Battlefield Park Alliance annual meeting highlights ‘another fabulous year’

The Lake George Battlefield Park Alliance held its annual membership meeting Saturday morning at the Fort William Hotel Conference Center. Alliance President John DiNuzzo addressed the nearly 60 members present, saying, “I think it’s important to recognize that it has been another fabulous year for the Alliance,” with two “mega events,” well-attended programs, membership growth and expanded media attention.  

The two “mega events” DiNuzzo cited were the Henry Knox tribute in December 2025, and the Repose of the Fallen dedication held this past May.

A series of events to recognize the 250^th anniversary of Henry Knox’s Noble Train of Artillery kicked off on December 9 with a set of ceremonies held at Knox Trail markers in Hague, Bolton Landing, Battlefield Park and Queensbury/Glens Falls. On December 12, reenactors followed the Noble Train’s path, rowing a cannon-laden replica bateau to the Lake George shore on Beach Road. From there, the artillery was transferred to a horse-drawn sled and transported to Fort George in Battlefield Park. Several hundred people gathered in the December snow and cold to witness the reenactment.

Following the reenactment, approximately 170 people attended a reception for noted historian and author Rick Atkinson at the Lake George Holiday Inn. Earlier that day, Atkinson met with students at the Lake George Junior/Senior High School. Atkinson returned to the high school that evening for an interview and question/answer session, an event that drew an audience of 450.

The Repose of the Fallen memorial was a project that began in February 2019 when a construction crew uncovered an unmarked cemetery on Courtland Street in the Village of Lake George. The remains were determined to be those of patients of the 1776 military smallpox hospital at Fort George. The recovered remains were brought to the New York State Museum in Albany for analysis and remained there until an appropriate reinterment site was constructed in Battlefield Park.

On May 20, the remains of the 44 individuals were carried in a miles-long caravan from Albany to the Repose of the Fallen memorial on Fort George Road. Two days later, hundreds gathered at the memorial to honor the fallen patriots and give them the appropriate burial they did not have in 1776.

In addition to these large events, the Lake George Battlefield Park Alliance programs over the past year included a commemoration of the Battle of Lake George, with historians stationed at the battle’s three engagement sites to present the story of the September 1755 battle, as well as several well-attended lectures and members-only Floating History Tours on the lake.  

DiNuzzo reported that Alliance membership has grown by 19 percent over the past 12 months, and the number of news articles published about Alliance activities has increased.

Improvements to facilities

DiNuzzo says DEC will be building new ADA-compliant restrooms and constructing walkways on the east side of the park. He expects that work will begin next month. He also noted that Trustee Jay Levenson, with support from member Lorna Hainesworth, landscaped the newly refurbished Mohawk Warrior fountain with native plants.

DiNuzzo said that Professor Siobhan Hart of Skidmore College will return to the park, most likely next June, to continue her archaeological survey.

Several new exhibits have been added to the Lake George Battlefield Park Visitor Center, including a composite model of a reinterred Revolutionary War soldier and a model of the sloop Earl of Halifax, which will be unveiled at the Visitor Center this Tuesday, Aug. 18 at 1 p.m.

Upgraded Battlefield Park audio tour

Trustee Todd Earl reported that a new audio tour of sites in Battlefield Park is nearing completion, with a release date planned for September 8, the anniversary of the Battle of Lake George. The 12-stop audio tour will be hosted on the Stories from Open Space, Southern Adirondacks platform. Users may download the Open Space app onto their smartphones to access tours.

Expand the scope of the Alliance’s mission

The Lake George Battlefield Park Alliance bylaws state that the organization’s purpose is to advocate for the historic preservation, conservation, interpretation, and associated maintenance, improvement, and development of Lake George Battlefield Park. However, “There’s more to the history in this area than Battlefield Park,” said Trustee Bob Wilcox.

Wilcox presented a proposal to expand the Alliance’s purview to satellite sites that are historically associated with the park. These would include sites such as Fort Gage, the submerged heritage preserves under Lake George’s waters, and the site of the Bloody Morning Scout.

It was noted that while the state Department of Environmental Conservation is on board with the plan, some of these sites are on private property and would require conservation easements or memoranda of understanding to make this change. It would also require approval from the New York State Education Department, which chartered the Alliance. The membership voted to approve these changes.   

Following the Membership meeting, Dr. Michael Lucas, Curator of Historical Archaeology at the New York State Museum, gave a presentation on the Revolutionary War Gunboat that was recovered from a 1790 landfill in Manhattan.

For more information about membership and the work of the Lake George Battlefield Park Alliance, visit the Battlefield Park Visitor Center, 75 Fort George Road, Lake George, or visit the Alliance website.