Defense in Depth: Sir William Johnson and the Security of the Northern Frontier.

Guest Speaker: Scott Haefner

Date: September 18th, 2025, 7:00 PM

Location: Lake George Room, Fort William Henry Conference Center - 46 Canada Street Lake George NY 12845

Admission - FREE

Topic: "Defense in Depth: Soldiers, Planters and Manors. Sir William Johnson and the Security of the Northern Frontier."

In 1755 William Johnson was not some random fur trader who was plucked from obscurity to command the Crown Point expedition. Rather he had spent the previous two decades building up his reputation with a network of supply, intelligence gathering, diplomacy and patronage alliances, here and in England. We will investigate the patronage and personal influence that William Johnson developed and the system of plantation-style community that he created to secure the boundaries of northern New York.

Scott Haefner is a native of Upstate New York and has worked in local history since 1986. A graduate of the State University of New York, Haefner has worked for the Schenectady County Historical Society, the General Electric Hall of History, and the New York State Museum and has served as the Historian for the City of Schenectady and the Town of Rotterdam. He served as the Site Manager for the Mabee Farm Historic Site in Rotterdam and is currently the Site Manager of Old Fort Johnson National Historic Landmark. In 2004 the Association of Public Historians of New York State named Haefner a Registered Historian.

You may also like the following events from Fort William Henry:

• Next Saturday, 13th September, 10:00 am, Ancient Stone Anchors and Making a Killock Anchor in Lake George
• This month, 19th September, 09:30 am, 270th Anniversary Battle of Lake George Reenactment & Encampment in Lake George
• This month, 19th September, 06:00 pm, The Last of the Mohicans – IMMERSIVE Movie Experience in Lake George

Also check out other Trips & Adventurous Activities in Lake George.