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Forbes
04-07-2025
- General
- Forbes
This Fourth Of July, Let's Not Forget The Significance Of 1775
American colonists and British soldiers exchange fire at the Battle of Lexington, the first skirmish ... More int the US War of Independence. Next year will mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It is a significant milestone for the nation. Still, the build-up to next year's celebration may already be overshadowing a year just as important in the history of the United States as 1776, namely 1775. That isn't to say that we're ignoring some noteworthy events, as last month's massive, and arguably underwhelming, military parade in Washington, D.C., was held to mark the 250th birthday of the United States Army, which was founded as the Continental Army in June 1775. It was just one of several such commemorations that have garnered regional attention, such as this past April's celebration marking the 250th anniversaries of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, followed by the capture of Fort Ticonderoga and the Battle of Bunker Hill. This fall will also mark the milestone anniversary of the Noble Train of Artillery, in which Colonel Henry Knox—namesake for Fort Knox—brought the captured cannons from Ticonderoga to Boston using boats, ox-drawn sledges, and simple pure determination. "We place too much attention on 1776 in the way we commemorate the American Revolution. At the end of the day, Americans won their independence because they won the war and triumphed at the peace negotiations that followed – not because of what they declared in 1776," acknowledges Dr. Benjamin Carp, professor of history at the City University of New York. For those in New England, these and other deeds aren't forgotten, but perhaps more attention could be paid on the national level, said Dr. Robert J. Allison, professor of history at Suffolk University in Boston, Massachusetts. "There is sometimes the joke that the revolution happened here in New England and then the Continental Congress went to Philadelphia to fill out the paperwork," Allison explained. Yet, the year 1775 has been getting significantly less attention than the recent performance by English rockers The 1975 at the Glastonbury festival! "Americans are already focused on 2026, America's semiquincentennial," added Dr. Joanne B. Freeman, professor of history and American studies at Yale University. "But the events of 1775 have much to tell us about 250 years ago this year. That year, British colonists were stunned to learn that their own army—British regulars—had fired on British subjects at Lexington and Concord, killing their own people." More Than A Single Day The significance of July 4, 1776, also can't be overstated, even as the Continental Congress voted in favor of declaring independence from Great Britain two days earlier. Yet, there is less emphasis on how it got there. "One thing about 1775 is that very few Americans were thinking in the concept of independence," said Matthew Skic, director of collections and exhibitions at the Museum of the American Revolution. "That changed rapidly between the summer of 1775 and 1776. One of the major events that happened is when King George III of the United Kingdom declared it an act of open rebellion." That called for the full might of the British Empire to suppress it, an action that resulted in many Americans seeing the king turn his back on the people. "Until that point, the fight was about restoring the rights and liberties as citizens in the British Empire," Skic continued. "America was trying to prove that its long list of grievances justified its bid for independence, and they wanted to undermine the British war effort and secure foreign aid," said Carp. "Beyond that, much of the American public was already convinced, and they needed to remain inspired enough to support the army in the field." What Happened In New England Didn't Stay In New England It is also important while New England, notably Boston, is often regarded as the birthplace of the Revolution, the events there helped unite the independence movement throughout the colonies. "We can see that in 1775, many Americans did not want to fight and hoped to live peacefully with their neighbors. But the blood spilled at Lexington and Concord put into motion events that would lead to armed conflict," said Dr. Franklin D. Rausch, professor of history at Lander University in South Carolina. "The establishment of the Provincial Congress, a challenge to the royal governor, here in South Carolina, would increasingly force people to choose sides," Rausch explained. And as armed camps grew, so did the need for weapons and ammunition. That was as true in the southern colonies as it was up north. "It was a struggle over such supplies that led to the bloodless seizure of Fort Charlotte by Whig forces in July 1775," suggested Raucsh. "And a similarly bloodless seizure of powder and destruction of lead destined for the Cherokee by King's Friends, led eventually to the first bloodletting in the south — the 1775 November Siege of Savages' Old Fields." Only a handful of people were killed, and the battle ended in a draw; yet, the Snow Campaign and the suppression of Loyalists soon followed. It would be the first great divide, even as the country had yet to come into existence. Like the bloody American Civil War eight decades later, it pitted neighbor against neighbor. "They would rise again in mass in 1780 with the British seizure of Charleston," said Raucsh. "Hardened and angered by years of suffering, many Loyalists would seek vengeance, making for a very bloody civil war in the backcountry. 1775 helped set the stage for the violence that was yet to come, while also reminding us that many Americans hoped to work peacefully and look to their families before the crisis drove them to arms." In addition, 1775 was also the year that American soldiers put literal books on the ground on foreign land, with the invasion of Canada. That and other campaigns could be described as best left forgotten, which could also explain why the year doesn't always get acknowledged as much as it should. Carp noted that the colonies almost "lost the war during the disastrous campaigns of New York and New Jersey later that year, not to mention the failure of the Canadian expedition earlier in the year." The Seeds Of International Recognition Although France wouldn't recognize the United States as an independent nation until February 6, 1778, the seeds of that recognition were already planted in 1775. "France was already being seen as a potential ally," said Skic. "There was already support in 1775 to send envoys to Spain and France, and that desire for international support was what helped prompt the eventual declaration of independence." Building To Next Year The goal for the rest of 2025 should be to commemorate the lead-up to the 250th anniversary, while not overlooking its significance every year. The American Revolution isn't something that should only be noted on major milestones or when Mel Gibson stars in a big-budget film about it. "We launched Revolution 250 to get excited about this," said Dr. Allison, noting the consortium of organizations that are working together to commemorate the anniversaries. "This is about getting young people interested, and those born after 2000 or 2010 will hopefully be around to see the tercentennial," he added. "But we should always be commemorating these events every year, not just these milestone years. It is important to get the story right and to get people excited about the story." That may be truer today than it was in 1876, a year that would go on to see a disputed election, or 1976, when the country was still divided over the recently concluded Vietnam War. "1776 deserves its prize place in our national narrative," said Freeman. "But when considering the Revolution and nationhood, don't forget the threats and violence and thinking and planning that led to that dire step. Crises of the past have much to say to us today."
Fox News
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Two Revolutionary War letters are reunited at Fort Ticonderoga after 250 years apart
Two Revolutionary War letters were recently brought together at a museum in upstate New York, exactly 250 years after they were written. Fort Ticonderoga in Essex County, near Lake Champlain, announced the reunion of the letters in a May 21 statement. The fort was the setting of several battles during the American Revolution and the French and Indian War. The then-British fortress was famously captured by Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold in May 1775, marking a pivotal moment in the early stages of the Revolutionary War. The letters by Arnold and his correspondent John Stevens were written after the historic event. In his May 17 letter, Arnold informed Stevens that he had crossed paths with Allen, who had just led a raid on the British-controlled Fort St. Jean (or John) in Québec. "Col. Allen & his party is just arrived from St. Johns, when they were attacked," Arnold's letter read. "[And they] were obliged to make a precipitate retreat … They have returned without provision & much fatigued." In his reply, Stevens wrote that more provisions were on the way to support American forces, despite difficulties with enlistments. "He had helped capture Fort Ticonderoga, and had already sailed north and attacked another British post at St. Jean in Québec." "[T]he City of Albany and Country are sending in provisions continually … I am informed there is a great quantity more coming from different parts of the country," he wrote. Speaking to Fox News Digital, Fort Ticonderoga curator Matthew Keagle stressed that the letters were written long before Arnold famously defected to the British. "At the time these letters were written, Arnold was less than two weeks into consolidating control over Ticonderoga and Crown Point," the historian noted. "He had helped capture Fort Ticonderoga, and had already sailed north and attacked another British post at St. Jean in Québec, capturing more redcoats and the only British sloop on Lake Champlain." Keagle also noted the rivalry between Arnold and Allen. Although Allen commanded the mighty Green Mountain Boys militia during the expedition, Arnold was the only one with official government authorization from the Massachusetts Committee of Safety. "This was a tense alliance, and it collapsed the day after the capture [of Fort Ticonderoga]," Keagle said. "Arnold tried to assert control over what he saw as unruly pilfering of the garrison's supplies and a lack of discipline and preparations." He added, "His departure to attack St. Jean got him away, and he and Allen did not serve together again." And who exactly was Stevens, Arnold's less-famous correspondent? Keagle said that while Stevens "is not a familiar name," he played an active role in the fight for independence. "After Fort Ticonderoga was taken, Stevens came to Fort George at the southern end of Lake George, and commanded the forces there through July 1775," Keagle noted. "He was later commissioned as a captain in a Connecticut regiment and was captured by the British at the Battle of the Cedars in May of 1776 in Canada." The Arnold letter was recently given to the museum in memory of a former trustee. Interestingly, the letters have not been this physically close together since Stevens wrote his response to Arnold's letter in May 1775. Stevens' letter has been in the possession of Fort Ticonderoga for decades, but the Arnold letter was recently given to the museum in memory of former trustee George M. Jones. Rather than being on display in an exhibit, the letters are part of the "Ticonderoga's Treasures of 1775" experience; Keagle is bringing guests face-to-face with original documents and artifacts from Ticonderoga's collections. The recently unified letters reflect the significant role that New York state played during the American Revolution. In a similar venture, the New York State Museum recently began displaying a Revolutionary War-era ship at its Albany headquarters, around 100 miles south of Ticonderoga.
CBS News
13-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
Book excerpt: "The Fate of the Day" by Rick Atkinson
Crown We may receive an affiliate commission from anything you buy from this article. Following the introductory volume of his "Revolution Trilogy," 2019's "The British Are Coming," historian Rick Atkinson presents Volume Two, "The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780" (Crown). He details the middle years of the War for Independence, in which George Washington's Army barely escaped annihilation by the forces wielded by King George III, leading to epic battles at Brandywine, Saratoga, Monmouth, and Charleston. Read an excerpt below, and don't miss David Martin's interview with Rick Atkinson on "CBS Sunday Morning" June 15! "The Fate of the Day" by Rick Atkinson Prefer to listen? Audible has a 30-day free trial available right now. The March of Annihilation Fort Ticonderoga, New York, July–August 1777 A rattle of drums at four a.m. on July 1, 1777, roused the British encampment at Crown Point, on the western lip of Lake Champlain. Soldiers stumbled from their tents, shrugged on their uniform coats, and gobbled down a cold breakfast with the indifference of men who expected no better. For the past fortnight the invasion force of eight thousand troops had sailed and rowed south for a hundred miles, from the Richelieu River in Quebec to within fifteen miles of the American stronghold at Fort Ticonderoga. Through mischance and rebel defiance, many of these same redcoats had failed to capture the fortress eight months earlier, despite standing at the gates. Now the prize again lay within grasp, and this time they intended to win through. "We are to contend for the king and the constitution of Great Britain, to vindicate law and to relieve the oppressed," orders issued the previous evening proclaimed. "This army must not retreat." By five a.m., the sun had crested the great shoulders of the Green Mountains to the east, gilding the craggy Adirondacks in the west. Platoon after platoon scuffed down to the shoreline to clamber aboard gunboats, longboats, and six-oared, flat-bottomed bateaux. Shouted orders carried across the lake, along with the creak of capstans and oarlocks. Soon the first vessels pulled away from the anchorage, to assemble mid-lake in battle formation. Army musicians caught the moment and struck up martial airs. "The music and drums of the different regiments were continually playing," a Royal Artillery lieutenant wrote, "and contributed to make the scene and passage extremely pleasant." More than a hundred birch-bark canoes led the flotilla. Each carried twenty to thirty warriors, mostly Iroquois sporting nose rings, slitted earlobes, and feathers in tufted topknots, their eyelids and cheeks daubed with vermilion paint. Some wore knife sheaths made from lynx skins and, a British officer recorded, an "arse clout, or covering for the privities." Arrayed across the mile-wide lake behind the Indian vanguard came the main battle force, "the most complete and splendid regatta you can possibly conceive," a witness reported: the three-masted frigate Royal George, built by shipwrights in Canada during the winter and carrying 26 guns, and smaller vessels named Inflexible, Carleton, Maria, and Royal Convert, as well as 44 gunboats, 23 longboats, 26 cutters, 260 bateaux, and a wallowing ninety-one-foot radeau, or raft, the Thunderer, ferrying barreled gunpowder and heavy cannons intended to blast Ticonderoga's walls to rubble. A brig, a gundalow, and a sloop—Washington, Jersey, and Lee—had been captured in October from the rebel general turned commodore Benedict Arnold, whose gallant, forlorn rearguard fight in these very waters had helped delay the earlier British attack until winter forced the invaders back to Canada. All told, this squadron carried 133 naval guns to complement the army's 130 field cannons, mortars, and howitzers, each barrel stamped with the king's monogram or other symbols of possession. Storeships and lake transports continued to arrive at Crown Point from the north, laden with almost five thousand tons of salt pork, hard biscuits, and other rations, along with siege tools, ammunition, rum, cattle, and civilian camp followers, whose numbers officially included 225 women and 500 children, although some hyperbolists would claim that the combined figure actually approached two thousand. "It looked," wrote Corporal Roger Lamb of the 9th Regiment of Foot, "like some stupendous fairy scene of a dream." By late afternoon, many troops had disembarked on either shore to join the advance regiments moving toward Ticonderoga, now just a few miles ahead. Bullfrogs croaked in the shallows, and white elderberry blossoms brightened the conifer thickets, "the birthplace of every biting insect," one miserable chaplain wrote. Some men smeared cedar sap on their faces in a vain effort to repel mosquitoes and deerflies. On the left, to the east, four thousand mercenaries plodded through the underbrush. Known collectively as Hessians, since most Germans hired by London to fight in America came from Hesse-Kassel, this contingent was largely from the small, impoverished duchy of Brunswick, whose ruling family had intermarried with the British royal family. Brunswick's duke collected £7 a year for each rented soldier, plus a blood-money bounty for every man killed or captured and an equivalent stipend for every three wounded. The troops earned the same eight pence a day as their British comrades, minus deductions for food and uniforms. Most of the German troops had spent an agreeable winter in isolated bivouacs along the St. Lawrence and Richelieu Rivers, developing a taste for beaver tail, salted sturgeon, and maple sugar. Jager scouts—professional hunters—led the column, distinctive in their green coats trimmed in crimson and black hats decorated with pompoms. Dragoons followed in leather breeches and woolen gaiters, dismounted for the moment but hopeful of finding American horses ahead. Armed with short carbines and three-foot broad-swords, many cultivated horizontal waxed mustaches and wore their hair in a queue down the back "like a Chinese mandarin," an admirer wrote. Grenadiers, artillerymen, musicians, gunsmiths, servants, and sutlers filled out the procession, prodded forward by blue-coated officers wearing silver sashes and wielding canes or pointed spontoons. During the voyage down the lake, some men had stripped to the waist to bask in the warm sun and, a surgeon reported, "have been badly sunburned, large blisters developing on their skin." The Germans were led by Major General Friedrich Adolph Riedesel. Thirty-nine years old, with a moon face and a ramrod bearing, he had forsaken his law studies in Marburg to take up soldiering, soon demonstrating a hussar's valor at Minden during the Seven Years' War. Fluent in French and conversational English, Riedesel considered the opportunity to command in North America to be "sent by Providence." He had sworn allegiance to George III, like each of his Brunswickers, and had predicted in a dispatch to his duke that "this campaign will finish the war." Although British officers could be insufferably supercilious toward their German allies, he got on well with the redcoats, even if they stumbled over the pronunciation of his name, calling him "General Red Hazel." Those redcoats could now be seen across the lake, moving south in a snaking column parallel to the Germans. Brawny grenadiers, often used to lead assaults, had exchanged their tall bearskin hats for more practical felt caps trimmed in horse-hair. Each foot soldier carried a ten-pound musket, a sixteen-inch bayonet, a tin canteen, a linen haversack, and his own blanket—a battlefield luxury, since in peacetime five men typically shared two blankets. British infantrymen were among the finest soldiers in the world, but most of these troops were green; only the 47th Regiment of Foot had seen extensive combat, at Lexington and Bunker Hill, among other clashes. They were led nonetheless by an exceptional cadre of junior officers, thirty of whom would become generals, including eighteen destined to be full generals, the army's highest rank. In addition, another six future general officers could be found among the twenty-two Royal Artillery officers in the column. Squinting at both shorelines through his spyglass from the pitching deck of the Royal George, Lieutenant General John Burgoyne was as pleased with his invasion force as he was with himself. At fifty-four, he had endured a long and arduous climb to high command, and he intended to return to London to claim the laurels owed every victorious commander. Educated at Westminster School, where even mathematics was taught in Latin and boys were birched for the slightest transgression, he had joined the army at fifteen, earned a reputation as both a swordsman and a card sharp, then wrecked his career by eloping with Charlotte Stanley, the youngest daughter of a very angry earl. Effectively banished to France and forced to sell his commission, Burgoyne lived modestly with Charlotte on the Seine for seven years, growing vegetables, traveling the Continent, and making a living at whist and twenty-one. At last all was forgiven, and a belated reconciliation brought the couple back to England. Burgoyne returned to duty as an aging dragoon captain, just in time to win fame at the cannon's mouth in the Seven Years' War, notably in Normandy and Brittany against the French, and on the Tagus River near Lisbon against the Spanish. The king of Portugal gave him a diamond ring in gratitude, and he emerged from the struggle as a British war hero. Burgoyne's ascent continued in peacetime. Elected to the House of Commons, he was a diligent, independent military reformer. His insights from an inspection tour of Continental armies impressed George III, as did his parliamentary investigation of East India Company corruption. He and Charlotte shuttled between fine houses in Lancashire and Surrey and on Hertford Street, in tony Mayfair, an easy stroll from the London gambling tables at Brooks's club. An aspiring playwright, he also became a regular in the Green Room at Drury Lane Theater, where in 1774 the actor and impresario David Garrick directed Burgoyne's The Maid of the Oaks, a triumphant success. Excerpted from "The Fate of the Day" by Rick Atkinson Copyright © 2025 by Rick Atkinson. Excerpted by permission of Crown. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Get the book here: "The Fate of the Day" by Rick Atkinson Buy locally from For more info:
BBC News
18-05-2025
- BBC News
The New York region that changed history 250 years ago
A surprise dead-of-night attack helped lead to US independence from the British. Now, a series of events are commemorating the region's pivotal role in shaping the nascent nation. In the violet-grey twilight before dawn in May 1775, a skeleton crew of soldiers were asleep inside Fort Ticonderoga, a British-held garrison on the banks of Lake Champlain in New York's Adirondack region, when a series of shouts rang out. Rushing to their posts, the men were stunned by the sight of six dozen American soldiers streaming over the fort's walls, flintlock rifles in hand, demanding surrender. With the British outnumbered and taken off guard, American victory was swift and bloodless. The fort's commander, sergeants, gunners and artillerymen were imprisoned and the invading forces captured 100 cannons and valuable weapons for the Continental Army. The surprise attack was a pivotal moment in the lead-up to the American War of Independence and marked the Continental forces' first offensive victory of the war that led to the United States' founding in 1776. This year, to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the conflict that shaped the nation, Fort Ticonderoga is hosting a series of new museum exhibits alongside its regular lineup of historical reenactments, guided tours and boat cruises – all of which provides travellers with a great jumping-off point to explore a region replete in Revolutionary War history. Lake Champlain is a vast expanse that extends for roughly 435 square miles, straddling the borders of western Vermont and eastern New York and spilling into the Richelieu and St Lawrence rivers, which stretch north to Montreal and Quebec City in Canada. As Fort Ticonderoga curator Matthew Keagle told me, this made the waterway and its most prominent garrisons – Fort Ticonderoga and Crown Point, located 10 miles south – key locations for the movement of British troops, supplies and intelligence during the colonial period (roughly 1600 through 1776). Emboldened by the Massachusetts militiamen who defended the towns of Lexington and Concord against British forces and initiated the war a month earlier in April 1775, two of the US's more colourful Revolutionary War figures turned north-west towards Lake Champlain. Ethan Allen, leader of the scrappy Green Mountain Boys militia, and Benedict Arnold, an ambitious, impetuous merchant whose name would later become synonymous with treachery, reluctantly agreed to share command of a dead-of-night attack on Ticonderoga."What was effectively a defensive war against the British… now turns into something very different," said Keagle, smartly dressed in a royal blue coat and knee-high boots, not unlike those depicted in the famous painting Capture of Fort Ticonderoga, which the historian stood in front of. "It dramatically changes the scope of the conflict." The weapons captured at the fort were hauled 300 miles by oxen and ice sledge to Boston, where Patriots used them to batter, and ultimately expel, British troops in March 1776. Today, some of those cannons, mortars and Howitzers are among 200,000 objects displayed at Fort Ticonderoga's museum, which houses the western hemisphere's largest collection of 18th- and early 19th-Century munitions, and the US's largest assemblage of 18th-Century military uniforms. Weaponry and cultural artefacts can also be found at the newly expanded museum at Crown Point, which was also captured by the Americans in May 1775. The experiences at the two sites diverge from there. Ticonderoga, or "Fort Ti" as locals call it, was restored to its original glory with squat, thick walls, pointed corners and a three-storey barracks building. Each year, staff launch new programming highlighting different periods of the bastion's history. This year's includes a new exhibit showcasing the US's nascent national identity, reenactments exploring everything from Arnold's surprising command to the science of defence and a demonstration showing how soldiers would have rowed fleet ships to and from Fort Ticonderoga. More like this:• The quiet Massachusetts towns that sparked a revolution• The birthplace of the US vacation• The manmade waterway that transformed the US "We constantly have to reevaluate how we understand the past," said Keagle, of the fort's frequently changing educational events. "We want to bring visitors into the discussion, whether that's through our more specialised programmes like seminars and lectures, or by walking our trails and visiting our garden to see how people lived in this period of history." By contrast, Crown Point is an elegiac ruin, the remnants of its 18th-Century military architecture reaching skyward from the fields. A series of well-marked trails loop around the historical site and ring the shoreline, including one that connects to the North Country Scenic Trail, which crosses eight northern US states. Because the site lies along the Atlantic Flyway, depending on the time of year, you might hear the effervescent chatter of bobolinks (which arrive in late April) , see raptors winging overhead and waterfowl gliding across the lake. Since 1976, Crown Point's bird-banding station has recorded more than 126,000 birds across 110 species. The Crown Point site is also a photographer favourite, both for its bird sightings and frozen-in-time features like a pair of abandoned limestone barracks and historical graffiti carved into the stones. "We're preserving the ruins of structures and the archaeological record beneath the surface," explained site manager Sam Huntington. Around the region, a number of hikes offer panoramic views of both the inimitable Adirondack landscape and its Revolutionary landmarks. At Coot Hill Trail, a hike known mainly to locals located about 10 miles away from Crown Point in the town of Moriah, New York, I met Arin Burdo, executive director of Champlain Area Trails (CAT). Our boots crunched through a late crust of snow along the moderately challenging 1.1-mile path to the 1,100-ft summit of Bulwagga Mountain. "The 46 High Peaks [the highest peaks in the region] get all the attention in the Adirondacks," Burdo told me. "Many of these lower-elevation hikes have big payoffs, and features like historic cemeteries or great birding, without the crowds." As the trees parted around the summit, a blanket of farms and meadows spread out below. Peregrine falcons rode air currents arcing over the cliffs, set against the distant backdrop of the Green Mountains of Vermont. To the north, the ghostly barracks of Crown Point stood out along Lake Champlain's shore. The region holds plenty of interest beyond its Revolutionary past. Fishing and boating are popular in this part of the 400,000-acre Champlain-Adirondack Unesco Biosphere Reserve, but outdoor guide Elizabeth Lee encourages terrestrial exploration, especially on CAT's 100 miles of trails. Here you may find bobcats and white-tail deer, and fancifully named plants such as scaly shagbark hickory and Dutchman's breeches, their flowers like tiny white pantaloons suspended upside-down on a clothesline. "The CAT trails definitely give a slice of life over time," Lee said, pointing to features that date from the colonial through the Revolutionary period and beyond. "Some have remnants of quarries, mining, farming, forestry, which takes you through the early 1900s. And there's a lot of really fun architecture [that shows] the changes in American society in those towns." Case in point: Defiance Hall by War Cannon Spirits, a distillery opened in 2022. In its cavernous, circa-1820 sawmill building, five miles from the Crown Point Historic Site, a stone alcove behind the long wooden bar was lined with whiskey, rye and vodka. I sipped a Cannonball Old Fashioned, made with whiskey, bitters, maple syrup and ginger, and wondered who used the centuries-old forest behind me to slip between strategic locations. On any given day in the hamlet of Elizabethtown, New York, originally settled by Revolutionary War veterans, you'll find a few dozen of the town's 1,000 residents, plus visitors like me, gathered at the Deer's Head Inn. Opened 1808 and used as a hospital during the War of 1812, it's now a hotel and restaurant featuring local, sustainably produced foods that nod to the cuisine of the Revolutionary past: potted lamb served with toast and curry sauce, dry-cured meats, pickled vegetables and a pear and apple crumble atop a rustic pie crust. Night had fallen by the time I stopped in the town of Schroon, New York, founded just after the Revolution on a 141-sq-mile lake of the same name. Moonlight glimmered on the glassy water, diffusing pinpricks of yellow light from the hilltop cabins of the Lodge at Schroon Lake, which opened in 2023 on the grounds of a former religious compound. Like many places within the Adirondacks, the reminders of the US's founding here are both visible and elusive – preserved in ruins, reimagined in modern-day interpretations and reconstructions, and alive in our collective memory. -- For more Travel stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Pittsfield crews put out two-alarm fire at apartment building
PITTSFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Fire crews worked to put out a two-alarm fire on First Street in Pittsfield on Tuesday. Pittsfield event commemorates 250 years since Fort Ticonderoga plan The Pittsfield Fire Department states that crews were sent to 233-235 First Street for a report of a possible building fire. When crews arrived, heavy fire and smoke was seen coming from the 235 side of the five-apartment building. The fire was upgraded to a second alarm as mutual aid was requested. It was unknown if the building was occupied at the time of the fire. It took crews one hour to put out the fire. No injuries were reported, and Eversource and Berkshire Gas were called to secure utilities to the home. The cause of the fire is unknown and is being investigated at this time by the Pittsfield Fire Department's Fire Investigation Unit and the State Fire Marshall's Office. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
