Ft. Ticonderoga losing the financial battle

TICONDEROGA, N.Y. -- Ft. Ticonderoga, one of the nation's oldest and most significant historic sites, is so financially strapped that its trustees are considering selling off some of its vast collection of artifacts, including artwork believed to be worth millions.

The move comes after the fort lost the support of billionaire Forrest E. Mars Jr. amid disagreements with Ft. Ticonderoga's longtime executive director, Nicholas Westbrook.

Besides being a privately owned tourist attraction operated as a not-for-profit, Ft. Ticonderoga is also a state-chartered museum. Such charters are granted by regents who must approve any sale of artifacts or artwork.

Peter Paine Jr., the new president of the board of trustees for the Ft. Ticonderoga Assn., sent a memo last month to board members outlining the financial crunch and listing several options to try to erase about $2.5 million in debt. Among them was closing next year and selling "Gelyna, View Near Ticonderoga," painted by Thomas Cole after he visited Ticonderoga in the 1820s. Other Cole works have sold for more than $1 million.

Ft. Ticonderoga, a National Historic Landmark, played a key role in North American history from its construction by the French in 1755 through the American Revolution, when it changed hands three times.


The bloodiest battle of the French and Indian War was fought there 250 years ago, and Benedict Arnold, along with Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys, famously captured the fort from the British in 1775 without firing a shot.

(Painting by Bryce Muir. Click on the link below for more of his work.)