TICONDEROGA: French and Indian War revisited Upstate

BY CHRIS CAROLA | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

June 4, 2006

A party of four wearing buckskin, bonnets and tricorn hats might turn heads at most restaurants. But at the Wagon Wheel in Ticonderoga, it just means there's something going on up at Fort Ticonderaga.

"It's very nice to see that," restaurant owner Ray Thatcher said. "It brings the history of our community to life." Communities upstate and elsewhere can expect scenes like that over the next several years at commemorations of the 250th anniversary of the French and Indian War, which was fought between France and Britain for control of North America.

A series of events featuring 18th century military encampments and battle re-enactments are scheduled at various state, national and local historic sites from western New York to the eastern Adirondacks through 2010. And this summer, events will take place at French and Indian War-era forts and other locations in Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Tennessee in addition to upstate New York.

Some of the larger events typically involve as many as 1,000 re-enactors and can draw thousands of spectators. With the added publicity the war's 250th anniversary has generated, officials are expecting even bigger crowds over the next four years.

According to the Empire State Development Corp., September's re-enactment of the 1755 Battle of Lake George attracted about 15,000 people who spent more than $1 million over two days, giving the Adirondack village a post-Labor Day economic boost.

"It's a tremendous economic engine, not only for the hometowns where the events are happening, but for the region," said Nicholas Westbrook, executive director of Fort Ticonderoga.

The fort, perched on a bluff between the northern end of Lake George and the southern end of Lake Champlain, was a key French stronghold during the war, which began in Pennsylvania in 1754 and ended in Canada in 1760. In between those years, upstate New York provided the ground for some of the war's bloodiest fighting, from European-style sieges and set-piece battles to forest skirmishes and frontier raids.

"This was America's first world war, and it unfolded right here in our backyard of New York State," Westbrook said at a news conference in March kicking off the state's official commemoration.

Upcoming New York events

June 24-25: Fort Ticonderoga National Historic Landmark, Grand Encampment of the French and Indian War; www.fort-ticonderoga.org/, 518-585-2821.

July 1-3: Old Fort Niagara, Youngstown, French and Indian War Encampment, www.oldfortniagara .org, 716-745-7611.

July 22-23: Ogdensburg, Founder's Day celebration for Fort de la Presentation, www.fortlapresentation .net.

Aug. 11-13: Old Fort Ontario State Historic Site, Oswego, commemoration of the founding of Fort Ontario, www.fortontario.com, 315-343-4711.

Aug. 26: Crown Point State Historic Site, Crown Point, Seven Years War Encampment, 518-597-4666.

More information: www.frenchandindianwar250.org, 412-392-2408. Web site lists events around the country. Click on "visit," then "interactive map" for information about places related to the war in 23 states.