Atop this rugged promontory along the Vermont shore of Lake Champlain, American Revolutionary War troops built a fort complex to guard against a British attack from Canada.. The troops named it Mount Independence in honor of the Declaration of Independence. This new fort faced north and stood across the lake from the fort at Ttconderoga, which, because of its southerly posture and poor condition, provided little protection from a northern attack. After the unsuccessful American attack on Canada in late 1775, the British intended to counterattack and eventually crush the Revolution by dividing New England from the rest of the colonies.

Under orders from General Philip Schuyler, American troops began clearing land at Mount Independence in June of 1776. By fall, three brigades had established camps of huts and houses. A large shore battery and a horseshoe-shaped battery were completed and a picket fort was under construction. So impressive was the combined sight of Mount Independence and Fort Ticonderoga that British General Guy Carleton quickly returned to Canada, abandoning an attempted invasion in October 1776.

As winter approached, many of the American troops left to join General Washington's army in New Jersey and others went home, leaving only a small garrison on Mount Independence. In the spring of 1777 some American troops returned but not a sufficient number to prevent British General John Burgoyne's troops from overwhelming the defenses on July 5th. The rear guard, pursued by the British to Hubbardton, fought a bloody battle to slow the British advance. The main American force assembled at Saratoga where they won a decisive victory over Burgoyne's army in October. The small British garrison that remained at Mount Independence burned the structures and destroyed the defensive works before returning to Canada in November. Mount Independence was not redefended and has sat virtually unused since.

Today, Mount Independence is designated a National Historic Landmark and has been called one of the most interesting and important historic sites in Vermont. Several miles of hiking trails wind past the ruins of batteries, blockhouses, a hospital, barracks, and other archaeological remains of this once-bustling fort complex. In the new visitor center museum the story of military life atop Mount Independence is revealed through exhibits featuring many of the artifacts recovered during recent archaeological investigations.

The design concept for the visitor center and museum was to create a unique public structure that would reflect the historic significance of Mount Independence and its important association with Lake Champlain, yet would be compatible with the natural beauty of the site. The building's overall shape and detailing is a symbolic reference to the naval activities that took place on Lake Champlain during the Revolution. Mount Independence was fortified because of its strategic location on the take, and the architecture dramatically reminds visitors of the important interaction of the land- and lake-based activities.

Nestled into a contour of the southern hillside, the center has a commanding presence and is clearly visible as one approaches it. Yet, as visitors leave the center to explore Mount Independence the contour of the hillside conceals the center, allowing a "step back in time" as they embark on the trails leading past the archaeological remains of the defemsive complex.

The building's 7,900 total square feet houses space for the permanent exhibit, Building Independence on Lake Champlain (1,915 sq. ft.), as welt as a temporary exhibit gallery (3 1 0 sq. ft.) for changing shows. The structure also includes a combination auditorium/classroom, allowing for interpretive lectures, workshops, multimedia presentations and receptions. In addition to curatorial space for working on the collections, there are two climatecontrolled artifact storage areas where humidity and temperature can be easily regulated, assuring the preservation of the stored artifacts.

The permanent exhibit in the center's museum focuses on the American occupation of Mount Independence. "Building Independence on Lake Champlain" highlights the role Mount Independence played during the early years of the Revolutionary War and explores the lives of the American soldiers encamped on the Mount and the successes and failures of their heroic efforts.

Drawing on the history of the site, the exhibit design evokes the wooden stockade that surrounded the star-shaped, picket fort constructed by the American garrison on Mount Independence. The perimeter of the exhibition gallery is surrounded by stylized wooden posts or pickets. Interspersed between the pickets are glass cases and exhibit mounts featuring artifacts recovered from Mount Independence during archaeological investigations. Notable among the objects is the over 3,000-pound cannon retrieved from Lake Champlain in 1993. Also on display is a wine bottle engraved with the signature "James Hill 177'1," and log timbers from the cribs that supported the "Great Bridge" connecting Mount Independence to its sister fort at Fort Ticonderoga. Large panel graphics and additional smaller images enliven and enlighten the story.

A second phase of the exhibit, to be installed in 1998, will feature two computer elements that invite audience participation. The first, to be located in the center of the gallery, is a large-scale group sculpture of six Revolutionary War soldiers that will allow visitors to explore garrison life through first-hand accounts from people stationed at the Mount. Using hologram imagery, three of the figures will portray notable soldiers who talk about their experiences fortifying and defending the site. The other figures will hold "journals" that house touch-screen computers programmed with copies of journals, letters, and military records from the American and British occupation.

Historic maps of the site and the Champlain Valley will be showcased in four computer terminals that make up the second computer element. Visitors will be able to navigate the territory covered by Revolutionary War soldiers, manipulating maps to envision, for example, what British General Guy Carleton saw from Lake Champlain as his fleet approached Mount Independence in November 1776.