TheFrench&IndianWarSocietyNewsletter
March2016
President-MelodieViele,EditedbyJosephW.Zarzynski,RPA
www.frenchandindianwarsociety.org
UpdateonFortWilliamHenry’s
(imagebelow),isusedbymany
HistoricFireplaceDamageandRepair
museums,suchastheMetropolitanArt
MuseumandColonialWilliamsburg.
MelodieViele,Presidentofthe
Thiscataloguingprojectwillbegininthe
French&IndianWarSociety,reports
springof2016andshallcontinue
that:“Wenowhavethefireplacerepair
throughoutthesummer.
workfullyfundedandthiswilltake
placeinthespring.Severalpeople
donatedtogettheremainingfunds
needed,especiallyDr.JohnBilello,a
CaliforniaresidentandanativeNew
Yorkerwhohasanavidinterestinthe
French&IndianWarespeciallyFort
WilliamHenry.Hereadthearticle
writtenbyLindsayDoyleaboutthe
fireplaceinthelastissueofour
newsletterandwantedtodonate.We
Bydocumentingthemuseum’s
appreciatethegenerousdonationsby
entirecollection,wewillbeableto
Dr.Bilelloandothers.”
createextraordinaryexhibitsthrougha
betterunderstandingofthematerial
NewCataloguingSoftwareforFort
culture.Thegeneralpublic,aswellas
WilliamHenryMuseum
historicalresearchers,willalsohave
ByLindsayDoyle(FortWilliamHenry
greateraccesstothecollectionafterit
Museum)
hasbeencatalogued.TheSocietyand
theFortWilliamHenryMuseumhope
TheFrench&IndianWarSociety
thatbyusingtheEmbARKsoftwarewe
recentlypurchasednew,stateoftheart
willalsogainagreaterunderstandingof
cataloguingsoftwarefortheFort
theconditionofalltheartifactsinthe
WilliamHenryMuseum.Thiswillallow
collection.Properdocumentationwill
theentirecollectiontobecatalogued
helprevealwhichartifactsneed
anddocumented.EmbARK,a
conservation,andwillassistusin
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collectionsmanagementsoftware
determiningwhatstepsneedtobe
takentoproperlyconserveandbetter
managethemuseum’scollection.
French&IndianWarSite:FortHunter
andtheLowerMohawkCastle
(FortHunter,NY)
By:MichaelG.Roets(Manager,Crown
PointStateHistoricSite)
TheMohawkwarriorsthat
foughtunderSirWilliamJohnsonatthe
BattleofLakeGeorgeandsupported
theBritishthroughouttheFrench&
IndianWarhadtheirvillagesinthe
MohawkValley.Thefoundationforthis
BritishMohawkallianceagainstthe
Frenchwaslaidin1712(Fig.1)withthe
constructionofFortHunteratthe
confluenceoftheMohawkRiverand
theSchoharieCreeknexttothevillage
knownastheLowerMohawkCastle.
(Fig.1:Courtesy:MichaelG.Roets)
Thecontractforconstructionspecified
thatthefortwastobe150feetsquare
withwalls12feethighofsquaredlogs
laidhorizontallyandpinnedtogether.
Therewastobeatwostoryblockhouse
ateachcornerandaonestorychapel
locatedinthecenterandeachstructure
wastobe24feetsquareandbuiltof
squaredlogs.
In1741thelogchapelwas
replacedwith“aneatStoneChurch”
andin1755SirWilliamJohnsonadded
newfortificationsandapalisade
connectingthetwoforts.In1756
Johnsonreferredto100menatthe
LowerMohawkCastleas“seventyin
theirCastleastheycallit,besides30
lieutenantWilliamshasintheKings
Fort”.In1757aFrenchspyreported
“FortHunter…hasahouseateach
curtain…Thereisachurchortemplein
themiddleofthefortintheinteriorof
theforttherearealsosome30cabinsof
MohackIndians…thisforthasnoditch;
thereisonlyalargeswingdooratthe
entrance”.
InApril1773WilliamJohnson
wrotethatanaccidentalfireatFort
Hunterburnedoneoftheblockhouses
andtwoofthecurtainwallsandtwo
housesthatbelongedtotheIndians.In
1781itisreportedthatthechurchat
FortHunterwasbeingusedbythe
Americansasafortification.In1820the
constructionofaguardlockfortheErie
CanaloccurredatthelocationofFort
Hunterandthestonechurchwastaken
down.Inthe1870safarmhouseand
barnswereconstructedonthesite.The
propertywasacquiredbytheStateof
NewYorkin1966inordertopreserve
andinterpretremainsoftheErieCanal
andthefarmhousewasturnedintoa
visitor’scenterandaparkinglotwas 2
constructed.In2011floodingcausedby
HurricaneIrenedestroyedtheparking
lotandrevealedtheflatstone
foundationremainsofoneoftheFort
Hunterblockhousesandpartofa
curtainwall(Fig.2).
(Fig.2)Stonefoundationremainsof
FortHunterblockhouseandcurtainwall
uncoveredinthe2011flooding(credit:
MichaelG.Roets).
TheFrench&IndianWarSociety’s
ColonialWarsLectureSeries—April
2016
*Friday,April8:“TheCannons,Mortars,
SwivelGunsandOtherOrdnanceofFort
WilliamHenryMuseum”byJosephW.
Zarzynski(MaritimeArchaeologist)
*Friday,April15:“IntheWakeof
HurricaneIrene:Archaeological
EvidenceofLifeatthe18thcenturyFort
HunterandtheLowerMohawkCastle”
byMichaelG.Roets(Archaeologistand
SiteManager,CrownPointHistoricSite)
*Friday,April22:“TheGreatFortsof
LakeGeorge”byDr.DavidStarbuck
(Archaeologist,PlymouthStateUniv.).
Dr.Starbuckwillhavecopiesofhisbook,
TheLegacyofFortWilliamHenry-
ResurrectingthePast(Univ.ofNew
EnglandPress,2014,$24.95),forsale.
*Friday,April29:“LakeGeorge
BattlefieldPark,ItsPlaceinHistory”by
Dr.LynHohmann(TheLakeGeorge
BattlefieldPark/FortGeorgeAlliance).
(Lectureslocation:FortWilliamHenry
ConferenceCenter,48CanadaSt.,Lake
George,NY;Time:7:00pm;Lecturesare
free;Refreshmentswillbeprovided.)
EventsatFortWilliamHenryMuseum
(48CanadaSt.,LakeGeorge,NY):
April8,15,22,and29,2016:“The
French&IndianWarSociety’sColonial
WarLectureSeries.”Furtherdetailsare
onpage3inthisnewsletter.
May5-October30,2016:“2016Tourist
Season”(hours:9:30am-5:30pm).
Sutlerstorehours:9:30am-6:00pm
(7pmonghosttournights)untilJuly4,
then9:30am-7:00pm.
May20-October30,2016:“Spiritsof
HistoryTours”:May20-July3(Friday,
Saturday,Sundayat7:30&9:00pm);
July4-September5(WednesdaySundayat7:30,8:00,9:00&9:30pm); 3
September6-October30(Friday,
Saturday,Sunday)7:30&9:00pm.
June18-19,2016:“NYSPathways
ThroughHistory.”Bringyourfatherfor
freeonFather’sDay.
July23,2016:“ScoutDay.”Aspecialday
ofcoloniallivinghistoryforscouts.
August13,2016:“259thAnniversaryof
theSurrenderofFortWilliamHenry.”
Surrenderceremony,wreathlayingat
12:00noonandtheLakeGeorge
CommunityBandatfortat7:00pm.
September24,2016:“HomeSchool
Day.”Speciallivinghistoryactivitiesfor
homeschoolstudentsandparents.
October8,2016:“FortByFirelight.”The
enemyisabouttooverrunthefort!
Soldierre-enactorsguideyouthrough
thedarkness,surroundedbymusket
andcannonfire,andthenyouescape
beforeit’stoolate.7:00pmstart.
Groupsgoeachhalfhourwithlast
startingat10:30pm.
November7-14,2016:“FieldofFlags.”
VeteransAppreciationWeek.Afieldof
flags,withveterans’names,willbe
displayedonthewestlawnnearthefort.
November11,awreathlaying
ceremonyat11amat“FieldofFlags.”
May21&22,June25&26,July16&
17,August13&14,September17&18,
andOctober15&16,2016:
“CommunityAppreciationDays.”
Residents,withresidencyproof,of
Warren,Washington,Essex,Hamilton,
andSaratogacountiesgetinfree.(For
moreinfoonalltheseevents,telephone,
518-668-5471,orcheckthewebsite;see
specialentrancefees,too:
http://www.fwhmuseum.com/events.ht
ml)
2016SocietyMembershipApplication:
(http://www.frenchandindianwarsociet
y.org/membership/)
***TheFrench&IndianWarSociety,
Inc.wasformedin1999byagroupof
areahistorians,archaeologists,and
enthusiastsworkingtofostera
continuingappreciationfortheLake
Georgeregion’sinvolvementinthis
pivotaleventinAmericanHistory.The
French&IndianWarSocietyNewsletter
ispublishedquarterlyandisdistributed
bythepresident’soffice.Ifthereare
problemswithyoureceivingyour
newsletters,contactMelodieViele,
President-TheFrench&IndianWar
Society,phone(518-744-8894)oremail:
([email protected]).
TheFrench&IndianWarSocietyisa
501(c)3notforprofitcorporation.
Donationsaretaxdeductibletothe
fullestextendallowedbylaw.Thank
youforyoursupport.
TheFrench&IndianWarSociety
P.O.Box686
LakeGeorge,NY12845
Website:
http://www.frenchandindianwarsociet
y.org
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