About This Location
Fort William Henry Museum is a replica of the original British fort destroyed during the French and Indian War massacre of 1757. The original fort, built in 1755, was the site of one of the most brutal episodes in colonial American history. After the British surrendered to the French, their Native American allies attacked the departing soldiers and civilians, killing and scalping hundreds. The massacre was dramatized in James Fenimore Cooper's "The Last of the Mohicans."
The Ghost Story
The ghosts of the 1757 massacre remain at Fort William Henry. Visitors report shadow figures appearing in photographs taken throughout the fort. Whispered voices urge visitors to hurry, as if warning them of approaching danger. Cold spots move through rooms, and some visitors feel invisible hands pushing them toward exits. Investigators have recorded EVPs of screams and the sounds of battle. The spirits seem trapped in the moment of their violent deaths, reliving the terror of the massacre. Staff report that activity increases in August, around the anniversary of the attack.