Fort Ticonderoga will celebrate Independence Day with special events and programming during the holiday weekend, July 2nd through 4th.
Attendees will be able to experience the American Revolution on the very ground on which the fight for liberty occurred, with museum staff and costumed interpreters recreating and exploring the events of the year 1777. Guests will follow the footsteps of the Continental Army and see first-hand the struggle for freedom.
On display as part of the “A Well Regulated Militia: Citizen, Soldier, and State” exhibit, is the uniform coat of the Boston Company of Cadets, the oldest surviving American-made uniform in existence. An officer’s gorget, from the reformed company in 1776, quite literally erased British symbols, replacing them with the letters “US” that reveals how far the colonial rebellion had evolved into a war for independence. These and other significant artifacts will be on display all Independence Day weekend as we reflect on the extensive struggle to achieve nationhood.
Advance reservations are required for the following two special events and are available for completed online.
Sunset Boat Cruise on Saturday, July 2nd. Attendees can enjoy a relaxing summer evening aboard the Carillon tour boat and revel in the region’s scenic beauty. Toast to the King’s health with a complimentary cocktail of soldiers’ rum punch, while learning about Ticonderoga’s rich maritime history. A selection of beer, wine, soft drinks, snacks, and signature cocktails, featuring Stonecutters Spirits are available for purchase. Gates open at 6 pm, boat departs promptly at 6:30 pm. Advanced registration is required and can be completed online.
Daily activities included with admission:
Search for Liberty: A Family Adventure!
This hands-on activity tasks the whole family with finding the tools and materials that equipped Continental Soldiers at Fort Ticonderoga. Whether helping tend the garden greens that kept soldiers well or examining the shoe leather that protected soldier’s feet on a long march, young and old can explore the details of daily life for soldiers together. Continental Dollars and the Quartermaster’s stamp await those who complete these vital tasks to secure liberty.
Key to the Continent Tours
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 242 years. Explore how two decades of military occupation culminated with rich cultures and characters at Ticonderoga in 1777.
Musket Demonstrations
American soldiers, behind a wall of earth, steeled their nerves to hold their ground as the British Army landed to attack in 1777. See how an army of farmers and tradesmen used their muskets & bayonets to hold back British & German soldiers.
The Power of Oxen
Immensely powerful teams of oxen were vital to the Continental Army at Ticonderoga. Yoked oxen hauled logs miles from the woods surrounding Ticonderoga to repair American defensive works. See teams of oxen in action and discover their work in the summer of 1777.
Garden Marches
Follow the Fifes & Drums of Fort Ticonderoga down to the King’s Garden. Enjoy your favorite 18th-century tunes and marches with this group as your musical guide.
Guided Tours of the Fort Ticonderoga Museum
Exhibitions staff will lead guests 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 and cultural objects. Get the scoop on the most significant, rare, and interesting pieces in the collection.
Breaking Ground: A Tour of the Historic Gardens
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.
Fife and Drum Concerts
From the earliest patriotic songs which inspired a nation, to the everyday duties and marches that regulated army life, listen to the fifes and drums of the American defenders of Ticonderoga. See the massed fifers and drummers of the many regiments who were charged with holding the British Army at bay.
“A Return of Arms” Sunday, July 3rd only
As the British Army’s siege tightened around American-held Ticonderoga, brand new muskets delivered to the Americans fresh from France were too valuable to leave crated up inside the fort. See these vital arms from a secret ally exchanged for the worn-out arms brought by American soldiers to Ticonderoga.
Cannon Demonstrations
Watch a cannon and its crew in their element, holding the British Army back with shot, fired from the earthen walls of a redoubt. Explore how the science of gunnery and field fortification were applied in the defense of Ticonderoga in July, 1777.
Mount Defiance: Witness to History Tours
Oh, the stories this graceful hill overlooking Fort Ticonderoga could tell! As Fort Ticonderoga relives 1777, discover the unique tactical role of Mount Defiance in the story of this decisive campaign fought for our independence.
Fort Ticonderoga is located at 102 Fort Ti Road, in Ticonderoga. For more information, visit their website.
Photo of Independence Day Weekend at Fort Ticonderoga provided.
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