Fort Ticonderoga
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Location: Ticonderoga, New York
Nearest city: Burlington, Vermont
Area: 21,950 acres
Built: 1755 - 1758
Architect: Marquis de Lotbinire
Architectural style: Vauban style fortress
Governing body: Private museum
NRHP Reference #66000519
Added to NRHP: October 15, 1966
Designated NHL: October 9, 1960
Fort Ticonderoga, formerly Fort Carillon, is a large 18th century star fort built by the Canadians and the French at a narrows near the south end of Lake Champlain in upstate New York in the United States. It was constructed by Canadian Michel Chartier de Lotbinire, Marquis de Lotbinire between 1754 and 1757 during the Seven Years' War, often referred to as the French and Indian War in the USA. It was of strategic importance during the 18th century colonial conflicts between Great Britain and France, and again played a role during the American Revolutionary War.
The site controlled a river portage alongside the mouth of the rapids infested La Chute River in the 3.5 miles (5.6 km) between Lake Champlain and Lake George and was strategically placed in conflicts over trade routes between the British controlled Hudson River Valley and the French controlled Saint Lawrence River Valley. The terrain amplified the importance of the site. Both lakes were long and narrow, oriented north - south, as were the many ridge lines of the Appalachian Mountains extending as far south as Georgia, creating the near impassable mountainous terrain to the east and west of the Great Appalachian Valley that the site commanded. The name ''Ticonderoga'' comes from the Iroquois word tekontar—:ken, meaning ''it is at the junction of two waterways''.
