The Lake George Battlefield Park Visitor Center opened for its third season on May 24. The center, located on the bottom floor (rear entrance) of 75 Fort George Road in Lake George, will maintain a weekend and holidays schedule of 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., through the end of June, when it moves to five days per week (Thursday to Monday).
More than 5,000 guests viewed the exhibits at the visitor center during its initial two seasons. Admission is free for all guests.
The center has a wide array of exhibits to explain the significance of the Battlefield Park in American history. These exhibits include four models: two forts, the 1758 radeau Land Tortoise, and the 1756 sloop Earl of Loudoun. Display cases contain artifacts from Native Americans, the French and Indian War (1754-1763), and the American Revolution (1775-1783), as well as from the sloop Earl of Loudoun, the radeau Land Tortoise, and several bateaux. Ten 3×4-foot color resin panels, explaining the history of the park from the habitation of indigenous people through the end of the American Revolution, line the walls of the visitor center.
A large diorama, depicting the departure of the 1758 British expedition, consisting of more than 15,000 troops in hundreds of vessels, was a new exhibit in 2023, donated by the Adirondack Experience (formerly the Adirondack Museum). Two 13-inch diameter, 160-plus-pound intact iron mortar bombs/shells that date from the 1757 French or 1758 British campaigns are new exhibits for 2024. The mortar bombs were recovered by the Adirondack Museum during the 1960s with a permit from New York State authorities. The artifacts were found on a flat-bottomed shipwreck, similar to a bateau but with heavier framing and a second deck at the bow and stern. The vessel was discovered in the southern basin of Lake George. The bombs had been displayed at the Adirondack Museum for a number of years before being returned to New York State. The bombs are on loan to the Battlefield Park Visitor Center by the New York State Museum.
Children will have the opportunity to learn about the art of decorating powder horns during the colonial wars and to color their own powder horn drawings. Even at times when the center is closed, the park’s history can be explored via QR code-directed videos.
Several temporary exhibits are planned for this summer. The first will discuss findings related to the stockaded fort that was located on the northern crest of the park’s east side.
As part of America 250, our curation chair, Dr. Lyn Karig Hohmann, is starting a new project to collect family stories related to ancestors who took part in the colonial wars in or around Lake George Battlefield Park. These can bring home the human side of the events in this area. They will be showcased in a portfolio at the visitor center. Family stories can either be brought to the center or emailed to the alliance at info@lakegeorgebattlefield.org