Scenic History in the Adirondacks

Whitehall, New York, formerly Skenesborough, was founded by Philip Skene in 1759. It was the first English-speaking settlement on Lake Champlain and thrived, as Skene built a logging operation, a foundry, and a ship-building enterprise. With access to the lake and connecting water ways, the Champlain Valley prospered with an economy for continued growth. The security of the surrounding area was protected by cannons strategically placed on Skene Mountain, a rock faced cliff that rises vertically above the southern most tip of Lake Champlain.

Atop the mountain is the Skene Manor*, a building that imitates a castle with its form, features and construction of native stone blocks from the Champlain Valley below. Perched on the valley's eastern slope the Manor is an elegant Victorian, Gothic-style mansion that stands tall, in a clearing of trees.
The castle overlooks Lake Champlain, the village of Whitehall and part of the Lakes to Locks Passage.

The village is located in the Adirondack Mountain Range bordered on the east by Vermont and the west by Lake George with the Champlain Canal running north on the floor of the valley into Lake Champlain, all of which offer the castle a panoramic view of the surrounding water ways, valley and mountains.

During Seven Years' War in 1755, the Champlain Valley became an area of contested ground between the two superpowers of the day, France and England. This area was considered the "key to the continent". Due to its strategic location, Lake Champlain protected the portage to Lake George, so the French Governor of Canada, ordered a fort to be constructed on the Ticonderoga peninsula where the lake narrows.

In 1776, Skene's home and enterprises were confiscated by the American rebels. Whitehall saw British and French activity during the French and Indian Wars, and its harbor was the place of the first aggressive action of the Revolution in New York State. There, Benedict Arnold's men took possession of a schooner from Skene's fleet, which became the first ship of the United States Navy. The first Navy ships were constructed here and sailed with Arnold in 1776 on Lake Champlain, thus Whitehall became the birthplace of the United States Navy.

The Skenesborough Museum contains a model of Whitehall, during the Revolutionary War Period and includes audio effects. The model shows a town centered on ship-building activity and a harbor full of ships. The museum web site gives directions for several different "Revolutionary War Road Trip(s)" offering books and brochures, as guides of where to go and what to see.

Today a tour of the Skene Manor brings back time with the first floor that is completely restored, while the second and third floors are well underway. The great clock in the bell tower has not worked, since its components were donated to the war effort in the 1940's. In addition to the tours, lunches, tea times, and 7 course meals are provided by volunteers. The castle looks down on Whitehall's Main Street, which has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Visitors to Fort Ticonderoga will see a restored 18th Century stronghold. The fort, first built by the French in 1755-1758, not only played an important role in the French and Indian War, but also is the site of the first American victory of the Revolutionary War. While at Fort Ticonderoga, tour the King's Garden, witness a battle re-enactment, or participate in one of the many festivals celebrated throughout the year.

Fort Mount Defiance sits 768 feet above Lake Champlain on a mountain top to the south-west of Fort Ticonderoga. Nearby is the last part of the two mile 230-foot drop from Lake George to Lake Champlain. The French, British and Americans all had opportunities to take Fort Mount Defiance and assume control from a position high above Fort Ticonderoga, but each thought the mountain was too steep and inaccessible.

The British troops managed to drag cannons to the top of Mount Defiance, making the American troops in Fort Ticonderoga an easy target. On July 4th, the American forces began to panic when they saw the cannons being moved up the mountain. As a result, American troops evacuated Fort Ticonderoga in July 5, 1777.

In September of 1777, it was America's turn to put cannons on top of this mountain. The cannons were placed and fired, however, the British forces did not panic, retreat or surrender. The Fort was not the easy target from the mountain everyone had envisioned. The attempt to bombard Fort Ticonderoga from Mount Defiance was not successful and the British held the fort until the end of the war.

Today visitors have access to Mount Defiance by car. The summit presents spectacular views that overlook a large portion of the Champlain Valley, the Fort Ticonderoga area, and the Vermont shore. The visitor can easily imagine how military strategies were shaped from the extraordinary views of Fort Ticonderoga, Mount Independence in Vermont, and the "portage" to Lake George.

The natural forces and native populations of the Hudson-Champlain Valley created a landscape rich in early American History. From earliest pre-colonial times, the Iroquois Confederacy and other Native American tribes used the valleys as a passageway for strategic communication and water travel. Early voyagers could navigate the Hudson River as far north as Fort Edward before it was necessary to portage overland to the headwaters of Lake Champlain.

The Champlain Canal is one of America's first canals and was opened in 1823. It consisted of a land cut channel from the Hudson River to Wood Creek, which joins Lake Champlain. An integral part of New York and American History, the Champlain Canal's impact was substantial, opening up shipping lanes from New York City (and West via the Erie Canal and the Mohawk River), north to Lake Champlain and on to the St. Lawrence Seaway. Today the Champlain Canal provides scenic boating, waterfront picnic parks, recreation trails, eleven lock locations, numerous canal towpaths and charming villages and towns along the way.

The Lakes to Locks Passage is a nationally designated scenic byway that runs from the Hudson River to the south, through Lock #12 in Whitehall to Lake Champlain in the north. The Champlain Canal is also a part of the Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor. Following canal system is a ticket to experience a passageway of change, revolution and transportation. Along the Champlain Canal, visitors will also relive major portions of the American Revolution, including the Saratoga National Historical Park, known as the "turning point" of the American Revolution and one of the most decisive military victories in world history.

* The Skene Manor, as it looks today, was built in 1874 by Italian stonecutters hired by New York State Supreme Court Justice Joseph Potter.