Facial reconstruction created by forensic artist Jenny Kenyon Courtesy: New York State Museum
The New York State Museum has unveiled a facial reconstruction of a Revolutionary War soldier whose remains were recovered from the Courtland Street Burying Ground in Lake George, N.Y. Created by forensic artist Jenny Kenyon, the reconstruction depicts a young soldier believed to have been in his teens, offering a powerful new glimpse into the lives of the individuals who died while serving during America’s fight for independence.
A public reinterment ceremony will be held on Friday, May 22, 2026 at Lake George Battlefield Park.
The Courtland Street Burying Ground was discovered in 2019 during construction work. Regimental buttons from one grave linked the cemetery to the 1775-1776 Quebec Campaign of the American Revolution. In response, the New York State Museum and the Department of Environmental Conservation, with support from volunteers, launched a large-scale effort to respectfully recover the fragmented remains of more than 40 individuals whose graves had been disturbed.
Since then, Museum researchers have been working painstakingly to reconstruct the stories of those buried there from thousands of recovered fragments. The new facial reconstruction marks a deeply human milestone in that work, transforming one set of remains into the face of a young person whose life was cut short nearly 250 years ago.
“While our work has focused on the more scientific aspects of reconstructing fragments of lives lived 250 years ago, artistry has brought one of these individuals into the present. This facial reconstruction further humanizes the remains that were found and serves as a striking reminder of those who fought for our independence," said Lisa Anderson, New York State Museum Curator of Bioarcheology.
“The New York State Museum is deeply honored to have helped restore the stories of the people whose remains were disturbed, ensuring they are remembered not as historical fragments, but as individuals who served and sacrificed," said New York State Museum Executive Director Jennifer Saunders. "As our nation approaches its semiquincentennial, their reinterment carries profound meaning—an act of dignity, remembrance, and gratitude. The facial reconstruction offers a powerful new way to look across the centuries, connect with their humanity, and honor the enduring legacy of their service.”
Museum research indicates that the soldiers likely died in the summer of 1776 at a makeshift hospital at Fort George after contracting smallpox or another disease while serving in Canada. Many of the soldiers who took part in the Quebec Campaign were teenagers and young men in their twenties.
To create the reconstruction, Kenyon worked with faculty from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, using 3D-printed scans of the skull as the foundation for the sculpted and painted likeness.
Republished courtesy of New York State Museum