NEWSLETTER
All Three Military Vessel Types to Now Be Displayed at Visitor Center
Lake George, NY – The Lake George Battlefield Park Alliance is dedicating a newly constructed model of the sloop Earl of Halifax, which was built at the lake’s southeast corner in 1758, at a ceremony in the park’s Visitor Center on Tuesday, August 18 at 1:00 PM. The new model is being funded under a grant from the Lake George Park Commission.
The Visitor Center is located on the bottom floor (lakeside entrance) of 75 Fort George Road, Lake George. The public is welcomed to attend this free event.
The sloop model completes the array of 18th Century warships exhibited in the Battlefield Park Visitor Center. Full models of the smaller bateau and radeau have been popular features with the thousands of guests who’ve viewed them since the center opened in 2022. In addition, the center has among its displays pieces of actual Colonial-era watercraft, pulled out of the lake at various times over the past 100+ years, further enhancing the overall visitor experience.
Dr. Russell P. Bellico, author of Empires in the Mountains: French and Indian War Campaigns and Forts in the Lake Champlain, Lake George, and Hudson River Corridor (Purple Mountain Press) and four other books on the region’s maritime history, orchestrated the model’s creation and is thrilled to have it in place at the Visitor Center: “The ‘plank on frame’ model of the 1758 armed sloop Earl of Halifax was built by a professional model-marker and fully funded by the Lake George Park Commission.”
Bellico, a longtime Battlefield Park Alliance Trustee who now serves on the Visitor Center Curation Committee, adds, “The model represents the largest warship ever deployed on Lake George. Although the sloop was a British vessel, it was built by provincial shipwrights (American colonials) and manned by provincial sailors.”
Lake George Park Commission Chairman Ken Parker shares Dr. Bellico’s enthusiasm for the Alliance’s presentation of the lake’s fascinating history: “The Commission proudly supports the Lake George Battlefield Park Alliance as it honors and promotes the history and historical significance of the Lake George Park. As part of the British/American Sunken Fleet of 1758, the sloop Earl of Halifax is an important piece of American colonial history, and we’re pleased to have been able to partner with the Alliance on this project. Alongside models of a historic bateau and radeau, the Alliance’s new scaled model of the vessel Halifax complements and completes the impressive display of colonial-era warships that were built and utilized on Lake George. Many thanks to the Alliance for their unending efforts to enrich the collective understanding and appreciation for Lake George’s rich history, which only deepens our love for the Queen of American Lakes.”
Chairman Parker, Dr. Bellico, and others will be available at the dedication event to answer questions about the new sloop model and additional community initiatives being supported by the Lake George Park Commission and the Lake George Battlefield Park Alliance.
The Lake George Battlefield Park Visitor Center is open Thursday through Monday each week in the summer from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. It will also remain open for the day on (Tuesday) August 18 following the dedication ceremony.
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About the Lake George Battlefield Park Alliance: The Lake George Battlefield Park Alliance is a not-for-profit organization of volunteers who have an abiding interest in the Lake George Region’s critical role in the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. The Alliance manages the Battlefield Park’s Visitor Center and sponsors events throughout the year that educate the public about the site and its unique history. It is also the steward for the Battlefield Park’s iconic memorials, including the recently dedicated “Repose of the Fallen” reburial site of 44 Continental Army personnel who perished at Lake George in 1776, and three refurbished bronze sculptures that depict important moments in the region’s history. For more information, visit www.lakegeorgebattlefield.org.