On a hill overlooking Lake George, the final resting place of four men killed in a September 1755 ambush along present-day State Route 9 is marked with a granite stone. The grave of the Four Unknown Soldiers in Battlefield Park is the oldest nationally recognized unknown American soldier grave. This Memorial Day, May 28, 2018, The Lake George Battlefield Park (Fort George) Alliance will honor these Colonial soldiers and rededicate the remodeled burial site with a ceremony, prayer and musket salute.
Historians believe the soldiers were killed, along with their leader Col. Ephraim Williams of Massachusetts, during the Bloody Morning Scout, one of three September 8, 1755 engagements with the French collectively known as the Battle of Lake George. Their remains were unearthed in 1931 by road crews who were constructing the Glens Falls-Lake George Road. The bones were reinterred, with much ceremony, in 1935 in Battlefield Park. The monument to the Four Unknowns was unveiled before a crowd of nearly 3,000, with a descendant of a soldier in Col. Williams regiment lifting the veil.
The Alliance was awarded a challenge grant by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation to make improvements at the site, and the community stepped up to meet the challenge. In 2017, the crumbling asphalt walkway to the grave was replaced with paving stones and other upgrades were made to the landscaping. The Memorial Day ceremony will recognize those who donated to support the improvement project.
The grave of the Four Unknown Soldiers is located on the East side of Fort George Road in Lake George. The Memorial Day ceremony begins at 10:30 a.m. Following the ceremony, refreshments will be served and the Alliance will lead a guided historical walk of the park. Bring a copy of the Memorial Day Ceremony flyer to gain free entrance and parking.
