Fort William Henry was constructed in 1755 by the same engineer who laid out its sister fort (Fort Edward) at the southern terminus of the military road, Major William Eyre. It stood for only two years and was destroyed by French General Montcalm after the garrison was force to surrender following a week long siege. The subsequent massacre of unarmed prisoners was made famous by James Fenimore Cooper in his classic, The Last of The Mohicans, first published in 1826.
In 1997 the first professional archaeology in fifty years began at this famous site. For the past four seasons we have had crews in the fort's well, along the road that was the entrance to the fort, and at various sites around the outer moat and the military cemetery.
In the near future you will see many images and learn more about what our investigation uncovered.
excavation of East Barracks, summer, 1998 this is a video clip showing our search for the timbers of the East Barracks in the Fort William Henry parade ground. Join us as we locate a timber from the destroyed East Barracks, almost three meters down. Open with Media Player 2 or 7. (7:09)
excavation of West Barracks, Summer, 1999 this is a video clip showing our search for the underground bombproof casemate rooms of the West Barracks (destroyed in Aug., 1757) in the Fort William Henry parade ground. Join us as we speculate about the nature of our finds- a great way to listen in on how we draw our conclusions. Open with Media Player 2 or 7. (9:21)
excavations from West Barracks, 2000
To contact Mr. Rozell:
marozell@hudsonfalls.k12.ny.us