NEWSLETTER
To Support Programming Marking 250 Years of America and Chocolate
Ticonderoga, N.Y. - Fort Ticonderoga was recently awarded a $10,000 Forrest E. Mars Jr. Chocolate History grant that will contribute to the development of a new interactive living history program recreating the chocolate sellers of the civilian market at Ticonderoga in 1776 in honor of America’s 250th anniversary. The grant was awarded at the Annual Heritage Chocolate Society meeting held in Washington, DC on February 19, 2026.
In four unique REAL TIME REVOLUTION® events, that chronicle the labor that led to liberty as it unfolded at Ticonderoga, our skilled living history staff will invite visitors to the market of 1776, exactly where it stood 250 years ago, on the man-made slope surrounding Fort Ticonderoga. As visitors explore four distinct chapters of the fight to secure independence, they will make connections to the networks of colonial trade that brought chocolate to the American colonies before the war.
Through the tropical origins of chocolate and other commodities, visitors will explore the covert commerce of American privateers running through the British blockade to continue lines of trade. Skilled costume educators will connect chocolate with these Revolutionary War themes, while bringing to life crucial moments 250 years ago, through REAL TIME REVOLUTION®.
“Fort Ticonderoga is profoundly grateful to Mars and AMERICAN HERITAGE® Chocolate for this timely grant as we mark the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution,” said Beth Hill, Fort Ticonderoga President and CEO. “Through our REAL TIME REVOLUTION® programs, this support allows us to move beyond the battlefield and immerse our visitors in the complex global networks of 1776. By recreating the civilian market exactly where it stood two and a half centuries ago, we are able to bridge the gap between the past and present—connecting the history of chocolate to the very struggle for independence.”
About Fort Ticonderoga:
Welcoming visitors since 1909, Fort Ticonderoga preserves North America’s largest 18th-century artillery collection, 2,000 acres of historic landscape on Lake Champlain, and Carillon Battlefield, and the largest series of untouched Revolutionary War era earthworks surviving in America. As a multi-day destination and the premier place to learn more about our nation’s earliest years and America’s military heritage, Fort Ticonderoga engages more than 75,000 visitors each year with an economic impact of more than $12 million annually and offers programs, historic interpretation, boat cruises, tours, demonstrations, and exhibits throughout the year, and is open for daily visitation May through October. Fort Ticonderoga is supported in part through generous donations and with some general operating support made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
About REAL TIME REVOLUTION®
A Cornerstone of America 250 at Fort Ticonderoga REAL TIME REVOLUTION® is a unique multi-year campaign and a central part of its America 250 commemoration. This initiative brings the critical years of 1774-1777 to life through daily living history programs and signature events, offering visitors an unparalleled day-by-day, moment-by-moment experience of the historic events surrounding the American Revolution. Running from 2024 to 2027, this deeply immersive experience uses primary sources to inform programs that highlight Ticonderoga’s vital role in the fight for American independence and the complex figures, like Benedict Arnold, who shaped its course. Visitors can engage in signature events, deeply immersing themselves in the lives, challenges, and triumphs of soldiers and families during this defining Revolutionary period, offering a profound connection to our nation's founding.
About AMERICAN HERITAGE® Chocolate:
The AMERICAN HERITAGE Chocolate brand was developed in 2006 by Mars Snacking to help educate consumers about the history of our multicultural nation through the engaging story of one of our most beloved foods…chocolate! With a flavor profile drawn directly from the archives of chocolate's historic past, AMERICAN HERITAGE Chocolate provides an artisanal, versatile way to eat, bake or drink a sweet taste of history. Rainforest Alliance Certified™ and made with no preservatives, AMERICAN HERITAGE Chocolate currently comes in four formats: Tasting Squares, Tablet Bars, Grated Chocolate for baking/drinking and Gourmet Hot Cocoa. AMERICAN HERITAGE Chocolate is sold in over 50 fine gift shops at historic sites, museums and historic inns across the USA and Canada. The brand can also be found on Amazon.com, at www.AmericanHeritageChocolate.com and at the Ethel M Chocolates store in Henderson, Nevada. We are the Chocolate History People!
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Photo: © Fort Ticonderoga