Fort Ticonderoga greets about 75,000 visitors annually. They come to tour the historic Fort that saw action in both the French and Indian War, and the American Revolution. If things had gone differently during some of the conflicts in the region surrounding the Fort, residents of Ticonderoga, NY would be speaking French today, and the town and the fort would be named “Carillon.” (Pronounced carry-on.)
Highlights of a visit to Fort Ticonderoga include watching the Fife and Drum Corps perform in the parade ground of the Fort, and visiting the King’s Garden, a formal ornamental flower garden, and its associated Discovery Gardens. (My favorite is the Children’s Garden!) There are always a ton of events on the Fort Ticonderoga calendar. When you visit, definitely don’t want to miss taking in a meal at the Log House Restaurant. They serve breakfast and lunch, and have some of the best pancakes available in the entire northeast. Their Museum Shop is fully stocked with books, note cards, souvenirs, jewelry, plant seeds, shoes, and, of course, shirts.
In the Interest of Full Disclosure
How does Kate the Blogger know so much about Fort Ticonderoga? Well, that’s easy. She worked there for two and a half years, as Curator of Landscape overseeing the King’s Garden. It was an awesome job! She loved the plants, the people at the Fort, and all of the visitors. She frequently called in an order of pancakes to go to the Log House and munched on them all day. Her favorite naughty lunch item was the Tuna Melt. (Yummy, but not at all healthy!) The view from the restaurant looking out over Lake Champlain is spectacular. Kate spent lots of money in the store. (Are we really surprised?) She does not yet, however, have a Fort Ticonderoga shirt! That is about to change.
Clothes for People not Living in the 18th Century
One of the most fun times to visit the Fort is during one of the reenactment weekends. The early summer reenactment centers around the French and Indian War, and the fall reenactment showcases the Revolutionary War. Fort staff, for the majority of the weekends, would dress in period clothing. That doesn’t include embroidered polo shirts, sadly. Kate thoroughly enjoyed her time representing an 18th century gardener. Now that she is back in the 21st Century, though, she needs to represent the Fort in something else. Enter, the Queensboro polo for Fort Ticonderoga.
Every So Often You Need a New Logo
The Fort was looking for a bit of a facelift with its logo. They recently had a swank new website designed. Check it out to listen to the Fife and Drum Corps and see the “Plant of the Week,” and awesome new feature added by current Curator of Landscape, Heidi Treesaremybestfriends*. The Fort enlisted the help of Logo Specialist Kit Funlogosaremybusiness* to help them create not one, but two super new logos. The logo featured above has the French, British and American Flags, and commemorates three special events in the long history of Fort Ticonderoga: 1609, 1909 and 2009.
In 1609, Champlain landed in New York State at the site of the Fort (on what is now called Lake Champlain). 1909 marked the opening of Fort Ticonderoga as a Museum, owned by the Pell Family that rescued the Fort from destruction and obscurity. (They bought it from the U.S. Government. Nice!) 2009 is the centennial of the Museum opening, and the quadrennial of Champlain’s landing. My favorite part about this new logo? It includes The King’s Garden!
First Customer in Line
Kelly, Finance Director at Fort Ticonderoga, took advantage of Queensboro’s 2008 year-end blowout sale of 40% off and Free Shipping to stock up on embroidered polo shirts and tees. Rarely can you get such nice embroidered polos for such a great price that can be sold for a beneficial profit. Because the Fort relies heavily on its income from the Restaurant and Museum Store, quality products with great markup potential are important. I’m waiting for them to get the shirts for sale on their website! I’m going to be their first customer!
