life of 1775 at Ticonderoga and see how soldiers assist Henry Knox prepare for his epic journey. Stand in the very spot where Henry Knox began his Noble Train of Artillery.
December 15, 2018: RIOT! Yankees versus Buckskins
Discover how cultural divisions between soldiers from New England and Pennsylvania erupted in a riot between Americans at Ticonderoga at the end of 1776 during this lively living history event.
- January 19, 2019: Preparing for the Coming Campaign
Witness the defining story of 1777, the last year American troops held Ticonderoga. The roar of musketry and cannon and the intricate maneuvering of soldiers take on a whole new dimension during this living history event.
- February 16, 2019: 1775 British Garrison Event
See how British soldiers and their families lived at Fort Ticonderoga on the eve of the American Revolution. Discover what it was like to be a British soldier, soldier’s wife, or child. Was the British Army prepared or unprepared to fight for control of Ticonderoga?
March 9, 2019: Battle on Snowshoes
March out with French soldiers and their Native American allies before they spring upon Rogers’ Rangers. Experience the hectic tree-to-tree fighting in a recreated battle as the Rangers make a brave stand against superior odds, only to retreat through the deep woods. Discover the people, weapons, and stories through living history vignettes, exhibitions, and hands-on programs.
Fort Fever Series
Fort Ticonderoga’s popular wintertime Fort Fever Series returns in 2019 and features programs led by Fort Ticonderoga museum staff who will share their latest research and cutting-edge discoveries. All programs are held on Sundays at 2:00 pm in the Mars Education Center at Fort Ticonderoga. Admission is $10/person, free admission offered to Fort Ticonderoga Members and Ambassador Pass holders.
January 13, 2019: Half-Spanish, Part-Hungarian, & All-American: Cavalry Treatises, Saddles & Objects in Fort Ticonderoga’s Collection
Join Vice President of Public History, Stuart Lilie, to chart the origins of the United States Cavalry through incredible objects in the Fort Ticonderoga Museum Collection. Discover the European and Middle Eastern influences that made American cavalry and saddlery unique.
- February 10, 2019: Selective Service: Soldiers of Color in the Atlantic World
Fort Ticonderoga Curator Matthew Keagle will explore how the armies of the early modern Atlantic World policed the boundaries of race and military service during an era of global imperial conflict. This program will provide context to the complex, and often contradictory, history of soldiers of color on both sides of the Atlantic ocean in the 18th century.
- March 17, 2019: Remembering the Ladies: Anglo-American Women in the Lake Champlain Valley, 1759-1781
This Women’s History Month, join Museum Registrar, Margaret Staudter, as she examines the roles of women at Ticonderoga and in the Lake Champlain Valley during times of peace and times of war. Through historical accounts, documents, and artifacts uncover the stories of women hidden in the shadows of Fort Ticonderoga’s dramatic military history. 
April 7, 2019: Lake Champlain’s Age of Steam
Join Director of Academic Programs, Rich Strum, for a program about the age of steam on Lake Champlain. From the first steamer that plied the waters of Lake Champlain in 1809 to the Ticonderoga that ceased operation in 1953, dozens of steamers moved passengers and freight up and down the lake, connecting communities and bringing early tourists to the region.
Winter Workshop Series
Join Fort Ticonderoga’s professional staff and tradesmen as you make your own 18th-century clothing and accoutrement during hands-on trades workshops. Each workshop includes a coat kit, sewing materials, and lunch. Pre-registration is required by calling 518-585-6190.
- December 1-2, 2018: 1750s British Accoutrements
Join Artificer Shoemaker, Matthew Schlicksup, to build your own 1750s British cartridge pouch, buff leather soldier strap, and swordbelt, which were common on so many British Regular Soldiers during the French & Indian War.
- January 12-13, 2019: 1750s British Regimental Coats
Learn the latest research on British and Provincial enlisted regimental coats as you build your own. Discover period shortcuts for these military garments, produced en masse for regimental contracts. This workshop is BYOL&B–bring your own lace and buttons—due to the specificity of these trimmings. Most facings, linings, and regimental and campaign details can be accommodated with prior notice.
- February 9-10, 2019: Genteel Details and Epaulettes
Learn the secrets of genteel civilian and officers’ coats. Under the instruction of Vice President of Public History, Stuart Lilie, learn and practice techniques for corded buttonholes, laced buttonholes, perfect pocket flaps, feathered edges, button stands, lining and pleats, and build samples of each to take home. On the second day, join Director of Interpretation, Nicholas Spadone, to build your own gold or silver epaulettes.
- March 9-10, 2019: French Women’s Jackets
Join Fort Ticonderoga Head of Costume, Nathalie Smallidge, build your own women’s short jackets, a style common in French Canada during the 1750s. The workshop will begin with a brief presentation on women’s fashion in French Canada examining both European and Native American influence and how those details could be adapted to individual tastes.
Behind-the-Scenes VIP Opportunities
This exclusive once-in-a-lifetime experience provides a unique behind-the-scenes look at Fort Ticonderoga’s world-class collections. Highlights include clothing, weapons, and personal possessions of soldiers from across the Atlantic. Learn how objects tell amazing stories of the past and how Fort Ticonderoga contextualizes its rich collection. This program takes place in the Thompson Pell Research Center. In addition to the 3-hour program, return the following day to take part in a Winter Quarters living history event, included in the cost. Advanced reservations are required by calling 518-585-1023.
- Available dates: January 18, 2019, February 15, 2019, and March 8, 2019
Fort Ticonderoga: America’s Fort™
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 the premier place to learn more about our nation’s earliest years and America’s military heritage, Fort Ticonderoga engages more than 75,000 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.
America’s Fort is a registered trademark of the Fort Ticonderoga Association.