Tuesday 8/21
Today we are driving through another area that is said to be scenic but for a long way we see nothing but trees on both sides and an occasional view of the mountains in the distance. Around our lunch time we arrived at Lake George. This is a beautiful area. We found a small, kind of secluded, beach to eat our lunch. There was a picnic table and a view of the lake. A family was swimming at the beach and there people sailing. We had a good time relaxing and enjoying the beauty there before heading on to Fort Ticonderoga.

On our way to Ft. Ticonderoga we passed through the town of Ticonderoga. We saw this water fall and stopped to see if there was interesting history about it. We learned that at one time a large graphite mill there. It was twice the size it is now. It is no longer in use. In the front of the museum near there was a large model of a box of pencils. On them was written “Ticonderoga” which we have seen on pencils before. We think that perhaps pencils were made here in Ticonderoga from the graphite mill.

Ft. Ticonderoga was built by the French in 1755. It played a critical strategic role in the Seven Years’ War and the Revolutionary War. During the 18th century when nations fought to control the strategic route between the St. Lawrence River in Canada and the Hudson River to the south. First the French made it the base to attack their English rivals. In 1758 they withstood an English attack but the next year the English troops forced the French to retreat from the area. Then in 1775 during the Revolutionary War the American in a surprise attack captured Ticonderoga from the British. However in 1778 the English overtook the Americans and the fort again became British. Later Ft. Ticonderoga was abandoned by the British.