History, Natural History & the Arts
The Saratoga County History Center at Brookside Museum in Ballston Spa, Saratoga County, NY is seeking craft vendors for its 22nd Annual Artisan’s Market.
This juried market is to be held at the Saratoga County History Center at Brookside Museum (SCHC @ Brookside Museum) from November 26th through December 24th. [Read more…] about Brookside Museum Artisan Market Seeking Vendors
The Saratoga County History Center at Brookside Museum has announced the opening of “In the Saratoga Style: Potato Chips and Their Regional Folklore,” a new exhibit opening on Saturday, July 30th.
“In the Saratoga Style,” explores the many stories that have claimed to explain the story behind the potato chip, from disgruntled customers to kitchen mishaps. The history of George Crum is examined, along with his experiences as a cook and outdoor guide of African and Native American ancestry. This exhibit will examine this contender for inventor of potato chips, along with other possible innovators who may have been responsible for the irresistibly crispy potatoes. [Read more…] about Saratoga Potato Chips and Their Folklore Exhibit Opens Saturday
The Saratoga County History Center at Brookside Museum will open a new exhibit, “County Life in Photographs,” on Thursday, May 5th, with a 7 pm reception.
The exhibit includes 26 images of gatherings in Saratoga County between the 1870 and 1950, interpreting the ways in which county residents interacted in social, political, and celebratory contexts. [Read more…] about Saratoga County Life in Photographs Exhibit Opens May 5th
On March 8th, 2022, the Saratoga County History Center hosted a gala at Brookside Museum to celebrate the inaugural winners of the Saratoga County Public History Award: Carol Godette and James Richmond. [Read more…] about Saratoga County History Center Holds Awards Ceremony
The Lattimore family were key figures in the establishment of a viable and thriving Black community in Albany and became important links with the anti-slavery and abolition movements. They continued their influence after moving to the Town of Moreau and Saratoga Springs during the mid-nineteenth century.
The Saratoga County History Roundtable will host “The Lattimore Circle,” a program by retired librarians Julie O’Connor and Lorie Wies on Saturday, February 19th, at the Brookside Museum in Ballston Spa, Saratoga County, NY, and virtually. [Read more…] about Saratoga County Black History: The Lattimore Circle
In Ballston Spa, Saratoga County, the Brookside Museum’s 2021 Artisan Market is set for November 27th through December 24th. Like its predecessors, the twenty-first installment of the market will feature only handcrafted products created by local artisans. [Read more…] about Artisan Market Returning To Ballston Spa
In November, 1813, nine men met in the city of New York to sign an agreement, handwritten by Nicholas Low, to form the Ballston Spa Company for the manufacture of cotton, wool and linen fabrics. They pledged an initial capital of $100,000 in shares of $100 each. A month later the Company announced it would “extend the capital stock” to $800,000, a staggering sum for those days.
Low was a businessman and friend of the rich and powerful of the nation. One was his late colleague Alexander Hamilton. During the 1790s, Low helped midwife the birth of the village of Ballston Spa, in Saratoga County. He owned most of the land upon which it was laid out and spent a fortune developing the village, including the famous Sans Souci Hotel. [Read more…] about Ballston Spa’s Abandoned 1814 Factory Awaits Rediscovery
One of the most prosperous residents in the history of Ballston Spa, NY, was a “Paper Bag King” who once laid claim to the largest manila paper bag operation in the world, also located in Saratoga County.
George West, was born in the English village of Kentisbeare in 1822. He was the sixth of nine children, and as soon as he was old enough West followed in his father’s footsteps and began working at a local paper mill. [Read more…] about Saratoga County Mills Using Manila Hemp Were Home To ‘The Paper Bag King’
The Saratoga County Historical Society at Brookside Museum has reinvented itself as the Saratoga County History Center.
It’s the intention of the Saratoga County History Roundtable to work closely with the History Center as the new vision takes shape in coming months. [Read more…] about Saratoga Museum Has New Name, New Mission
The Ballston Terminal Railroad in Saratoga County, NY, opened on August 6, 1898.
At 4:05 pm, the George West made its inaugural run from the Village of Ballston Spa to the Pioneer Mill in West Milton. This was a six mile trip. On the return trip to Ballston Spa, the trolley stopped at the Power House in Factory Village to allow the company to review the machinery. Then everyone boarded again to arrive back at Middlebrook Avenue at 5:10 pm. The total round trip took one hour and five minutes. [Read more…] about The Ballston Terminal Railroad: A Short History