to see the ruins and relics. But during his absence so many visitors
came asking for admittance that Mrs. Pell, who spent her summers there
superintending the work while her husband was overseas, was forced to
hire a full-time guide and charge sight-seers a small sum to pay his
salary. The first balance left after his salary was paid was used for
the purchase of some cannon of the Revolutionary period which Mr. Pell
had located in the West Indies years before.
When restoration got under way after the war, Mr. Pell’s infectious
enthusiasm for Fort Ticonderoga and his host of friends all over the
world, brought forth assistance from many unexpected sources. Only a few
of the cannon actually used at Ticonderoga could be located, since
George Washington himself had ordered those there during the early days
of the Revolution sent over the snow to the siege of Boston. But Mr.
Pell wanted the demilunes rearmed with authentic guns of the period.
Lord Charles Beresford and Lord Haldane, hearing of the effort to
restore the fort where some of their ancestors had fought, became
interested and persuaded the British government to send fourteen large
24-pounders, actually cast in England for use in America during the
Revolution but never shipped because the war ended too soon. After that,
as Mr. Pell expressed it, he was literally bombarded with cannon, from
unexpected sources.
[Illustration: The Ethan Allen Door (Upper Left)]
Colonel Robert Means Thompson, father of Mrs. Pell, found and purchased
twelve French bronze guns and mortars of the type used by the fort’s
first builders. Yale University deposited cannon donated by an old
graduate, DeLancey Kountze, but never displayed for lack of space. H.
Jermain Slocum, retired Charleston, South Carolina, financier and nephew
of the late Russell Sage, at his own expense went cannon hunting through
the West Indies and South America, buying and donating many, and
persuading Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Panama and Nicaragua to send
others to the fort. The Netherlands, as well as the United States Army,
also helped him arm the ramparts until they took on their original
warlike aspect.
Archer M. Huntington became interested, and through the years was a
large contributor to Ticonderoga’s restoration fund.
Scions of Philip Schuyler, Alexander Hamilton, Israel Putnam, Anthony
Wayne and many other men in some way connected with Ticonderoga have
deposited possessions of their ancestors within the fort. Collectors of
Revolutionary rifles, swords, powder horns and snuff boxes have willed
their entire collections, the result of many years’ searches, to be kept
intact here. Even casual visitors have been so impressed that they have
gone home and shipped family relics that the museum could never have
acquired by purchase. Others have appointed themselves Ticonderoga
scouts who voluntarily tipped Mr. Pell off when they located desirable
objects.
One of the museum’s proud possessions is a blunderbuss used by Ethan
Allen in taking the fort from the British, then given by him to Benedict
Arnold, who in turn gave it to John Trumbull, the Revolutionary artist.
It was purchased by the grandfather of Maj. Philip Rhinelander at a sale
of Trumbull’s effects, and the Rhinelander family in turn presented it
to the museum. Mr. Pell’s pet treasure was a hollow silver bullet taken
from one of Sir Henry Clinton’s messengers to Burgoyne just before the
latter surrendered at Saratoga. On capture, so papers accompanying the
bullet show, the courier swallowed this container of secret dispatches
and refused to take a “physick” until tough colonials threatened to “rip
his bellie” open. The silver bullet was presented to the fort by Henry
O. Tallmadge, a descendant of a Colonel Tallmadge, who was present when
it was captured. Other bullets show marks of teeth made while being held
in soldiers’ mouths during floggings or amputations.
At the present time the Fort is visited by some 200,000 people every
summer. Schools in Vermont and parts of New York State send their
children in busloads every year to see it. Many people come back
regularly every season to revisit the Fort and re-enjoy the surrounding
scenery. The beauty of the point on which the Fort stands overlooking
Lake Champlain and of the surrounding meadows and woods is appreciated,
consciously and unconsciously, by all of the many visitors. It is a
commonplace thing for people who have entered the Fort to return to pick
up cameras in their parked autos in order to be able to take photographs
in the beautiful surroundings.
Fort Ticonderoga is a living page of American history—the most
faithfully restored Fort in America and houses the greatest collection
of Revolutionary and Colonial objects.
Although the history of the Fort extends back over 200 years, its
present condition, and the incomparable museum which it contains have
resulted from the vision and work of one man, Stephen Pell. It is
fortunate indeed that as a boy he found a beautiful little bronze flint
box containing a flint. And it is fortunate that he grew to be the kind
of man who was capable of turning a dream into a living fact.
Mrs. Stephen Pell, through her great vision and understanding encouraged
Mr. Pell in his life work, and in addition gave generously in time and
money for the restoration.
In 1931, Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Pell established the Fort Ticonderoga
Association, a non-profit membership corporation organized under the
educational laws of the State of New York. The objectives of the
Association are to preserve, maintain and develop the Fort and Museum
and the surrounding grounds for the benefit of the public. Mr. Stephen
Pell remained President of the Fort Ticonderoga Association until his
death in 1950, and his son, John H. G. Pell, has carried forward this
great work as President since that time.
[Illustration: George Washington; in Uniform of American General
with Nassau Hall, Princeton College in Background
_By Charles Peale Polk, nephew of Charles Wilson Peale_
Painting in Fort Ticonderoga Museum]
THE FORT TICONDEROGA MUSEUM
John H. G. Pell
_President_
Hon. Robert T. Pell
_Historian_
Col. Edward P. Hamilton
_Director_
Miss Eleanor S. Murray
_Curator_
Mrs. Thomas V. Lape
_Librarian_
Life Members
Dwight W. Garber
Stephen V. Grancsay
Col. Edward P. Hamilton
Anna Hyatt Huntington
Eleanor Murray
Theodore R. Pell
Benoni T. Phillips
Col. Arthur Shadis, USA
C. Otto von Kienbusch
ADMISSION:
The Fort and Museum are open from mid-May to mid-October, including
Sundays and holidays from 8 A.M. to 6 P.M. The admission charge is
$1.00. There is no charge for children under twelve or for school
children in study groups, supervised by a teacher.
LIBRARY:
The library and manuscripts are available for students of history by
arrangements made with the Management.
PUBLICATIONS:
The publications of the Museum are for sale at the Log House at the
entrance to the Fort, except the Bulletins. Some of the recent bulletins
are available at $1.00 each, but unfortunately many of the early ones
are entirely out of print. Also sold at the Log House are historical
novels pertaining to our neighborhood. Information on any of these may
be had from the Management.
GIFTS TO THE MUSEUM:
Appropriate articles are acceptable and the President will be glad to
discuss desirable gifts and ways of assisting in the work of the Museum
with friends who may desire to help. Gifts are deductible for Federal
income tax purposes.
[Illustration: Powder Horn Map Made at Mount Independence 1776]
The Book Shelf
ETHAN ALLEN, John Pell (_New Edition_)
A sound and carefully researched biography of that controversial
leader of Vermont’s Green Mountain Boys
$5.00
ARUNDEL, Kenneth Roberts
The story of the early history of Maine, and the magnificent march
of Arnold’s troops up Dead River and across the Height of Land to
attack Quebec
4.00
RABBLE IN ARMS, Kenneth Roberts
A sequel to ARUNDEL. The romance of the two-year struggle of the
American Northern Army to halt the British invasion from the north
4.00
NORTHWEST PASSAGE, Kenneth Roberts
The epic story of the greatest Indian fighter, Major Robert Rogers,
and his incredible adventure in the Old French War
4.00
TOWN FATHER, _A Biography of Gamaliel Painter_, W. Storrs Lee
The tale of a small man, a small town, a small college, that
combined present the greatness that founded this country
3.75
MARINUS WILLETT, HOWARD THOMAS
The biography of an American patriot whose lifetime embraced the
entire span of the American struggle for independence
3.75
FORT TICONDEROGA: KEY TO A CONTINENT, Edward P. Hamilton
The concise and violent story of a brief 20 year active span in the
Colonial and Revolutionary Wars, centering in and around the Great
Stone Fortress at Ticonderoga
5.95
TICONDEROGA, _The Story of a Fort_, Bruce Lancaster
Designed for a teen age audience, this unusual volume whose real
hero is the Fort itself, will delight the adult reader as well
1.95
INDIAN WARS AND WARRIORS EAST, Paul I. Wellman
Every major struggle between the white man and the Indian, from
Champlain’s attack upon the Iroquois to the subjugation of the
Seminoles. Ages 11-up
1.95
WASHINGTON AND THE REVOLUTION, Lynn Montross
The inspiring story of the American Revolutionary Army, the army
that wouldn’t stay beaten, and its great-hearted leader, George
Washington. Ages 11-up
1.95
FORT TICONDEROGA, _A Short History_, S. H. P. Pell
A comprehensive, well illustrated history of the Fort at
Ticonderoga, detailing the part it played in the history of three
nations
1.00
THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS, Edward P. Hamilton
_Mainstream of America Series_: The Story of Battles and Forts in
the Wilderness
5.95
LAKE CHAMPLAIN AND THE UPPER HUDSON VALLEY, Edward P. Hamilton
A concise picture of the military struggles for control of the
Champlain waterway, illustrated with carefully plotted population
maps detailing the progress of the westward colonial expansion
1.00
THE BLACK WATCH AT TICONDEROGA, Frederick B. Richards, L.H.D.
A complete account of the 42nd Royal Highland Regiment from the time
it left Scotland in 1756 until after the capture of Ticonderoga by
Amherst in 1759
1.00
ROBERT ROGERS OF THE RANGERS, John R. Cuneo
A sympathetic biography of that great Indian fighter who was a
controversial figure in his own time and so continues today
6.00
ADVENTURE IN THE WILDERNESS: THE AMERICAN JOURNALS OF LOUIS ANTOINE DE
BOUGAINVILLE, _Edited by_ Edward P. Hamilton
The colonial experiences of an intelligent and articulate observer
who served on the frontiers of North America
5.95
NAVIES IN THE MOUNTAINS, Harrison K. Bird
The Battles on the Waters of Lake Champlain and Lake George,
1609-1814
6.50
MARCH TO SARATOGA, Harrison K. Bird
General Burgoyne and the American Campaign, 1777
6.50
GEORGE WASHINGTON’S GENERALS, _Edited by_ Dr. George A. Billias
A series of penetrating essays depicting the military geniuses who
engineered the birth of this nation
6.00
Set of 12 postcards of the French Regiments that served at Ticonderoga,
from paintings by Col. Harry C. Larter, Jr.
1.00
Set of 12 postcards of the American Regiments that served at
Ticonderoga, from paintings by Col. Harry C. Larter, Jr.
1.00
Set of 12 postcards of the British Regiments that served at Ticonderoga,
from paintings by Alex. R. Cattley
1.00
Set of 12 postcards of the German Regiments that served with Burgoyne
1.00
Supplemental Set of 8 postcards, British Regiments
.75
THE FORT TICONDEROGA ASSOCIATION
Stephen H. P. Pell, _Founder_
Benefactors
John H. G. Pell
Archer M. Huntington
Sarah G. T. Pell
Robert M. Thompson
Gladys Pell Blankarn
Hon. Robert T. Pell
Members of the Fort Ticonderoga Association
Mrs. Marshall Blankarn
Mrs. Roger Dechame (Director)
Mrs. Edwin Dunning
Hon. Robert T. Pell (Director)
Anthony D. S. M. Pell
Robert Livingston Pell
Hon. Claiborne Pell (Director)
Clarence C. Pell
Duncan C. Pell, Jr.
Duncan C. Pell III
Francis L. Pell, Jr.
Howland H. Pell
John B. Pell
John H. G. Pell (Managing Director)
Stuyvesant B. Pell (Director)
Theodore R. Pell
Rev. Walden Pell II
Eben W. Pyne
H. Pendleton Rogers
[Illustration: Flag Bastion
_The old guns of Fort Ticonderoga still stand guard over the waters
of Lake Champlain, in memory of the days when our forefathers fought
and bled in the many struggles which led to the foundation of this
great nation of ours._]
[Illustration: Fort Ticonderoga: South Barracks]
Transcriber’s Notes
—Silently corrected a few typos.
—Retained publication information from the printed edition: this eBook
is public-domain in the country of publication.
—In the text versions only, text in italics is delimited by
_underscores_.