Historic Lake George Discovery Leads to Final Resting Place for 44 Colonial Soldiers

Construction Site Unearths Remains of Colonial Soldiers

In 2019, while a construction crew was digging at a site in Lake George when they came across something unusual.

According to a report from the Adirondack Explorer back in 2020, the crew put a call into the Warren County Sheriff's Office as they believed they stumbled upon human remains.

The coroner at the time, and Undersheriff Terry Comeau, arrived to the construction site and determined that this wasn't a modern day crime scene and made a call to local archaeologist and professor, David Starbuck.

Comeau and Starbuck determined that the bones they found were from a burial site for colonial soldiers dating back centuries. The bones were "exhumed and transported to the State Museum in Albany for analysis and preservation" as reported by the Visit Lake George website.

Now the remains are heading to their final resting place.

44 Colonial Soldiers Make Their Way to Their Final Resting Place in Lake George

Since the discovery of the bones in 2019, much has been learned of the bones that were found in Lake George.

VisitLakeGeorg.com explains that the bones found belonged to colonial soldiers and citizens who "all succumbed to smallpox at the Fort George military hospital in 1776 and were buried in unmarked graves in today's Lake George Village."

While the bones were at the State Museum in Albany, Lake George officials created a new Memorial Plaza and Columbarium to house the "sacred remains."

Witness Local History As Colonial Soldiers Return Home to Lake George

On May 20th, 2026 there will be a motorcade that will transport the 44 caskets as they leave the New York State Museum in Albany and make their way to Lake George Battlefield Park."

The motorcade will travel along US Route 9 through Glens Falls and Queensbury.

Then, on Friday May 22nd, 2026, the remains will be transported to their final resting place at the new memorial plaza.

Lake George officials are welcoming the community to:

Take advantage of this rare opportunity to join prominent community leaders and politicians from across the state for a truly historic experience that showcases Lake George's pivotal role in the birth of our country.

Find more details and updates about the event at VisitLakeGeorge.com.