After the British capture of Fort Ticonderoga on July 5, 1777, Major General Benjamin Lincoln was ordered to Vermont to organize militia being raised in New England, with part of his mission to harass General John Burgoyne‘s long supply and communication lines to Canada. That September, following the Battle of Bennington, Lincoln sent three 500-man detachments to take on this task. [Read more…] about Fort Ticonderoga To Reenact 1777 Brown’s Raid
Ticonderoga
1860: A Southern Tourist Gives Saratoga, Lake George Mixed Reviews
George Mercer, a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, took a summer trip to Saratoga Springs with a buddy after sightseeing at West Point. He had a pretty good time, but not a great time.
He enjoyed the nightlife, but wasn’t impressed with the ladies; he went boating on Lake George, but complained of the heat. Sounds like today, right? Try 1860. [Read more…] about 1860: A Southern Tourist Gives Saratoga, Lake George Mixed Reviews
1875: The Ticonderoga Sentinel Returns
The Ticonderoga Sentinel resumed publication on June 4th, 1875 after several weeks of dormancy — a “New Sentinel” printed on a new Fairhaven brand press, sporting a new masthead and laid out in a new format with additional front-page advertising.
Ticonderoga is in Essex County, NY, between the outlet of Lake George and Lake Champlain. [Read more…] about 1875: The Ticonderoga Sentinel Returns
The Showboat Era on Lake George 1933-1937
When the sidewheel steamboat Horicon II was launched on Lake George in 1910, she was both the longest and fastest passenger vessel to ever sail the lake. Over the next 29 years, she would be used for transportation of cargo and residents around the lake, as well as cruises for tourists.
The construction of a road on the west side of the lake, as well as the region’s rapidly increasing mobility with the introduction of the automobile, brought a dramatic decline in passengers. In response to this trend, in 1932 the Delaware & Hudson Railroad, owners of the steamboats on the lake through the Lake George Steamboat Company, announced that they would not be running boats that year. [Read more…] about The Showboat Era on Lake George 1933-1937
The Sinking of the Lake George Steamboat John Jay
On July 30th, 1856 the 140-feet long John Jay (built in 1850) was delayed at Ticonderoga’s Baldwin Dock waiting on the stagecoach from Lake Champlain, where the large number of passengers required several trips to get everyone to the boat.
It wasn’t until 7 pm that the Jay, now loaded with 70 people, pulled away from the dock. About an hour later they were ten miles down the lake. Below, the fireman stoked the boilers as they made top speed – then the worst happened. [Read more…] about The Sinking of the Lake George Steamboat John Jay
America 250 Patriots Marker Dedicated at Fort Ti
Commemorations for the 250th anniversary of the American War for Independence are underway at Fort Ticonderoga. The museum has started developing plans and exploring partnerships at the state and national levels to mark this historic anniversary.
Through exhibits, events, publications, and programs, Fort Ticonderoga seeks to increase access and awareness and expand educational impact related to the monumental history of the complex struggle to achieve independence. [Read more…] about America 250 Patriots Marker Dedicated at Fort Ti
Henry Burleigh, Benjamin Harrison’s Peacock Feather & Political Reporting
Sing along with me to the tune of a familiar nursery rhyme song.
Everywhere that Burleigh went, Burleigh went, Burleigh went – everywhere that Burleigh went the press was sure to follow.
The press followed H.G. Burleigh, a 19th century State Assemblyman, Congressman and political power broker from Whitehall and Ticonderoga, because reporters knew there would always be an entertaining story that more often than not came with a nugget of breaking news. [Read more…] about Henry Burleigh, Benjamin Harrison’s Peacock Feather & Political Reporting
President Taft At Old Ticonderoga
President William Howard Taft dozed for nearly five hours in the wee hours of the July 6th, 1909 morning as The Mayflower, his private rail car, was parked at the esplanade end of track No. 13 at Grand Central Station inn the city of New York. [Read more…] about President Taft At Old Ticonderoga
Teddy In Ticonderoga: Get Me From the Train On Time
Republican gubernatorial candidate Nathan Miller was on such a tight schedule on October 12th, 1920 that one of the keynote speakers in his entourage got left behind at the railroad depot south of Ticonderoga village, on Lake Champlain.
At least that’s the official explanation. [Read more…] about Teddy In Ticonderoga: Get Me From the Train On Time
Ben Stickney’s Press: A New York Inventor’s Piece of World Postal History
Appeals from officials in the Adirondacks of Upstate New York to President Calvin Coolidge in 1924 resulted in the reappointment to federal government service of “undoubtedly the greatest inventive genius that Essex County has ever produced.”
Benjamin R. Stickney, a Moriah Center native, was a chief engineer at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing when President Warren Harding dismissed Stickney and 27 other federal bureaucrats, without notice, on March 27, 1922. [Read more…] about Ben Stickney’s Press: A New York Inventor’s Piece of World Postal History