BATTLE OF VALCOUR ISLAND
250th Anniversary Commemoration Weekend
October 9-11, 2026 | Clinton County, New York
MEDIA INFORMATION & WEEKEND SCHEDULE
250 Years Later: Why Valcour Matters
Clinton County will mark the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Valcour Island with three days of education, living history, music, ceremony and public commemoration, October 9-11, 2026. The weekend brings the story of the 1776 Lake Champlain campaign into the present through museum programs, a reenactor encampment, a battlefield legacy-project dedication, trips to Valcour Island, lighthouse tours, performances by a U.S. Navy Band ensemble, a commemorative ceremony and a reenactment of the battle.
The Battle of Valcour Island was fought on October 11, 1776, in the waters between Valcour Island and the New York shore. Benedict Arnold's American flotilla faced a larger and more powerful British force advancing south from Canada. Although the American fleet suffered severe losses, its resistance helped delay the British campaign until the following year. That delay gave American forces additional time to prepare for the 1777 campaign that culminated at Saratoga, a victory that helped bring France openly into the war on the American side.
Valcour's importance is therefore larger than the tactical outcome of a single day's fighting. The battle illustrates the strategic importance of Lake Champlain and the Hudson River corridor, the urgency of the American effort to slow the British advance, and the extraordinary consequences that can follow from gaining time.
A Battlefield That Continues to Reveal Its Story
The underwater battlefield at Valcour Bay has continued to yield evidence of the men, vessels and weapons involved in the 1776 engagement. The Valcour Bay Research Project grew from Edwin R. "Ed" Scollon's 1999 discovery of a major fragment of a cannon that had exploded aboard the American gondola New York. Over years of archaeological survey and research, the project documented the battlefield and recovered evidence that has helped reconstruct what happened aboard the vessel.
On July 20, 2026, researchers raised the final major fragment of the exploded cannon from Lake Champlain. The discovery brought renewed attention to a story the Research Project has pursued for more than a quarter century. Contemporary accounts and subsequent research identify Lt. Thomas Rogers as killed in the explosion and other crewmen injured.
The 250th anniversary weekend will recognize the Valcour Bay Research Project Team at Friday evening's Commemorative Dinner. Following dinner, Scollon will present on the team's research and the July 20, 2026 recovery of the final major fragment of the cannon that exploded aboard the gondola New York during the 1776 battle.
A Community Commemoration
The anniversary observance brings together historical research, remembrance, and living history. Programs range from a school-day presentation by the Native North American Traveling College to museum tours, living-history interpretation, a Legacy Project dedication at the National Historic Landmark at the Peru Boat Launch, boat trips to Valcour Island and the Bluff Point Lighthouse, and a weekend presence by a U.S. Navy Band ensemble.
Sunday's program at Plattsburgh City Beach includes the Saranac Chapter NSDAR's 131st Commemoration Ceremony and a Battle of Valcour Island reenactment. The long-running DAR observance connects the 250th anniversary to generations of local remembrance and preservation.
MEDIA NOTE
Invitations have been extended to federal, state and local officials, representatives of historical and patriotic organizations, historians, preservationists and community leaders. Attendance should not be reported as confirmed unless specifically verified by event organizers.
WEEKEND MEDIA SCHEDULE
Events are free and open to the public unless noted by a $
FRIDAY - OCTOBER 9
Native North American Traveling College
4th & 5th Grade School Program - Not Open to the Public
Plattsburgh State Field House
CCHA Museum Tours
10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
98 Ohio Avenue, Plattsburgh
Commemorative Dinner $
Reservations required
Reception 5:00 p.m. Dinner 6:00 p.m.
West Side Ballroom 253 New York Road, Plattsburgh
Media context: The dinner will honor the Valcour Bay Research Project Team. Following dinner, Ed Scollon will present on the team's research and the July 20, 2026 recovery of the final major fragment of the cannon that exploded aboard the gondola New York during the 1776 battle.
SATURDAY - OCTOBER 10
Reenactor Encampment & Living History
9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Plattsburgh City Beach
Dedication of the Legacy Project
11:00 a.m.
National Historic Landmark at Peru Boat Launch
Boat Trips to Valcour Island / Bluff Point Lighthouse Tours
Reservations suggested
9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Departing from the Peru Boat Launch
CCHA Museum Tours
10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
98 Ohio Avenue, Plattsburgh
U.S. Navy Band Ensemble
7:00 p.m.
Giltz Auditorium SUNY Plattsburgh
SUNDAY - OCTOBER 11
All of Sunday's events will be held at Plattsburgh City Beach.
U.S. Navy Band Ensemble
10:00 a.m.
Plattsburgh City Beach
Saranac Chapter NSDAR 131st Commemoration Ceremony
10:30 a.m.
Plattsburgh City Beach
Battle of Valcour Island Reenactment
12:00 p.m.
Plattsburgh City Beach
Memorial Service
~for those lost in the Battle of Valcour Island
2:30 p.m.
Plattsburgh Memorial Chapel
100 US Oval
Native North American Traveling College
4th & 5th Grade School Program - Not Open to the Public
Plattsburgh State Field House
CCHA Museum Tours
10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
98 Ohio Avenue, Plattsburgh
Commemorative Dinner $
Reservations required
Reception 5:00 p.m. Dinner 6:00 p.m.
West Side Ballroom 253 New York Road, Plattsburgh
Media context: The dinner will honor the Valcour Bay Research Project Team. Following dinner, Ed Scollon will present on the team's research and the July 20, 2026 recovery of the final major fragment of the cannon that exploded aboard the gondola New York during the 1776 battle.
SATURDAY - OCTOBER 10
Reenactor Encampment & Living History
9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Plattsburgh City Beach
Dedication of the Legacy Project
11:00 a.m.
National Historic Landmark at Peru Boat Launch
Boat Trips to Valcour Island / Bluff Point Lighthouse Tours
Reservations suggested
9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Departing from the Peru Boat Launch
CCHA Museum Tours
10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
98 Ohio Avenue, Plattsburgh
U.S. Navy Band Ensemble
7:00 p.m.
Giltz Auditorium SUNY Plattsburgh
SUNDAY - OCTOBER 11
All of Sunday's events will be held at Plattsburgh City Beach.
U.S. Navy Band Ensemble
10:00 a.m.
Plattsburgh City Beach
Saranac Chapter NSDAR 131st Commemoration Ceremony
10:30 a.m.
Plattsburgh City Beach
Battle of Valcour Island Reenactment
12:00 p.m.
Plattsburgh City Beach
Memorial Service
~for those lost in the Battle of Valcour Island
2:30 p.m.
Plattsburgh Memorial Chapel
100 US Oval
QUICK FACTS & MEDIA CONTACT
Quick Facts
Anniversary
250th anniversary of the Battle of Valcour Island
Battle date
October 11, 1776
Commemoration weekend
October 9-11, 2026
Primary locations
Clinton County Historical Association and Museum, Westside Ballroom, Plattsburgh City Beach, Peru Boat Launch, Valcour Island/Lake Champlain, Giltz Auditorium at Hawkins Hall (SUNY), Plattsburgh Memorial Chapel
American commander
Benedict Arnold
Strategic context
American resistance on Lake Champlain delayed the British advance from Canada; the renewed British campaign the following year ended in defeat at Saratoga.
Featured 2026 archaeology story
Recovery on July 20, 2026 of the final major fragment of the cannon that exploded aboard the American gondola New York.
Research honorees
The Valcour Bay Research Project Team
Media Contact
Helen Nerska
Director, Clinton County Historical Association & Museum
(518) 561-0340
[email protected]
Event Information
Clinton County Historical Association & Museum 98 Ohio Avenue, Plattsburgh, NY 12903 clintoncountyhistorical.org | battleofvalcour.com
Please note: Schedule subject to change.
Source Notes for Reporters
Weekend schedule: Battle of Valcour Island 250th Anniversary Commemoration Weekend - Weekend at a Glance, dated September 5, 2026.
Historical background: U.S. National Park Service and U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command materials on the Battle of Valcour Island and the Lake Champlain campaign.
Valcour Bay Research Project and cannon recovery: Clinton County Historical Association materials, the U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command's Valcour Bay Research Project report, and July 2026 reporting on the recovery of the final major cannon fragment.
Prepared as a media backgrounder for the Battle of Valcour Island 250th Anniversary Commemoration Weekend.
Anniversary
250th anniversary of the Battle of Valcour Island
Battle date
October 11, 1776
Commemoration weekend
October 9-11, 2026
Primary locations
Clinton County Historical Association and Museum, Westside Ballroom, Plattsburgh City Beach, Peru Boat Launch, Valcour Island/Lake Champlain, Giltz Auditorium at Hawkins Hall (SUNY), Plattsburgh Memorial Chapel
American commander
Benedict Arnold
Strategic context
American resistance on Lake Champlain delayed the British advance from Canada; the renewed British campaign the following year ended in defeat at Saratoga.
Featured 2026 archaeology story
Recovery on July 20, 2026 of the final major fragment of the cannon that exploded aboard the American gondola New York.
Research honorees
The Valcour Bay Research Project Team
Media Contact
Helen Nerska
Director, Clinton County Historical Association & Museum
(518) 561-0340
[email protected]
Event Information
Clinton County Historical Association & Museum 98 Ohio Avenue, Plattsburgh, NY 12903 clintoncountyhistorical.org | battleofvalcour.com
Please note: Schedule subject to change.
Source Notes for Reporters
Weekend schedule: Battle of Valcour Island 250th Anniversary Commemoration Weekend - Weekend at a Glance, dated September 5, 2026.
Historical background: U.S. National Park Service and U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command materials on the Battle of Valcour Island and the Lake Champlain campaign.
Valcour Bay Research Project and cannon recovery: Clinton County Historical Association materials, the U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command's Valcour Bay Research Project report, and July 2026 reporting on the recovery of the final major cannon fragment.
Prepared as a media backgrounder for the Battle of Valcour Island 250th Anniversary Commemoration Weekend.
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