Winter Quarters programs offers unique visitor experiences including lively living history events, engaging seminars, and specialized group visits
Fort Ticonderoga is launching a new schedule of programs during its Winter Quarters season. From November 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 can explore Fort Ticonderoga during what was historically the “Winter Quarters” season for armies of the 18th century. Groups of 15 or more are welcome to schedule a visit to have the entire property to themselves and a dedicated historic interpreter for a group tour.
“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 2000-acre site. Fort Ticonderoga is continuing to lead 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.”
In-person Living History Events: 10 am – 4 pm ET
- November 11, 2023 | Living History Event: 1775 Prisoners of War
Discover the stories of captured British soldiers and their families and their harrowing story as prisoners of war. Following American victories at forts along the Richelieu River in the fall of 1775, British soldiers with their families were caught in a rapidly developing conflict and faced an uncertain future as they were marched south to Connecticut and Pennsylvania. Explore their perspective during this living history event and explore a glimpse into their tenuous situation as prisoners of war even before the Revolutionary War officially was declared. - December 16, 2023 | Living History Event: Noble Train of Artillery
Join Fort Ticonderoga for a one-day living history event and relive Henry Knox’s epic feat as he prepared to move massive cannon from Ticonderoga to Boston to force the British evacuation in 1776. Watch as soldiers work as carpenters to maintain Ticonderoga. Witness the raw power of oxen as these thousand pound animals pull sleds of cannon tubes. Examine the science of gunnery, preserved in Fort Ticonderoga’s massive cannon collection. Tour through Fort Ticonderoga and learn more about our museum exhibits and daily demonstrations as you step into the first year of the Revolutionary War. Visit historic trades shops to discover daily routines for men and women at this strategic fortification in 1775. - January 13, 2024 | Living History Event: 1774 His Majesty’s Garrison of Ticonderoga
See Fort Ticonderoga on the eve of the American Revolution as British soldiers and their families live in this peacetime fort on the frontier. Get a hands-on perspective on what was it like to be a British soldier, soldier’s wife, or child here. Discover how soldiers and their families made a comfortable life here at this historic military post. - February 17, 2024 | Living History Event: 1776 Winter at Ticonderoga
Soldiers at Ticonderoga in February 1776 struggled to maintain their vital link in the supply chain that kept an American Army alive at the gates of Quebec City. See how soldiers and teamsters kept sleds running over the ice of Lake Champlain to feed and clothe the Continental Army soldiers in Canada. Explore how the small garrison of New York troops survived through the depths of the winter. - March 9, 2024 | 1759 Battle Reenactment: 1759 Battle on Snowshoes
Experience the third Battle on Snowshoes as Major Robert Roger’s and his rangers go on “A Grand Scout” before the 1759 campaign season! During this epic Battle Reenactment, visit the French garrison of Fort Carillon (later named Ticonderoga) in the middle of winter and tour pickets of British rangers, veterans of raids, ambushes, and scouts in the ongoing winter war. Witness Roger’s Rangers–frostbitten and cold–ambush French soldiers cutting wood across the ice of Lake Champlain. Follow French soldiers out of Fort Carillon as they attempt to rescue their fellow soldiers fighting for their lives on the ice.
Virtual Author Series 2-3 pm ET
The Fort Ticonderoga Author Series features presentations by authors of books related to colonial and revolutionary war history. Please visit the website for full descriptions. All programs require pre-registration and begin at 2pm ET. https://www.fortticonderoga.org/calendar/category/lectures-seminars-and-workshops/
- January 14, 2024 | David Price – The Battle of Harlem Heights, 1776
- February 11, 2024 | Andrew Wehrman – The Contagion of Liberty: The Politics of Smallpox in the American Revolution
- March 10, 2024 | Jack Kelly – God Save Benedict Arnold: The True Story of America’s Most Hated Man
- April 14, 2024 | Jim Piecuch – South Carolina Provincials: Loyalists in British Service during the American Revolution
Virtual Fort Fever Series 7-8 pm ET
The Fort Ticonderoga Fort Fever Series features programs led by Fort Ticonderoga museum staff who share their latest research and cutting-edge discoveries. Please visit the website for full descriptions. All programs require pre-registration and begin at 7pm ET. https://www.fortticonderoga.org/calendar/category/lectures-seminars-and-workshops/
- January 24, 2024 | Stuart Lilie, Vice President of Public History – “…modern Dragoons are become better Horse”
- February 28, 2024 | Dr. Matthew Keagle, Curator – A Revolutionary Anthology: Power of Place and the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution
- March 27, 2024 | Tabitha Hubbard, Collections Manager – Cataloguing, Documenting, Sharing: A Collections Update
- April 24, 2024 | Cameron Green, Director of Interpretation –– Ticonderoga’s Neighborhood in 1774
In-person Winter Workshop Series
Fort Ticonderoga’s professional staff and tradesmen will guide you 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 and more information can be found here: https://www.fortticonderoga.org/calendar/category/lectures-seminars-and-workshops/
- December 2, 2023 | Winter Workshop Series: Men’s & Women’s Cloaks
In this one-day workshop, build one of your choice of outwear; women’s cloak, sentry’s cloak, or horseman’s cloak. Explore some of the common details of these different forms of semi-fitted foul weather wear. - January 27 & 28, 2024 | Winter Workshop Series: British Trousers & American Overalls
In this two-day workshop, build a pair of fitted linen trousers used by the British Army and its German Auxiliaries, as well as many Continental Army units from 1777 onward. Stout linen sheeting, sheeting, and tent linen are available for various British Army portrayals. Striped linen ticking is available for Brunswick soldiers serving in 1777. - February 10 & 11, 2024 | Winter Workshop Series: 1770s Straight-bodied Coats
In this two-day workshop, examine details from surviving 1770s civilian coats, cutting and beginning assembly of your own. Practical wool coats that buttoned all the way to the waist remained popular even as fashionable coats increasingly cut away along the front. Build one of these lined wool coats that were a mainstay of dress in New England and the rest of the American colonies going into the Revolutionary War.
To learn more about Fort Ticonderoga’s Winter Quarters offerings, visit www.fortticonderoga.org or call 518-585-2821.
Give the gift of history! Hot off the press is the 2023 Fort Ticonderoga Bulletin, which can be purchased in our online Museum Store. A Fort Ticonderoga Membership allows for 365 days of adventure! FREE Virtual Author & Fort Fever Series, living history events, and Seminar & Shopping Discounts. Start your holiday shopping today at https://www.fortticonderoga.org/.
About Fort Ticonderoga
Welcoming visitors since 1909, Fort Ticonderoga is a historic site, museum, center of learning and major cultural destination. Fort Ticonderoga engages more than 70,000 visitors each year on site 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 owned and operated by The Fort Ticonderoga Association, a non-profit educational organization which serves its mission to preserve, educate and provoke an active discussion about the past and its importance to present and future generations. Fort Ticonderoga reaches more than 30 million people through its digital outreach each year through its Center for Digital History and is supported in part through generous donations and with some general operating support made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts. To view Fort Ticonderoga’s electronic press kit, click here. © The Fort Ticonderoga Association. 2023 All Rights Reserved.