The Tale of the Dismembered 1757 Fort William Henry Shipwreck
By Joseph W. Zarzynski, Maritime Archaeologist
November 5 at 2:00
In July 1903, a Glens Falls entrepreneur with permission from the New York State Legislature raised a war-ravaged sloop from the shallows of Lake George. The 44 ft. long British warship had been burned and then sank at the frontier waterway during a March 1757 French raid upon Fort William Henry (1755-1757). Local and regional newspapers in 1903 reported on the French & Indian War hulk that was unceremoniously cut up for souvenirs after being salvaged. Zarzynski is a maritime archaeologist and from 2016-2017 worked with Brigid Shaw, another archaeologist, on a study of the 1903-raised colonial war-ship. His talk will examine the history of the armed sloop, the archaeological examination of several surviving vessel timbers found in New York museums, a study of 1903 photographs of the 1757 British sloop-of-war, and the story of several repurposed artifacts—gavels,
candlesticks, and a clock—crafted from pieces of the dismembered battle craft.
Zarzynski is a graduate of Ithaca College. He majored in history. He is the author of several books and serves on the board of the French & Indian War Society.
Please RSVP to Tarah at 518-874-1638