Henry Knox Trail facts for kids

Marker in Roxbury, Massachusetts, marking the historic Henry Knox Trail. This marker was added in 2009.

The Henry Knox Trail is a special route that follows the path taken by Colonel Henry Knox during the American Revolutionary War. It's also known as the Knox Cannon Trail. This trail marks where Knox moved many heavy cannons from Fort Crown Point to the American army camp near Boston, Massachusetts. This amazing journey helped the American forces in their fight for independence.

Knox's Amazing Journey

In 1775, George Washington, the leader of the Continental Army, gave Henry Knox a very important job. Knox had to move 59 cannons from forts on Lake Champlain. These cannons were captured from the British. Thirty cannons came from Fort Ticonderoga and 29 from Fort Crown Point. Washington needed these powerful weapons to help his army in Boston.

Knox faced a huge challenge. He had to move these cannons, some weighing over a ton, in the middle of winter! He used large sleds pulled by strong oxen. They crossed the icy Lake George. Then, they traveled through snowy New York and the Berkshire Mountains in Massachusetts.

It was a very difficult trip, but Knox and his team succeeded. They arrived in Boston in January 1776. The cannons were a huge help to the American army. They played a key role in forcing the British to leave Boston.

Finding the Trail: Markers and Maps

In 1926, 150 years after Knox's incredible march, the states of New York and Massachusetts decided to honor his journey. They started putting up special markers along the trail. These commemorative plaques show the exact route Knox and his cannons took.

The work was finished in 1927. The markers in New York have bronze designs by Henry James Albright. The markers in Massachusetts were designed by Henry L. Norton.

Later, in 1975, new research helped update some of the marker locations. For example, they found that Knox did not pass through Claverack, New York, as once thought. A new marker was added in 2009 in Roxbury Heritage State Park in Boston. This marker is near a house owned by General John Thomas. He helped guide the cannons to their final spot on Dorchester Heights, which overlooks Boston.

Photo gallery

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  Otis-Knox Trail Stone

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  General Henry Knox Trail (Palmer, Massachusetts)

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  General Henry Knox Trail (Warren, Massachusetts)

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  General Henry Knox Trail (Northborough, Massachusetts)

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  General Henry Knox Trail (Marlborough, Massachusetts)

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  General Henry Knox Trail (Framingham, Massachusetts)

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  General Henry Knox Trail (Framingham/Wayland border, Massachusetts)

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  General Henry Knox Trail (Wayland, Massachusetts)

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  General Henry Knox Trail (Weston, Massachusetts)

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  General Henry Knox Trail and George Washington Memorial Highway (Waltham, Massachusetts)

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  General Henry Knox Trail (Cambridge, Massachusetts)

Images for kids

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  Marker located next to 117 Main St. in Spencer, MA. This location is close to a marker indicating that "Washington Slept Here"

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  Marker located at 1136 Main St. in front of the Leicester Public Library and Museum

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  General Henry Knox monument in Worcester, MA

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  General Henry Knox Trail in Northborough, Massachusetts

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  General Henry Knox Trail in Marlborough, Massachusetts

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  Henry Knox Trail marker in Framingham, MA

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  Knox Trail marker in Kinderhook, New York

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  Marker in North Egremont, MA, commemorating Henry Knox's "Train of Artillery" from Ticonderoga to Boston, 1775-1776