Some 18th Century coins on display in Fort William Henry

[Billy Kingsley]

Hello folks, I have just returned home from a trip to my favorite place in the world, Lake George New York. While today Lake George is mainly a tourist attraction, it was a major strategic area in the past. Playing host to two major battles- one in the French and Indian War and one in the Revolutionary War. Fort William Henry, at the very base of the Lake on the south shore, was burned in the the 1750s, and the location was excavated, and a reconstruction of the Fort was built in the 1950s. Inside the museum (which is housed in the walls of the Fort) there are a few coins on display. These were found in the ruins of the Fort.
Here are a section of pictures!

 
I believe the 19th Century designation is incorrect.

 
Considering these went through a major fire, and then were in the ground for almost 200 years, it's no surprise they are in poor shape.

 

 
There are also a collection of beads, shells and bones- aka, Wampum, which the American Indians used in place of metal coins.

 
Here is a photo of the outside of Fort William Henry (It is so large that it is not possible to get it all in one photo)

 
If you would like to see more of Fort William Henry, please follow this link:
http://public.fotki.com/ElCaminoBilly/lake-george-new-york/fort-william-henry-/
 
And if you would like to see pictures from my trip to Lake George, and a mini-hike to see the never completed Fort George, as well as statues, monuments and other historical locations, please visit this album:
http://public.fotki.com/ElCaminoBilly/lake-george-new-york/2009-september-trip/
 
Thanks for looking, and I close with this photo of Lake George, which I took while standing on the other side of the road that Fort William Henry is on, looking north along the Lake's 32 mile distance (though it makes a turn in the center, so you aren't seeing that far)

[Zantetsuken]

Nice photos Billy. I'm surprised they were actually able to identify the one coin as British considering how far gone it was. Another place that has an interesting coin display is at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C.. If you ever get down there, you should check it out. By the way, that's a beautiful photo of Lake George. I've never been to the Adirondacks, but I've always wanted to go. This is certainly an inspiration. Thanks and good luck.

~Daniel.

[Billy Kingsley]

Thanks Daniel! I am surprused as well, they look pretty much slick to me. Perhaps the other side is more recognizable, or maybe they were just guessing, based on what was in common usage in the area at the time? I don't honestly know. From what I've been told, that display has been unchanged since the mid 1950s when they opened the reconstructed Fort!

I would LOVE to visit the Smithsonian someday. I found out they have coins only recently, and I already wanted to get there, that is just an added bonus to me!

Thank you for the comment Lake George is my favorite place...I've been there every year of my life, many years more then once. I can't get enough of it, although, I have not gone in the Lake itself in almost a decade. I just like to look at it.