Clinton County Historical Association
By Robin Caudell
PLATTSBURGH — The second day of Clinton County Historical Association’s America 250 Battle of Valcour Commemoration begins with the official opening of the Battle of Valcour Island Interpretive Center, today, at 11 a.m. at the Peru Boat Launch, 3930, Route 9.
“What we wanted to accomplish is getting the word out about how important the Battle of Valcour was and Benedict Arnold, who was a hero,” Geri Favreau, CCHA president and Ameria250 chair, said. “He did what he was assigned to do which was to delay the British. He did what he was supposed to do. He and his little ragtag band of men on hastily thrown together boats that took on this big British, well-trained, well-funded Navy. Our vision was to get the word out beyond the North Country and in the North Country because even a lot of people here didn’t know about it and we wanted to educate them.”
CCHA’s America250 projects included “The American Revolution in the Champlain Valley, from A to Z” was distributed free to all fourth and fifth graders in Clinton, Essex and Franklin counties.
Keeseville artist George “Speedy” Arnold illustrated the book, which is dedicated to former Plattsburgh City Historian James “Jim” Bailey (1936–2021). Volunteer Anne Bailey and Plattsburgh City Historian Jackie Stewart researched content, and the book was designed by Anja Bouchard.
“That was over 3,200 copies, so that got the word out,” Favreau said. “I met with all the municipalities in Clinton County, and that got the word out. We encouraged all the municipalities to do something special this year and most of them have. We don’t call it a celebration. What we’re doing is a commemoration because people died. We don’t celebrate death whether it was American or British.”
The Saranac Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution compiled a small booklet of Revolutionary War veterans.
“Thaddeus Booth Trudeau, who is a military historian and volunteers for us, has taken their information and expanded on it. The American Legion Posts 1619 and 912 did a great job this summer. They went to a lot of cemeteries and did a little ceremony. But, they didn’t do all of them. I said to somebody, what about the rest of them? What are we going to do?” she said.
There are eight movable panels that list all of the soldiers that were viewed during the Commemorative Dinner held Friday, and will be viewed today at Peru Boat Launch, and Sunday at the Battle of Valcour Island reenactment.
“We’re going to encourage people that when they look at these if they know of somebody who is not included they make sure to let us know. The DAR did a great job, and Thaddeus has other ways of getting information. We’re hoping to do a book like what we did for the Civil War and World War I,” she said.
To make these things happen, CCHA received two $40,000 America250 grants, one last year and one this year, from the Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership.
“Last year, we were able to purchase nine interpretive panels for Rouses Point, Battlefield Memorial Gateway, and Chazy and Peru boat launches. We were able to get America250 banners and present one to each municipality, plus a couple of others like the county. We gave them one. We were able to do speakers, experts in their fields. They came in and a number of other things. This year, the $40,000 grant covers the weekend, not the reenactment specifically, but the whole weekend,” she said.
The Legacy Project, at the Peru Boat Launch, is a national historic landmark. The Town of Peru donated the flagpole and installed by Courtney Tetrault and his department. American Legion Posts 1619 and 912 donated the flag. The interpretive panels were created by the Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership, with text by Arthur Cohn, co-founder and director emeritus of the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum in Vergennes, Vt. The panels were installed by DEC.
“There are two boulders there that were placed by the DAR a number of years ago. One was actually further south, and they moved it. One is about the Battle of Valcour, and the other one is dedicating the site as a National Historic Landmark. There are two panels. (Today) while they’re at Peru, Craig Russell and some of the reenactment boats are going to be there in their boats. Craig Russell and these boats are going to go to the exact location of about five of the boats that Ed Scollon knows for sure where they were. They are going to do some ceremony there,” Favreau said.
On exhibit at CCHA is the original gun carriage of the Royal Savage, Arnold’s flagship, as well as new artifacts on loan from the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum.
“I like to say to people who do you know has something, 250 years, the American Revolution, Benedict Arnold and Lake Champlain? The Smithsonian, New York State Museum, Maritime Museum, Fort Ticonderoga and Clinton County Historical. I love that,” she said.
If You Go
Clinton County Historical Association America250 Battle of Valcour Commemoration
— Today 10 a.m.-3 p.m. The Clinton County Historical Association Museum at 98 Ohio Avenue is open. A new two-room exhibit commemorates the Battle of Valcour Island and the unsung contributions to the Revolutionary War of Blacks, women and Indigenous peoples. Highlighted are Gen. Benedict Arnold’s ships with the actual gun carriage from the Royal Savage, a 3-D version of the cannon whose last piece was recently retrieved in July, and details of the Spitfire Discovery Team’s 2024 research on that gunboat that still sits in near perfect shape at the bottom of Lake Champlain. The cannon was donated to the museum by the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum.
— Today 11 a.m.- The official opening of the Battle of Valcour Island Interpretive Center at the Peru Dock followed by a memorial service for those Revolutionary War Veterans who died in our waters. The opening by Craig Randall, Town of Peru Supervisor, will include remarks from the Clinton County America250 Chair Geri Favreau, Senator Dan Stec, Assemblyman Michael Cashman and DEC representative Rob Daley. Also participating are renowned Nautical Archaeologist Arthur Cohn, musician Bill Long, American Legion Posts 1619 and 912, and the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution. Both land and water honorary rifle volleys will occur. Emmy award winning Videographer Paul Frederick will be filming this event as part of a legacy film to be aired in February. The program for the 11 am program is attached. The public is welcome.
— Today 7 p.m. The US Navy Northeast Ensemble will play at the E. Glenn Giltz Auditorium, Hawkins Hall, SUNY Plattsburgh. Free to the public, The 60-90 minute program will feature patriotic, traditional wind and percussion favorites and Broadway selections. This is another once-in-a-lifetime event brought locally to recognize and commemorate the first Naval Battle of the Revolutionary War held 250 years ago on Lake Champlain.
— Sunday, 10 a.m. The Grand Finale of the Weekend at the Plattsburgh City Beach. This event opens with the Navy Band and the 131st Commemoration program by the Saranac Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution who, for 131 years, have been taking this day in October to recognize those who died on October 11, 1776. The DAR ceremony will be followed by a fully narrated reenactment of the Battle of Valcour Island. Historian Dr. John Krueger will narrate the entire event. Parking is plentiful, and the public is welcome. The event is free.
— Sunday 2:30 p.m. A Memorial Service at the Plattsburgh Memorial Chapel. To quietly and reverently close the weekend, the volunteers at the Plattsburgh Memorial Chapel have prepared a service to remember again those “who had lived to no better purpose or died more gloriously for it saved the lake for that year.” The public is welcome.
