“Fort Ticonderoga, Ticonderoga, NY” by Mwanner – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons –

Welcome to Fort Ticonderoga ! It sits high above the western shore of Lake Champlain.  Originally , it  was constructed by the French and called Carillon. It was the site of bitter fighting and seized by the British during the French and India War (1754-1763).  Later the fort was captured by the Americans in the first official victory of the American Revolution (1775).

The French and Indian War which was really the French verses the English with various Native American tribes choosing sides with the country they felt would leave their land and disruption of their lives.  In all actuality  this  was the 1st World War as there was fighting on four continents over shipping routes, land, wealth and power.

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With the end of that conflict, the end of French political influence over North America came to an end.   Canada become mostly English speaking though even today there are parts of Canada where French is the preferred  language such in Montreal and  Quebec City and talk remains of secession from English speaking Canada.

For the English  after sending so many men and resources to the colonies , they were  determined to keep  the colonies inline. Harsh policies and high taxes were instituted  ending in the opposite desired result.  The colonists became angry  and the  uprising began leading up to the American Revolution just 13 years later.

Today a visit to “America’s Fort” is an open text book of history. Stories of people learned about in history class such as Green Mountain Boys, Ethan Allen, and Benedict Arnold are mentioned in detail.There are Colonial crafts  such as shoe making, hat making, and the green pea soup to sample. The exquisite King’s Garden is open for inspiration and ideas for visiting gardeners.

Fort Ticonderoga  is a lovely day trip from Lake George  the Albany area to see  battle reenactments and have your questions answered by the  patient knowledgeable friendly  staff.

This Is Fort Ticonderoga! 

Images from Google public domain

http://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-french-and-indian-war