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richfed
Sachem
USA
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
May 13 2002
Status: offline
Administrator |
 Posted - May 25 2003 : 07:24:36 AM
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We were headed to Fort William Henry.
It stands, on the southern shore of Lake George, in stark contrast to Fort Ticonderoga on the northern end. Commercialization has, unfortunately, long ago overtaken the area around Colonel Monro's old stomping grounds. That's probably the main complaint that I've heard from visitors since establishing this web site back in '97. Not too much can be done around the site, but within improvements are a-happening. I believe there is a move toward better display & interpretation at Fort William Henry, and that is good! Even with the commercial build-up, the site is historic ground, the lake is gorgeous, and there are many fascinating places adjacent to the fort itself ... like the massacre site and Fort George ruins!
Where to go for good information on this historic location - so very central to the core of the very existence of this web site? Well, - and, I really hate to have to say this  ... Right Here!!!
Thanks largely to the extensive & ongoing reports from the scene by FWH staff member Tim Cordell, you can't really find more on-line info on this place than on this web site. Photos, maps, side bars of all descriptions ... tour the area with his From the Ramparts .... Plus, in our History Section there is more, self-penned by Elaine & I, material on the siege, Montcalm, Monro, and more ...
My last visit was about 6 years ago - and I think it's probably much better now - and I thoroughly enjoyed myself there. OH! And, if time permits, you can sit down in one of the Fort's rooms & watch a viewing of the 1936 edition of The Last of the Mohicans - a special treat - right there on the historic ground. How unique is that?!?
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Wilderness Woman
Watcher of the Wood
USA
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
November 27 2002
Status: offline
Donating Member |
 Posted - May 25 2003 : 11:04:47 AM
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Well, there is just really no excuse for me!
This is easily a day-trip for me... and I have never been there! I know, I know... it's shameful.
I really want to remedy that very soon. Perhaps this summer! |
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CT•Ranger
Colonial Militia
USA
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
October 14 2002
Status: offline
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 Posted - May 25 2003 : 11:29:59 PM
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I was there around '94 or '95 and the fort was still vintage 1950s. It was more like going back in time to the 1950s, rather than the 1750s. The only redeeming fact about the fort was that it was built on the same spot and was roughly the same size, although it's missing a barracks building and the entrance is on the wrong side. The interpretive guides were in horrible costumes, the displays were bad, the gift store was full of junk. I've heard that things have improved slightly, hopefully that's true. Just don't expect too much, and you won't be dissapointed.
There's not much to see at these places, but they're quite historical; the site of the 1755 battle of Lake George to the east of the fort, which later became the entrenched camp of 1757. There's also Sabbath Day point where the Jersey Blues were ambushed and massacred before the French assault on William Henry in '57. And Rogers' Rock where Rogers and other rangers supposedly slid down to make their escape after the "Battle on Snowshoes." |
YMHS,
Connecticut•Ranger
Thomas Thacher
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Fitz Williams
Colonial Militia
USA
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
May 19 2002
Status: offline
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Posted - May 26 2003 : 12:50:29 AM
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quote:
It was more like going back in time to the 1950s
I have heard it referred to as "Fort Disney". I am glad to hear it is getting better. |
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Tim Cordell
Pioneer
USA
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
July 18 2002
Status: offline
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Posted - May 26 2003 : 3:51:52 PM
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Fort William Henry. Let's be thankful that the ground was saved. In the 1950's the purpose was two-fold...Save the ground and have the newly-built fort pay for its upkeep by offering an historic experience for the public through an admission fee. Unlike Ti, Stanwix, Saratoga etc., Fort Wm. Henry is not funded. This is the Adirondacks-a tourist destination. Businesses have from the July 4th weekend until the Labor Day weekend (8 weeks) to make enough income to survive the rest of the year. It seems to me that there are those "historically sensitive" persons out there who conveniently ignore this hard fact. My point is ...the Fort requires an enormous sum each year to just keep up with maintenance and I feel that, all variables considered, they do a great job and deliver a quality venue. As far as Fort Wm. Henry is concerned, I love the place and it's because I can see real artifacts from the period and because I can stand in the courtyard and not only know that I am on the wonderful ground but also can look out at the exact landforms that our ancestors looked out at so long ago. To anyone with a sense of place, the fact that the fort has been rebuilt should be secondary to that one experience alone. The hourly cannon and musket demos give those visitors who may never have smelled the rotten eggs of 18th century powder at least a new experience and I know that these demos are appreciated and LONG remembered. Go to Bunker Hill and see how much of a "sense of place" you get... Impossible. And, I suggest that those reenactors who may want to educate the "clueless public", that they might consider upgrading their own historical experience by putting aside the buckle shoes and muskets and joining their local archaeological association. Take your hobby to the next level and connect directly with history. Helps round out the role. Remember, if Fort William Henry was not on the ground...there would most assuredly be a putt putt golf course in its place for your enjoyment..Warmest regards, Tim Cordell
P.S. Don't get into a snit over this. Consider the message.
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Tim Cordell |
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scotranger
Pathfinder
USA
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
May 04 2003
Status: offline
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Posted - May 26 2003 : 4:37:10 PM
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| Unfortunately, I haven't had the opportunity to venture up north to William Henry, Ticonderoga or Niagra. I'd like to get there in the next year or two. My work schedule does not permit me to leave for any longer than a day or two. I guess I'll just have to be happy with the Historic Sites in and around Western PA. Just a note, Fort Pitt should be a fantastic place to visit once the second floor is finished, but sometimes the hoops you have to jump through to secure funding for new exhibits get stuck around your waist. |
Scotranger
"NATIVUM RETINET DECUS-ET DOMI, ET FORIS" |
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Scott Bubar
Colonial Militia
USA
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
May 17 2002
Status: offline
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Posted - May 26 2003 : 5:27:48 PM
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I think it's wonderful that they managed to preserve the fifties. It's important that we have a place where the young can visit those ancient times.
Seriously, I do think we are very lucky that this ground was saved. Historical inaccuracies in the reconstructed fort can always be corrected in time. It's a truly lovely spot, and it doesn't take much imagination to clear away the modern town (which I also like) and get a sense of what was happening back in the 1750's.
I think "Fort Disney" is way harsh, and the gift shop is just a gift shop as in so many other historical sites.
Ticonderoga has the good fortune to be in an area that was never built up, but I personally don't feel that surrounding modern construction necessarily distracts from the historicity of of a site. After all, in Europe and elsewhere you have site that are centuries, and even millenia old that coexist with the current living city.
When you're at William Henry, you're on the ground--the actual ground, complete with buried bones, etc.--where it happened. |
~~Aim small, miss small. |
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Theresa
Bumppo's Tavern Proprietress
USA
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
May 17 2002
Status: offline
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Posted - May 26 2003 : 6:52:45 PM
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Thanks, Tim. Here in Alabama and only an hour's drive from my home is Fort Toulouse. It was used mainly for trade in the 1700's and then later Andrew Jackson built Fort Jackson there on his way to New Orleans. They are currently doing archeological digs there. A French Colonial farmstead has been discovered and once all the artifacts have been removed and the grid completed to verify the actual architecture of the site, it will be reconstructed.
I venture that way every once in a while on my own, usually when nothing is going on and while not many visitors are there. I must admit that it is an experience to stand along the river and imagine the Creek Indians canoeing down stream. Or to just stand among the trees with the Spanish moss hanging and wonder what it must have been like then..."Am I standing on ground where Natives once stood?" You've inspired me to take that trek again sometime this summer. Thanks. |
Theresa |
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Fort William Henry
