The French both built and destroyed the first fort at this site, taking it down before the British could salvage it in the French and Indian War. Turned out it didn't matter, as the fallen stones and many others were brought up the hill to make a much larger fort. (It later turned out that one didn't matter either, since the American army never mounted an effective campaign toward Canada.)


Walking east toward Lake Champlain along the southern fort wall.


I stop at the water, look north, then turn back west from where I came.


Over to the west side of fort, looking east from one of its four points. The northern point is much larger and had the main fort building, while the other three are equal in size. The white flag would seem to symbolize surrender, which I take to mean the British overrunning the fort, but why is the USA commemorating our oppressors winning a battle in colonial times?


The signs say the ruins are "fragile," but that also makes them "collectible."


The only sign left of life on the inside of the fort, these cisterns were part of the storehouse.


Now I head up onto the new Champlain Bridge and look north at and over the fort.


Heading back down from bridge toward Fort St-Frédéric. You can see the newer ruins of the British Fort Crown Point in the background of the first photo. The Brits went to the top of the hill to construct a much larger, five-pointed edifice. In hindsight, they should have just rebuilt right here.


I was at Crown Point on Champlain Bridge Day, 5/19/12, commemorating the new bridge from which those photos were taken. (The bridge opened in November 2011, but the communities of Crown Point, NY and Addison, VT waited for warm weather to celebrate.) These reenactors could either represent French or British troops, but it doesn't matter. Besides the fact that shots were never fired in battle, it's just cool to watch explosions.


Please accept this photo of a beautiful moth, which I was sure was a butterfly at the time.

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