Living Our Dream

The King's Garden and the Restoration of Fort Ticonderoga

Westport, NY - Events of Saturday, July 27, 2013

At the end of our last post we mentioned the King's Garden. The King's Garden is outside the fort and can be accessed by following a walking trail from the front of the fort less than a quarter mile to the garden or by pulling off the main entry drive to the fort at the separate parking area for the garden.

Back in the mid-1700s, Fort Ticonderoga was in the wilderness, and there were no local farms from which to get food. Therefore, the garrison at the fort had to grow their own food. Early maps of the fort refer to the garrison garden as the King's Garden. The greenhouse in the photo below is obviously from a later period. We'll have more on that shortly.

Vegetable plot at the King's Garden

We also ended the last post with Fort Ticonderoga being abandoned by the British following the American War for Independence. With our independence won and the war over, the young U.S. Government had no use for the fort, so it turned the fort and the surrounding land over to the State of New York.

In 1803, the state donated the fort and land to Columbia and Union Colleges. The colleges subsequently sold the fort and 546 acres to William Pell in 1820. Pell built a summer home adjacent to the ruins of the fort, and he planted a pleasure garden near the home. Today, there is a Discovery Garden.

Discovery Garden

Another view of the Discovery Garden

When William Pell's first summer home burned in 1825, he built another the following year called the Pavilion. After the tragic death of Pell's eldest son at the Pavilion in 1839, Pell never returned. In fact, the elder Pell also died a short time after his son, some say of a broken heart.

The coming of the railroad in the mid-1800s brought with it tourists wanting to see the ruins of the fort. Therefore, the Pell family turned the Pavilion into a hotel.

Stephen Pell, grandson of William Pell, was an amateur historian. Around 1909, he took an interest in restoring Fort Ticonderoga, and enlisted the help of his wealthy father-in-law who pledged $500,000 - a LOT of money back then.

While Stephen Pell undertook restoration of the fort, his wife, Sarah, oversaw restoration of the Pavilion and the pleasure garden. Sarah Pell had the greenhouse in the photos above built to supply flowers for her garden. In 1920, Sarah hired one of the first female landscape architects, Marian Cruger Coffin, to design a formal, walled garden adjacent to the Pavilion. She called new garden, which was designed in the Italian Renaissance style,  the Kings Garden in honor of the original garrison garden.

One of several entrance gates to the new King's Garden

Another view of the King's Garden

The King's Garden with the Pavilion in the background

Asiatic lilies in the King's Garden

By the late 1980s, the Pell family was no longer using the Pavilion. The house and garden were neglected because more pressing issues were being addressed at the fort. Finally, in 1997, the Fort Ticonderoga Association, which was established in 1931 by Stephen and Sarah Pell to care for the fort and which still owns and operates the fort today, began restoring the garden using Marian Coffin's original plan. The gardens were opened to the public in 2001.

Restoration of the Pavilion was supposedly started in 2009. Although it doesn't look too bad from a distance, you can tell it still has a long way to go when you see it from a closer perspective.

The Pavilion

By the time we left Fort Ticonderoga, it was mid afternoon, and we were hungry. We thought that might be the case, so Margery researched restaurants in the area of the fort ahead of time, and she found Burleigh's Luncheonette in downtown Ticonderoga. On the way, we passed Centennial Falls, which is one of the many falls and rapids on the Le Chute River. The river drops 230 feet on its 3½-mile course connecting Lake George to Lake Champlain. The location of the fort was originally selected to protect the portage route around the Le Chute River falls and rapids.

Centennial Falls on the Le Chute River in the town of Ticonderoga

When we got to downtown, the main street in front of the restaurant was closed for their Saturday farmer's market. We lucked out and found a parking spot on the side street right next to the restaurant.

Burleigh's Luncheonette

The restaurant is a typical, old-fashioned luncheonette with plenty of counter seating and a short-order cook working the flat-top grill and deep fryers right behind the counter.

Inside Burleigh's Luncheonette

Margery had a burger ($3.50) with onion rings ($3), and Paul had a cheeseburger ($4) with sweet potato fries ($2.50).

Paul with our lunches at Burleigh's

The food was very good and the prices were reasonable. The burgers were at least 1/3 pound of freshly ground meat, and they were fairly juicy. The sides were good, too.

With our bellies full, we headed back to the motor home to do some of our pre-departure chores in the afternoon and to relax in the evening. We headed out to our next destination on Sunday morning. We'll tell you where that was in our next post.

Fort Ticonderoga

Westport, NY - Events of Saturday, July 20, 2013

One reason we decided to stop in Westport, NY was to see Fort Ticonderoga, which is located about 20 minutes south of the campground. We headed there on Saturday.

Fort Ticonderoga played important roles in both the French and Indian War and the American War for Independence. The fort was originally called Fort Carillon when it was built by the French from 1754 to 1757 during the French and Indian War. The site was chosen to protect the portage route between Lake George and Lake Champlain from possible British attack into Canada from the south.

We arrived at the fort shortly after 10:00 a.m. and paid our admission fee at the entrance booth. Admission is $14.50 for adults and $12.00 for seniors. There is also a 10% discount on all admission fees for AAA members. We drove the long entry road and parked. After a quick stop in the visitor center, we headed past the outer bastions toward the entrance of fort.

Outer bastions

Fort Ticonderoga

We arrived during a demonstration of firing of muskets.

Costumed interpreter firing his musket

We usually don't sightsee on Saturdays to avoid crowds, but going to the fort on Saturday turned out to be a good thing because it was the Annual Fife and Drum Muster with fife and drum corps from several locations throughout the northeast on hand to play. Following the musket demonstration, the Fifes and Drums of Fort Ticonderoga assembled outside the fort to begin a march to the King's Garden. We'll have more on the garden in our next post.

The Fifes and Drums of Fort Ticonderoga

After the fifes and drums had headed off down the path toward the garden, we made our way inside the fort.

View of the inside of the fort looking toward the officers' quarters

We weren't inside the fort very long until the Hanaford's Volunteers Fife and Drum Corps marched up from the visitor center and began playing. Different fife and drum corps took turns playing almost the entire time we were there, which really added a lot to the ambiance.

Hanaford's Volunteers Fife and Drum Corps

With the regular staff of costumed interpreters plus all the fife and drum corps at the fort that day walking around in costume between their scheduled performances, we almost felt like we were back in the 1700s.

Members of other fife and drum corps watching Hanaford's Volunteers

More costumed interpreters

Another costumed interpreter

Yet another interpreter demonstrating mending and sewing

The soldiers' barracks have been converted to a museum. On display are various artifacts relating to the time period of the fort, details about the history of the fort and a section devoted to the 5 U.S. Navy vessels that have been named Ticonderoga.

From the upper floor of the museum, there were great views of the lake.

View of Lake Champlain

The pane of glass in the lower right corner of the window shown below is called "bulls-eye glass," which is created by the process used to make window glass back in the 1700s. Glass was blown into a globe then whirled to flatten and enlarge it by centfugal force. After cooling, The large, round, flat piece of glass would be cut into smaller, rectangular panes. Much of the early glass had ripples from the blowing and flattening process. Since nothing was wasted back in those days, the piece in the center where the worker's rod was attached, the bulls-eye, was also used. The bulls-eye glass at Fort Ticonderoga is reproduction.

View of Lake Champlain through a window with a pane of bulls-eye glass

During the French and Indian War, the British attacked Fort Carillon in 1758 and were soundly defeated by the defending French. In 1759, the British led another attack and this time were successful in capturing the fort. Controlling the route from Canada through Lakes Champlain and George into New York greatly restricted the French supply route. The British changed the name from Fort Carillon to Fort Ticonderoga, which is the Indian name for the area meaning "land between great waters" referring to Lakes George and Champlain.

Following the French and Indian War, the British reduced the garrison at Fort Ticonderoga. In May, 1775, in the early days of the Revolutionary War, Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys along with Benedict Arnold (yes, THAT Benedict Arnold - he was a Revolutionary War hero before he became a traitor) captured Fort Ticonderoga without firing a shot. It seems the small British garrison at the fort was unaware of the hostilities that had broken out at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts the month before and apparently didn't even have a sentry posted. The Green mountain Boys simply walked into the fort and demanded its surrender. The fort commander was so taken by surprise he had no recourse but to comply.

The capture of the fort in May, 1775 was a key event in the Revolutionary War. During those early days of the war, Boston was under siege by the English Navy. The navy had Boston Harbor under a blockade so no ships could get in or out. Henry Knox, who was the chief artillery officer of the Continental Army under George Washington, persuaded Washington to allow him to go to Fort Ticonderoga and bring its cannons and arms to Boston during the winter of 1775-76.

The trip was arduous during winter. It took teams of oxen 56 days to haul the cannons the 300-mile distance to Boston.

Miniature scene depicting hauling cannons from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston

By early spring, those cannons were placed at Dorchester Heights overlooking Boston Harbor. The British realized they would no longer be able to hold the harbor and were forced to withdraw thus freeing Boston. This was a major victory for the fledgling Continental Army.

Unfortunately, even with the commanding view of Lake Champlian, Fort Ticonderoga has a major weakness - it does not occupy the highest ground in the area. By managing to place cannons on higher ground on nearby Mount Defiance, the British were able to force the Patriots to withdraw from Fort Ticonderoga in July, 1777 without having to fire any of the cannons. With a British defeat in later in 1777 at the Battle of Saratoga, Fort Ticonderoga became increasingly irrelevant, and it was abandoned by the British.  

Following the Revolutionary War, the abandoned Fort Ticonderoga fell into disrepair. We'll tell you about how it was restored in our next post. We also mentioned that one of the fife and drum corps was marching to the King's Garden when we first arrived. We'll also tell you about the King's Garden and how it's related to the restoration of the fort in our next post.

Niagara Falls Part III: Old Fort Niagara

Youngstown, NY - Events of Monday, July 16, 2013

Fort Niagara was only a short distance away from 4-Mile Creek State Park. We were interested in learning more about the history of the fort, so we headed there on Monday morning.

Although the Old Fort Niagara is part of Fort Niagara State Park, the fort itself is operated by a non-profit group called the Old Fort Niagara Association. Admission is $12 ($11 for seniors).

We arrived about 10:40, and there was a video about the fort scheduled to be shown at 11:00. That gave us time to look around museum in the visitor center first. The museum traces the history of the area and of the fort and displays artifacts unearthed during archaeological digs.

Margery in the visitor center museum

The video is well done and gives an excellent history of the fort. The first fort on the banks of Lake Ontario at the mouth of the Niagara River was Fort Conti built in 1678 by French explorer LaSalle. Fort Conti, which was little more than a trading post, burned later that year. Fort Denonville was built by the Governor of New France in 1687 and was the second fort built on the site. Fort Denonville was abandoned and the stockades were pulled down the following year due to conflicts with the Iroquois Indians.

Finally, in 1726, the French built a permanent fort on the site - Fort Niagara. They realized the strategic importance of the area at the mouth of the Niagara River. Back then, the best way to travel was on water since there were no roads. Ships could travel up the St. Lawrence River and across Lake Ontario. Smaller boats had to be used to travel up the Niagara River because of they had to be portaged around the falls and rapids. Once above the rapids, boats could gain access to the entire center of the North American Continent by means of the Great Lakes and the many rivers that surround them. Protecting this vital access route meant France could control the center of the continent.

After the video, a docent was available to answer questions and to lead the group into the fort. It isn't a full tour of the fort, just an additional introduction.

The building the French erected at the mouth of the Niagara River was fortified and could house a small garrison of soldiers, but it was constructed to look like a large stone house and trading post. That was done to ease the suspicions of the Iroquois, who would not allow a masonry fort. The stone building became known as the French Castle, although that name didn't come into use until the 1800s. The stone house and a small stockade were all that were on the site initially. Even the small building to the left that served as the bakehouse wasn't added until 1862.

The French Castle - the original building of Fort Niagara

After the introductory tour by the docent, we started the self-guided portion of our tour by heading to the French Castle. One of the most important features of the structure was the trade room. In addition to being a military fort, Fort Niagara was also a trading post. Indians would bring furs, which were highly sought after, to trade for manufactured goods brought by ship from Europe. The fort also stocked supplies for trading expeditions heading to the interior.

Storeroom of trade goods

Most of the garrison was housed within the stone house in the early days of the fort. 

Barracks for enlisted men

Commanding officer's quarters

The chapel at the fort was the first permanent church in western New York. 

Chapel

There are a number of re-enactors at the fort including soldiers who periodically conduct drills and fire their muskets and craftsmen like the woodworker shown below who was building a stool.

Craftsman building a stool

In the mid-1740s and 1750s when tensions between Britain and France were growing, France began to expand the fort. The main entrance to the fort was on the lake side, but the gate shown below was added in 1756 on the land side. The gate has a drawbridge that could be raised in the event of trouble. The original gatehouse was wood. The existing stone gate is a 1931 reconstruction.

Reconstructed stone gatehouse

The French also added a larger powder magazine in 1757. The magazine is the building in the distance in the photo below. There is a thick layer of earth between the roof and an arched ceiling inside to protect the gunpowder in the magazine from mortar shells fired at the building.

Powder magazine in the distance, storehouse to the left

The storehouse to the left in the above photo was built by the British in 1762 to hold provisions for their large garrison. Inside the storehouse was an exhibit that demonstrated the effectiveness of pulleys to lift heavy loads. To the left in the photo was a single pulley which required a lot of force to lift the heavy barrel. Compound pulleys on the other two barrels made them much easier to lift.

Demonstration of compound pulleys

The French and Indian War broke out between Britain and France in 1754 and lasted until 1763. The British captured Fort Niagara in 1859 after a 19-day siege. Following the war, the British expanded the fort further. Among other things, they added two reboubts - one in 1770 and a second in 1771. Reboubts are kind of a fort within a fort. They have cannons on the top deck and sleeping quarters on the second floor.

One of two reboubts added by the British in 1770 and 1771

Quarters for soldiers on the second floor of the redoubt

Mattresses would have been placed side by side on the wooden platforms on each side of the room in the photo above.

During the American War for Independence, fur trade continued with the British using Fort Niagara to protect the Niagara Falls portage route. With the area firmly in British hands, loyalists fleeing from the American rebels in Pennsylvania and New York took refuge at Fort Niagara. Many of them were recruited to fight against the rebels. Raids from Fort Niagara on Pennsylvania and New York farms threatened the American food supply. American forces attempted to retaliate, but only got within 80 miles of the fort and were never able to capture it.

Britain ceded Fort Niagara to the United Stated in 1883 after the Treaty of Paris was signed ending the American War for Independence. Britain didn't actually relinquish possession of the fort to the United States until 1896. After that, Britain continued to maintain a presence in the region by building Fort George directly across the river in Canada.

When the War of 1812 broke out between the United States and Britain, Fort George had the Americans at Fort Niagara at a disadvantage. The cannon battery at Fort George sat 9' higher than that at Fort Niagara, and Fort Niagara's main defenses faced the wrong direction to protect against cannon fire from across the river. The Americans overcame height difference by removing the roof from the French Castle and converting its top floor into a cannon deck.

After a long siege from Fort Niagara and from American ships offshore on Lake Ontario, Fort George fell to the Americans in 1813. The Americans burned what was left of the fort, and also burned the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake (then called Newark) to prevent the British from gaining winter shelter. The British were so angered by what they saw as the senseless destruction of private property that they launched a stealth offensive on the night of Dec. 19, 1813 and captured Fort Niagara. At the end of the War of 1812, Britain ceded Fort Niagara to the United States a second time.

Construction of the Erie and Welland Canals around the mid-1820s reduced the strategic importance of Fort Niagara. Gone was the necessity of guarding the portage route around Niagara Falls and the rapids.

Although the fort was unoccupied at the start of the Civil War, the Union was afraid Britain would intervene on the side of the Confederacy so a garrison was sent to the fort and the earthworks surrounding the fort were replaced by brick bastions in 1863.

Brick bastions built in 1863

Cannons were placed in casements within the bastion.

Cannon casements within the brick bastion

Fort Niagara never saw any action during the Civil War because relations with Britain improved. The fort was used primarily for training during that time.

Military armaments during the Civil War had advanced to the point where the fortifications of Fort Niagara, even with the additions of the brick bastions, were obsolete. Therefore, in the 1870s, construction of a "new" Fort Niagara was begun. The new fort was used primarily for training in the late 1800s and during WWI and WWII. It was also used as a POW camp during WWII for troops captured in Africa and Europe.

Old Fort Niagara was sadly neglected by the 1920s. Fortunately, the historical significance of the site was recognized, and a group of concerned citizens formed the Old Fort Niagara Association which restored the buildings and which operates and maintains the site today.

In 1963, the army left new Fort Niagara. The only military presence today is a Coast Guard station.

Fort Niagara Coast Guard Station

Fort Niagara is the site of the first lighthouse on the Great Lakes. It was originally a lantern room on the roof of the French Castle. The stone lighthouse pictured below was built outside the fort in 1871. We stopped for a photo on the way to the car.

Fort Niagara Lighthouse

From Fort Niagara, we headed to Niagara Falls for another adventure. We'll tell you all about it in our next post.