Experience Revolutionary War History at Mount Independence

For Immediate Release
August 13, 2025

Experience Revolutionary War History at Mount Independence
Honor history in Orwell on Saturday, August 23, and Sunday, August 24

Orwell, Vt. -The Revolutionary War comes to life at the annual "Soldiers Atop the Mount" living history weekend on Saturday, August 23 and Sunday, August 24, 2025, at the Mount Independence State Historic Site in Orwell. Meet the reenactors and site interpreters commemorating the soldiers who built and garrisoned Mount Independence in 1776 and 1777. Join us to honor these soldiers who helped lay the foundation of the United States of America.

The site is open both days from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Most activities are outside. Visitors should dress for the weather, wear walking shoes, and be prepared to walk. This includes the Baldwin Trail area, which is handicapped accessible with a compacted stone surface and gentle grades.

Saturday's highlight is the popular Baldwin Trail Walkabout, from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm. Visit with experts stationed along the trail and in the reenactor camp to learn about Revolutionary medicines, the work of Army chaplains, foodways, what a sutler (mobile shopkeeper) had to sell in August 1776, and more. In the afternoon, the public is invited to follow the action as reenactors demonstrate the activities and movements of a Revolutionary War scouting party through the woods, as narration is provided.

On Sunday, the annual reading of the Declaration of Independence, for which Mount Independence is named, includes a Revolutionary War period sermon to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Army Corps of Chaplains. At 2:00 pm in the Museum auditorium, site interpreter and historian Paul Andriscin will offer a talk about the progress of the Revolutionary War after Mount Independence, "How (Howe) the Revolution Was Lost."

Both days offer a light lunch, snacks, and beverages for purchase. Call 802-948-2000 for schedule details. Admission for "Soldiers Atop the Mount," including the event, trails, and museum, is $9.00 for adults, $1.00 for ages 6-14, free for children under 6. Children's activities will be offered on both days.

Mount Independence is a National Historic Landmark and considered one of the best-preserved Revolutionary War archaeological sites in America, designated a Vermont Archaeological Landmark in 2025. Mount Independence is owned jointly by the State of Vermont Division for Historic Preservation and the Fort Ticonderoga Association. It is located at 497 Mount Independence Road, six miles west of the intersection of Vermont Routes 22A and 73 in Orwell. The site is open daily, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, through October 19.

Learn more about Mount Independence and Vermont's other state-owned historic sites by visiting HistoricSites.vermont.gov.