Plants That Had People Talking
Here are a few of the plants that caused a real buzz this year in the King’s Garden. All are listed on the historic garden plan, yet are used in alternate locations so that the best results could be achieved, while still representing the designer’s selections within the walled garden. Mask flower: Third time is […]
Daniel Dwight’s Powder Horn
One of the most interesting genres of American art that survives from 18th century America is the engraved powder horn. Horns fashioned for carrying gunpowder were supplied to military troops in both the French & Indian War and American Revolution. Soldiers often engraved or carved designs on their horns, perhaps as a way of memorializing […]
A Brief 1776 Preview
As part of our year by year approach to tackling the immense story of Fort Ticonderoga, in 2014 the Department of Interpretation will be highlighting the year 1776. Fort staff will be portraying the 4th Pennsylvania Battalion who garrisoned Ticonderoga in that year. In the spring of 1776, Colonel Anthony Wayne’s 4th Pennsylvania Battalion had […]
Dendrochronology: Using Tree Rings to Answer Questions about the Pavilion’s Past
In the summer of 2013 with support from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Fort Ticonderoga began an in-depth study of the structural history of the Pavilion. Oral history tells us that the Pavilion was built in 1826 by William Ferris Pell and occupied by his family until about 1840. From the early 1840s through […]
Beautiful Brassicas
Brassica refers to a genus of plants in the mustard family, sometimes refered to as cole crops or cruciferous vegetables. A few examples are cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale and broccoli. These crops are important sources of vitamin C, fiber, and other micronutrients that support good heatlth. The military gardens at Fort Ticonderoga in the 18th century included generous […]
3 Details for the Perfect 1777 Continental Regular Portrayal
Looking ahead to next summer’s Defiance and Independence event it is important to examine some common elements of the dress and equipment of the Continental soldiers defending the post. While Fort Ticonderoga had a diverse crowd of Continental regular soldiers in 1775 and 1776, the garrison in 1777 was almost exclusively from New England. Among […]
Life Long Learning
A ritual growing up was the inevitable question at dinnertime: “What did you learn today?” The answer varied from day to day. It might be the latest proof in geometry, a tidbit about the African nation of Upper Volta from social studies, or how to throw a spiral pass with a football in gym class. […]
New Clues to Fort Ticonderoga’s Past from Old Photos
From time to time people donate old pictures of Fort Ticonderogato the museum. This often happens when people are sorting through the possessions of passed love ones seeking to disperse a lifetime of accumulated effects. More often that not, the photographs are undated and loosely organized. Occasionally, however, there is information associated with the images […]
Children’s Garden Design: The Sunflower House
Common name: Sunflower Botanical name: Helianthus annuus Family: Asteraceae Plant type: Herbaceous annual Blooms: Late summer to autumn The sunflower is native to the Americas. There is evidence that it was grown domestically as early as 2600 B.C. in Mexico. The large flower heads consist of showy outer ray flowers and fertile disc flowers that mature into […]
Mounted Soldiers in Brown’s Raid
As Fort Ticonderoga prepares to re-create Colonel John Brown’s September 18th, 1777 raid on Fort Ticonderoga, a nagging, or perhaps neighing, question keeps coming up. Were there mounted men among Colonel John Brown’s force of militia and regular continental soldiers? An answer question would not radically change the exact progress of events, but it certainly […]