State Project
The 2025–2026 State Project is Triumph at Ticonderoga: America’s First Victory. This year, members will explore early Revolutionary War victories and Fort Ticonderoga’s vital role. From soldiers to oxen, we’ll learn how everyday people and animals supported the fight for independence. Our project supports building a replica 3-pound cannon carriage using Adirondack wood and Catskill-forged hardware. The cannon will be used in live demonstrations for the fort’s 70,000 annual visitors. Through officer challenges, contests, and hands-on activities, members will celebrate 1776 in their communities and share their work at State Conference, March 20–21, 2026, in Saratoga Springs.
Dear N.Y.S.S.C.A.R. Family and Friends,
This year, we begin celebrating the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Through this year’s theme, “Triumph at Ticonderoga – America’s First Victory,” we’ll explore how ordinary men, women, children, and even farm animals played important roles in the American Revolution. The 2025–2026 C.A.R. year began just days before the 250th anniversary of the capture of Fort Ticonderoga on May 10, 1775. Our State Conference will be held on the weekend commemorating the anniversary of the British evacuation of Boston on March 17, 1776. Did you know both of these important events involved cannons from Fort Ticonderoga, and neither resulted in bloodshed? Members will have opportunities to learn about 18th-century trades and crafts that supported the Northern Department of the Continental Army during the early years of the American Revolution. Soldiers and camp followers from across New England and the Mid-Atlantic states helped grow and prepare food, craft clothing, and produce supplies for America’s patriot ancestors. Did you know that so many people lived at Fort Ticonderoga and Mount Independence during that time that it became the fourth-largest population center in North America after Boston, New York, and Philadelphia? Our State Project will support the construction of a reproduction naval cannon carriage for a 3-pound cannon at Fort Ticonderoga. The wood will be harvested from the Adirondacks and prepared on-site at the fort. The metal hardware will be forged in the Catskills, modeled after original artifacts uncovered during early restoration efforts—one of America’s first historic preservation projects. Once completed, the cannon and its carriage will be displayed near the entrance of the fort and used in demonstrations to showcase the science and sounds of cannon fire. Through the contests and officer challenges in this program packet, members will have opportunities to get hands-on with history and celebrate the spirit of 1776 in their home communities. I can’t wait to see you all at State Conference at the Embassy Suites in Saratoga Springs on March 20–21, 2026, where we’ll celebrate all the amazing things our members learn and do this year. I know the Fort Ticonderoga Association will be so impressed by our efforts to help them share history with the 70,000 international visitors they welcome each year.
Yours in C.A.R. Friendship,
Kate Keesler,
N.Y.S.S.C.A.R. President