Fort TiconderogaThe 250th did not end in July: across three Signature Events this fall, Fort Ticonderoga’s REAL TIME REVOLUTION® follows the Northern Continental Army through 1776, at the time and on the ground where it happened

Ticonderoga, N.Y.—Three months after the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution nearly ended on Lake Champlain. Beginning Saturday, August 29, and continuing Sunday, August 30, Fort Ticonderoga marks the 250th anniversary of that autumn in 1776 with three consecutive REAL TIME REVOLUTION® Signature Events, opening with “Fleet & Fortification: The Science of Defense.”

“Fleet & Fortification: The Science of Defense” recreates the work that consumed the army that summer of 1776, as visitors help raise sails and haul cannon to outfit the fleet on Lake Champlain, build fascines and stake them against the earth in a recreated redoubt at Liberty Hill.

“The country marked the Declaration in July and moved on. The people who signed their lives to it did not have that option,” said Beth L. Hill, Fort Ticonderoga President and CEO. “We are not staging highlights. We are following this story day by day on the ground where it happened and at the same point in the year. No other historic site in America is telling the Revolution this way. What visitors see in August is why the line holds in October, and they experience it how the people living it did, without knowing how it ends.”

In the late summer of 1776, the Northern Continental Army raced to stop a British invasion coming down from Canada. Sailors rowed vessels built at Skenesborough (modern-day village of Whitehall) to Ticonderoga to be rigged and armed while soldiers entrenched strategic ground across the camp. All but six vessels of the American fleet were destroyed as the British pressed south from Valcour Island to Ticonderoga. The British reached Ticonderoga two weeks later, where they found the extensive fortifications manned by 13,000 American soldiers and made the decision to retreat to Canada. The Revolution “held the line” and made it to a second year.

Below are highlights for “Fleet & Fortification: The Science of Defense,” taking place August 29 & 30, 2026:

  • 11 a.m.: Musket Demonstration – Explore the workings of the different flintlock weapons carried by Continental Army soldiers in 1776, and the arms and discipline of the Pennsylvania soldiers drawn from Liberty Hill to guard the old French fort.
  • 11:45 a.m.: Outfitting the Fleet (Saturday) & Exercising the Fleet (Sunday) – As ships came off the stocks at Skenesborough, sailors rowed them to Ticonderoga to be rigged and armed. See vessels equipped from guns to sails, then watch crews practice firing cannon from the pitching decks of Lake Champlain.
  • 1:15 p.m.: On Land & On Water – Discuss why Ticonderoga became the best ground to make a stand against the British Army in Canada in 1776 and how the industriousness of American soldiers prepared an old French fort to defend the new cause of independence.
  • 2 p.m.: Cannon Demonstration – Examine how the Continental Army mounted old French and British guns within a host of new American fortifications. See the workings, power and sound of these heavy cannons.
  • 2:30 p.m.: Building Liberty Hill – Help Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New England soldiers build fascines and stakes to hold earthen walls in the recreated redoubt and discover the science of fortifications and the labor of liberty that allowed American soldiers to defend Ticonderoga in 1776.

As part of the multi-year REAL TIME REVOLUTION® initiative (2024-2027), “Fleet & Fortification: The Science of Defense” is meticulously designed using primary source records to re-create the conditions of 1776. The event continues Fort Ticonderoga’s full season of 250th anniversary programming. Additional signature events this autumn and winter include:

  • “Lodging as the Nature of the Campaign will Admit” | September 19-20 – See American ingenuity in action as soldiers use boards, posts, and beams to build new shelter as they guard Ticonderoga into the fall.
  • Hold the Line for Liberty | October 24-25 – This reenactment will dramatically recreate one of the greatest Continental Army victories of 1776 that occurred at the same time as one of its greatest defeats. The very moment soldiers and militiamen at Ticonderoga held the line for liberty—and perhaps secured independence—will come to life.

The events come during one of the strongest seasons in Fort Ticonderoga’s 117-year history, on the heels of its recognition as a “Best Living History” site for the nation’s 250th birthday and its inclusion on travel lists ranging from Travel + Leisure and Fodor’s to Smithsonian Magazine. The July 4 weekend event, “Return of an Army,” drew more than 3,000 visitors, a 70.8% increase in paid visitation compared to the same dates in 2025, with national and international media from the United States to Switzerland covering the signature reenactment.

REAL TIME REVOLUTION® programming continues through 2027, when the British return, take the heights above the fortress in July, and set in motion the campaign that ends at Saratoga.

For more information about Fort Ticonderoga’s REAL TIME REVOLUTION® Signature Events, visit www.fortticonderoga.org. 

Signature Event programming is included with general admission and tickets are valid for two consecutive days. Due to the anticipated high demand for Signature Events and continued America 250 commemorations, visitors are strongly encouraged to purchase tickets online in advance.

About Fort Ticonderoga: Welcoming visitors since 1909, Fort Ticonderoga is a major cultural destination, museum, historic site, and center for learning. As a multi-day destination and the premier place to learn more about North America’s military heritage, Fort Ticonderoga engages more than 70,000 visitors each year with an economic impact of more than $16 million annually. Presenting vibrant programs, historic interpretation, boat cruises, tours, demonstrations, and exhibits, Fort Ticonderoga is open for daily visitation May through October and special programs during Winter Quarters, November through April. Fort Ticonderoga is owned by The Fort Ticonderoga Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization, and is supported in part through generous donations and with some general operating support made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts. To view Fort Ticonderoga’s electronic press kit, click here.

© 2026 The Fort Ticonderoga Association. All Rights Reserved.

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