Remains of Revolutionary War Soldiers to be Properly Buried

After nearly 250 years, the long-lost remains of possibly more than 40 Revolutionary War soldiers are set to return to a town in the northern part of the state. This proper burial is planned for Friday in a military cemetery.

The remains were discovered accidentally during a construction project about seven years ago, and they will be interred at Lake George Battlefield Park as part of a larger memorial effort for 700,000 individuals.

Back in 2019, construction workers found what turned out to be an 18th-century cemetery beneath Cortland Street in Lake George, leading archaeologists to recover what they believe are the remains of 44 soldiers.

These bones were then sent to the New York State Museum in Albany. Researchers have since been painstakingly piecing together the stories of the deceased from the thousands of recovered fragments.

Julie Weatherwax, a bioarchaeology technician at the New York State Museum, dedicated months to analyzing teeth to ascertain how many individuals were exhumed. “I spent the better part of a year assembling over 800 missing teeth and recreating a dental arcade for people,” she shared. “So we actually got the smallest number of people from the dental arcade that I could bring back, 44.”

Forensic scientists have also managed to reconstruct the face of what seems to be a teenage soldier, offering a more personal connection to those who fought for American independence.

Jennifer Saunders, executive director of the New York State Museum, stated, “The New York State Museum is honored to help restore the stories of those whose remains were destroyed and to help ensure that they are remembered not as fragments of history, but as individuals who served and sacrificed.”

The burials will take place as part of the “Requiem for the War Dead” project. This event will feature a convoy led by New York State Police, including nine military trucks from the Korean and Vietnam Wars.