Subscribe to our Email
Waterways to War:
Mount Independence State Historic Site
View of Fort Ticonderoga from
Mount Independence State Historic Site
Visitor Center at Mount Independence
497 Mount Independence Road
Orwell, VT
(802) 948-2000
www.HistoricVermont.org/ mountindependence
Open daily, Memorial Day weekend through Columbus Day, 9:30 to 5:00
Mount Independence, built by the American Northern Army in 1776-1777 to defend Lake Champlain and New England from British invasion from Canada, is one of the best preserved Revolutionary War archeological sites in America. It sits on a northward facing peninsula opposite Fort Ticonderoga and was named after the Declaration of Independence. Military engineers used the rugged terrain to build the extensive three-level defenses, with cannon batteries, breastworks, and a star fort. After the Americans withdrew from the Mount and Ticonderoga on July 5 and 6, 1777, British and German troops under Lt. Gen. John Burgoyne occupied it until November 1777.
Museum exhibits use artifacts from archeological investigations and state-of-the-art technology to tell the story of this major Revolutionary War fortification. Six miles of trails, including the Baldwin Trail with interpretive signage, compacted surfaces, and gentle grades suitable for outdoor wheelchairs, wind past archeological remains of batteries, blockhouses, a hospital, and other buildings, and offer stunning views of Lake Champlain.