The Legacy of Fort William Henry: Resurrecting the Past

Appendix 1 | The Exhibits at Fort William Henry

Appendix 1 The Exhibits at Fort William Henry The Fort William Henry Museum opened to the public in 1955, and its most important goal has always been to tell a story that is accurate and relevant to audiences with ever-changing tastes. As many as 60,000 visitors passed through the reconstructed fort every summer in the 1960s, and many had grown up with The Last of the Mohicans story, believing it to be a faithful account of the events that occurred on Lake George in the summer of 1757. However, a great many of today’s visitors know extremely little about the French and Indian War, its leaders, battle sites, or its impact on future generations of Americans. That gives staff at the museum about two hours at best to make seemingly distant historical events come alive for visitors of all ages and national backgrounds. In the first exhibits that were created inside the reconstructed barracks buildings in 1955, Fort William Henry displayed many of the best artifacts that Stanley Gifford had just unearthed from the charred ruins of the fort. Nearly all of the exhibits were the product of intensive archeological research , and history alone could not have provided such a fascinating array of materials that were worn, used, and consumed by the soldiers who actually had lived at the fort. Visitors loved the exhibits, including an extensive firearms collection (fig. A.1). And many of the cases were equipped with tape cartridges that would play two minutes’ worth of narration about the items on display inside, which made Fort William Henry the most up-to-date military museum in the region. Perhaps what made the exhibits in the 1950s the strongest were the many colorful dioramas and mannequins that were the creation of John “Jack” Binder, a prominent commercial artist. Unfortunately, many of the original artifacts were destroyed when an arsonist set fire to the West Barracks on September 18, 1967 (fig. A.2). A replacement building had to be constructed by the beginning of the 1968 season, at a cost of $350,000, and it was necessary to find new artifacts for the new displays. At that time a local newspaper noted: “Using advanced techniques of display which combine the use of all human sensory inputs, the new 5,100 square foot museum area is considered one of the finest in the Northeast” (“State Historian Visits Fort William Henry Restoration” 1968). 102 ✴ Appendixes Many other exhibits have come and gone since that time, reflecting the obligation of every museum to constantly modernize and tell new stories to visitors. One of the most notable past exhibits was a display of bateaux that had been found by divers in Lake George. The fort’s curators, often assisted by friends and consultants, have always had the responsibility of creating exciting new exhibits. In 1953 Stanley Gifford became the first curator, followed sequentially by Lieutenant Colonel Charles Briggs, Robert Lord, James Magee, Michael Palumbo, Gerald Bradfield , and Lauren Sheridan. Each curator has made it a priority to provide the museum visitor with a balanced perspective on the motivations, tactics, and daily lives of the British, provincial, French, and Native American forces A.1. An exhibit of firearms on the first floor of the West Barracks before the fire. Fort William Henry Museum. A.2. The first floor of the West Barracks after the fire in 1967. Fort William Henry Museum. Appendixes ✴ 103 that served or fought at the fort. This is especially true as the museum seeks to tell the story of the massacre: What were the motivations for it? How have perceptions of the story changed over 250 years? Do we blame Native Americans for their active role in what occurred, or do we blame the French for not adequately protecting their prisoners? Could the massacre have been avoided if Native Americans had been allowed a share of the spoils after the surrender? These are some of the more controversial questions that the museum’s exhibits need to address. The Exhibit Areas As visitors enter the Fort William Henry Museum, they are greeted by tasteful displays of artifacts, photographs, cannons, and Jack Binder’s mannequins (figs. A.3 and A.4). They then proceed to view extensive exhibits on the A.3. The first displays that greet visitors as they enter the reconstructed fort (2013). A.4. Extensive exhibits in the entryway of the fort (2013). A...