In 1854, a white marble obelisk was erected at the grave of Colonel Ephraim Williams. The site is located three miles south of Lake George. The British provincial officer was killed on September 8, 1755 by French-led forces at the Battle of Lake George.
One hundred and two years after the stone pillar was installed at the Williams’ grave, Fort William Henry Corporation workers built a 20-foot high x 40-foot long wooden billboard near the site. The sign was positioned adjacent to Route 9.
The 41-year-old Williams, from Deerfield, Massachusetts, perished during “Bloody Morning Scout,” the initial hostilities of the Battle of Lake George.
The French and their Indigenous allies ambushed Williams’ column of 1,000 British soldiers and 200 Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) warriors.
The British-directed detachment was traveling along the military road from Lake George to Fort Lyman (later known as Fort Edward). Following daylong combat, the Battle of Lake George resulted in a British victory during the French & Indian War (1755–1763).
According to Dr. Russell P. Bellico’s book, Sails and Steam in the Mountains: A Maritime and Military History of Lake George and Lake Champlain, prior to that military campaign, Ephraim Williams drafted a will.
He bestowed a tract of land that became Williamstown, Massachusetts where in 1773, a school was founded. In 1793, the educational institution was appropriately named – Williams College.
Over half a century later in 1854, Williams College alumni erected the Berkshire marble column at Williams’ grave. Unfortunately, over the decades, the picturesque stonework was repeatedly damaged by souvenir seekers who chipped fragments from the monolith.
In 1920, Colonel Williams’ remains were re-interred to the college chapel.
By 1954, heritage tourism had gained momentum at Lake George as replica Fort William Henry opened to eager history buffs. Two-years later, the principals of Fort William Henry Museum paid for a panoramic wooden panel that was constructed close to the Williams’ death site.
On August 4, 1956, Edwin J. McEnaney, president of Fort William Henry Corporation, formally granted the new signage to a Williams College delegation. The institution’s contingent included prominent alumni as well as Wyllis E. Wright, the college’s librarian and a Williams biographer. Years later, the aging billboard was removed.
In 2005, the pockmarked obelisk, then over a century-and-a-half old, was taken down and transported to Williams College. In its place a new lithic pillar was added, as well as other visitor amenities. These included additional parking, informational plaques, and a foot trail from Route 9 to the Williams memorial.
A version of this article first appeared on the Lake George Mirror, America’s oldest resort paper, covering Lake George and its surrounding environs. You can subscribe to the Mirror HERE.
Read more about the French and Indian War in New York.
Illustrations, from above: F.C. Yohn’s painting of the death of Colonel Ephraim Williams; a postcard showing the first Ephraim Williams Monument; and the billboard erected in 1956 (courtesy Williams College Archives and Special Collections).
This is so interesting as I would always look for his gravesite while riding by there as a kid (we spent our summers at LG) but I am not sure I remember the billboard being there. Even now at 61 I look as I have become a history buff in my old age. I collect postcards and have a few different ones that were produced of the monument and I thought I had seen a stereoview of it for sale on eBay so it surely was a draw at some point to many folks besides me.
Great article!
I’m pretty sure I remember the billboard by the site. Several local history organizations are now trying to restore the area and improve its accessibility, with the full cooperation of Williams College. Hopefully those efforts will begin bearing fruit next year.