Colonial and Revolutionary War Programs
1776: The Revolutionary War in the Champlain Valley
Students aboard the replica gunboat Philadelphia II.
2.5-hour field trip program held at the Museum’s Basin Harbor site
Grades 4+ (maximum 48 students)
- Revisit our replica gunboat Philadelphia II - she's back in the water and better than ever!
Discover how Benedict Arnold and his fleet changed the course of history in 1776. Participants will look at the Champlain Valley as the Northern Theatre of the Revolutionary War. Visit the replica Philadelphia II for hands-on training about life on board a gunboat. Watch demonstrations in the 18th-century style blacksmith’s shop. Try your hand at woodworking tools and learn about the Battle of Valcour Island in the Revolutionary War exhibit. To give your students the full revolutionary experience, visit our friends at Fort Ticonderoga.
The 18th Century Man: Boat Builder
LCMM educator brings 18th-century
boat building to the classroom.
1 hour outreach program
For grades 2 and up (maximum 45 students)
- Dressed in period clothing from the 18th-century, the boat builder will talk about the importance of boats, how they were designed and constructed, and what woods were used and why. He brings an extensive assortment of tools, wood samples and historic materials for demonstration and display to increase understanding of this period in our history.
The 18th Century Man: Militiaman
1 hour outreach program
Grades 2+ (maximum 45 students)
- Entering the classroom dressed as a militiaman from the American Revolution on his way to one of the forts on Lake Champlain, an LCMM educator displays his clothing and equipment, including his musket. Discussions will focus on each items use and why it was necessary, as well as the weapons of the era and expectations of a good militiaman. A question and answer period will address topic of interest focusing on life in the 18th-century.
18th-century map of Lake Champlain,
by cartographer Brassier.
1 hour outreach program
Grades 4+ (maximum 60 students)
- Lake Champlain was the Northern Theatre of the Revolutionary War in 1776. Dressed as a crew member from Benedict Arnold’s fleet, our Museum educator will bring to life the vibrant story of the struggle for independence in our region during a slide presentation. Discussion will follow on topics of interest from the students, and may include shipboard life and discipline, medicine of the times, and issues of the Revolution.
The Philadelphia Kit - Resource
Explore the building of the northern fleet
in your own classroom.
Learn the story of the gunboat Philadelphia and the defense of Lake Champlain in 1776 through this collection of materials and activities. The kit includes books, video, building plans, rigging plans, and hands-on opportunities for traditional skills such as knot tying, caulking, rigging and rope work.
Cost: $20 for 2-week loan (delivery not included).
Key to Liberty and A Tale of Three Gunboats Video - Resource
The story of Key to Liberty (15 minutes) is told from the perspective of Bayze Wells, First Officer of the American gunboat Providence. View the re-enactment of the Battle of Valcour Island in 1776, featuring the gunboat Philadelphia. In Part II, A Tale of Three Gunboats (10 minutes), learn the story of the raising of the original gunboat Philadelphia in 1935, the building and launching of the replica Philadelphia II, and underwater footage of Spitfire, the last gunboat from the 1776 fleet, discovered in 1997.
Cost: $10 for 2-week loan or Purchase the VHS for $10 or DVD for $20 (shipping included).