In June 2024, the Chair of Skidmore College’s Anthropology Department, Dr. Siobhan Hart, led the first archaeological exploration of Battle of Lake George archaeology at Lake George Battlefield Park since 2016.
Professor Hart and her team of students, paired with Lake George Battlefield Park Alliance members who contributed 29 volunteer-days to the effort, built on the dedicated fieldwork overseen by the late Dr. David Starbuck in 2000-2016.
The Lake George Battlefield Park Alliance will host the return to Lake George of Dr. Hart on Saturday, February 22 at 11 am in the Holiday Inn Resort Lake George.
Hart will discuss conclusions drawn from the archaeological exploration she conducted last June with the aid of Skidmore students and Alliance volunteers, and her plans for additional studies at the site this year.
She also promises to discuss the results of her three-week archaeological investigation, adding that she “will talk about the methods we used (ground penetrating radar and excavation), our findings (including artifacts that evidence the daily life of soldiering in the 18th century), and what we are planning for 2025.”
As with last year, Hart is expecting to work with State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) officials and the Alliance to enable the public to view fieldwork activities as they’re underway.
Mark Silo is a historian and Alliance member whose 2023 paper, “Sir William, Where Exactly Were Your Lines?,” provided a new level of definition to the positioning of British, French and Native troops during the Battle of Lake George in 1755.
“Our research on the Battle of Lake George pinpointed the location of the British-American front line during the fighting at what is now the Battlefield Park,” Silo said. “Dr. Hart and her Skidmore crew conducted some preliminary archaeological research to perhaps confirm this conclusion. We look forward to her additional investigation this year.”
The Alliance will also announce opportunities to volunteer withe 2025 surveying team in advance of their return to the Battlefield Park this spring.
The February 22nd event is free to the public. Those planning to attend are requested to reserve their seats in advance by registering at the following email address: info@lakegeorgebattlefield.org
The Lake George Battlefield Park Alliance will video-record the presentation for later viewing on its YouTube channel. Professor Hart will also guest on the Alliance’s Lake George Battlefield Moments podcast on February 22-23.
Professor Hart’s research examines heritage practice, the politics of community recognition, and collaborative research. As an anthropological archaeologist, she is interested in what we know about the past, how we know it, and how it matters to people today.
She holds a PhD from the University of Massachusetts, where her dissertation was entitled High Stakes: A Poly-Communal Archaeology of the Pocumtuck Fort, Deerfield, Massachusetts. Dr. Hart earned an M.A. also from the University of Massachusetts, and a B.A. from Colgate University.
Read more stories about archaeology in New York State.
Photo of Skidmore archaeologists recording an excavation at Lake George Battlefield Park in 2024 (provided).
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