Fort William Henry

Rte. 9
Lake George Village, 12845
(518) 668-5471

Fort William Henry was constructed in the aftermath of the Battle of Lake George in September of 1755. The British military strategists designed the fort as a key installation in the northern defense of the colony of New York to serve as a launching point for future military operations against the threatening French empire to the north, and to guard the portage between the waters of Lake George and the Hudson River to prevent any large scale French invasion. Despite this, nearly 250 years ago, the French under the Marquis de Montcalm lay siege to Fort William Henry until finally it surrendered on August 9, 1757. This event was immortalized and romanticized in James Fenimore Cooper's novel, The Last of the Mohicans.