Historians and reenactors to commemorate 250 years since the capture of Fort George

250 years ago, on May 11, a small Patriot force under the command of Captain Bernard Romans took control of Fort George from the British. The Lake George Battlefield Park Alliance will commemorate the event on Sunday, May 11, at 10 a.m. The commemoration will be held at the remains of the fort in Battlefield Park on Fort George Road in Lake George.

The fort’s capture came a day after Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys joined forces with Benedict Arnold to capture Fort Ticonderoga at the North end of the lake. These early Patriot victories, coming less than a month after the Battles of Lexington and Concord, gave the Patriots control of the Lake George leg of the critical water route that connects New York City to Canada.

Sunday’s commemoration will feature Alliance Trustees Dr. Bruce Venter, an award-winning author, and Pat Niles, President of the Washington County Historical Society and Co-Chair of the 250^th Anniversary Committee. Venter and Niles will discuss the actions of the Patriot and British forces leading up to the capture of Fort George. Reenactors from Fort William Henry, dressed in period uniforms, will stage the transfer of the fort’s control.

The event is free and open to the public. Organizers expect it to last less than an hour. In the weekly Battlefield Park Alliance Battlefield Moments podcast, Alliance President John DiNuzzo said they planned the commemoration early in the day so attendees could carry on with Mother’s Day celebrations. The State Department of Environmental Conservation will be opening the gates to the Lake George Battlefield Park Day Use Area for parking.

Also on May 11, the Lake George Battlefield Park Visitor Center at 75 Fort George Road, Lake George, will welcome guests with a pre-season opening from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Visitor Center opens for its fourth season on Friday, May 23. Admission to the Visitor Center is free.