When Leon “Frog” DeCelle left his small hometown of Mechanicville, in Saratoga County, NY, on December 10, 1942, for induction into the US Army, he set out on a journey that eventually took him to some of the toughest fighting in Italy during World War Two, including the Gothic Line and the Po Valley campaigns. [Read more…] about New Yorkers & Breaking Italy’s Gothic Line in WWII
Corinth
Rangers Respond: Missing Child, Brush Fires, Overnight High Peaks Rescue, Ill, Injured and Lost Hikers
Hot dry weather and lack of rain remains a wildfire concern around state. Since May 4th, New York State Forest Rangers fought two brush fires. In Saratoga County a wildfire began with ashes dumped outside, and a two-acre fire of unknown origin in Warrensburg damaged a structure.
Rangers also provided overnight assistance of two lost hikers in the remote Cold Brook Pass in the Adirondack High Peaks, and aided in locating another near Indian Pass Brook. On May 8th they participated in the search for a missing eight-year-old in Allegany County. Those reports and more are below, provided by DEC: [Read more…] about Rangers Respond: Missing Child, Brush Fires, Overnight High Peaks Rescue, Ill, Injured and Lost Hikers
Early Saratoga County Inventors & The Patent Office Fire
The United States Patent Commission was created on April 10, 1790, to establish a formal method for submitting and indexing patents. Its first three members were Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of War Henry Knox, and Attorney General Edmund Randolph.
As only three people made up the early patent office, the first applications were not closely examined. An inventor simply submitted a written description, a working model, and a $30 fee (equivalent to about $1,000 today). [Read more…] about Early Saratoga County Inventors & The Patent Office Fire
John W. Taylor, New York’s only Speaker of the House
Saratoga County resident John W. Taylor twice served as speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the only New Yorker to ever serve more than 24 hours as Speaker of the House, the leader of that body.*
Taylor was born on March 26, 1784, at home in the town of Charlton (which was still a part of the town of Ballston, Albany County, at the time). An historic marker on Charlton Road roughly marks his birthplace. [Read more…] about John W. Taylor, New York’s only Speaker of the House
The Railroad’s Impact on Life in Corinth, Saratoga County, NY
Travel through the Saratoga County community of Corinth, NY, was difficult at best in the mid-nineteenth century. The Hudson River was navigable only a few months of the year. At a time when roads were rutted, muddy, or ice and snow covered the railroad offered the best form of reliable transportation for passengers and goods.
The Adirondack Railroad from Saratoga Springs to Hadley was completed at the end of the Civil War in 1865. The rail system helped spur industrial development in the area with the advent of dependable transportation. [Read more…] about The Railroad’s Impact on Life in Corinth, Saratoga County, NY
When Lake George’s Gaslight Village Inspired UFO Sightings
It was late summer 1965, four years after President John F. Kennedy announced in May 1961 that the USA would “catch up and overtake” the Soviet Union in the “space race.”
In February 1965, the Ranger 8 space probe crashed onto the lunar surface after transmitting photographs of possible landing sites for a future manned mission to the moon. [Read more…] about When Lake George’s Gaslight Village Inspired UFO Sightings
From Civil War Private to General: Morgan Henry Chrysler
Is a person born destined for greatness, or do circumstances somehow draw them to rise to that place? Born in humble circumstances, and likely seen by those around him as destined to a life behind a plow, Morgan Henry Chrysler, through bravery and devotion to his country, rose to greatness. [Read more…] about From Civil War Private to General: Morgan Henry Chrysler
19th Century Railroad News from Northern New York
It was high-speed rail – a little too high speed for some passengers’ comfort level. “The fastest time on the new railroad was made yesterday by the accommodation freight train, which ran from this place [Glens Falls] to Lake George in eleven minutes,” the Glen’s Falls Messenger reported on June 23, 1882. [Read more…] about 19th Century Railroad News from Northern New York
The 115th New York: The Iron Hearted Regiment During The Civil War
During the Civil War, Colonel Simeon Sammons received authority to recruit a regiment in the counties of Fulton, Hamilton, Montgomery, and Saratoga, with headquarters at Fonda. On August 26, 1862, it mustered into the service of the United States for three years as the 115th New York Infantry Regiment, known as the “Iron-Hearted Regiment.” [Read more…] about The 115th New York: The Iron Hearted Regiment During The Civil War
Saratoga County Granges: The Patrons of Husbandry
The Grange, formally known as “The Patrons of Husbandry,” was introduced to Saratoga County in 1890, twenty-three years after the agricultural organization’s founding and twenty-two years after the nation’s first local chapter was established in Fredonia, Chautauqua County, NY. In the 1880s and into 1890, New York State Grange sent organizers in the field to build up membership. [Read more…] about Saratoga County Granges: The Patrons of Husbandry
Christmas On The Home Front: Corinth During The Second World War
The Christmas Season is one of sharing and giving. During the Second World War the generosity of the Corinth community in Saratoga County, NY was much like that of small towns around the country. Children as well as adults were active participants in supporting activities on the home front. [Read more…] about Christmas On The Home Front: Corinth During The Second World War
Saratoga County’s Traveling Tombstone
Marble tombstones are usually considered permanent objects in a cemetery. Yet, the stone erected to remember Phillip Rice has been found in several locations before finally being installed at Veteran’s Circle in Corinth Rural Cemetery in Saratoga County, NY.
Phillip Rice, born in Albany in 1822, was the son of Thomas Rice. By 1855 he was married to Martha Stead, a native of England, and living in Corinth. Phillip was a leather worker and was also listed as a shoemaker. At the age of 38 he enlisted in the army in the 30th Infantry Company G that was organized in Saratoga Springs. [Read more…] about Saratoga County’s Traveling Tombstone
Edinburgh, Corinth Tracts Recreation Plan Complete
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the finalization of an updated management plan that will continue public recreational access and protect natural resources within the Edinburgh and Corinth Conservation Easement Tracts in Saratoga County. [Read more…] about Edinburgh, Corinth Tracts Recreation Plan Complete
A World War Two Bomber’s Final Flight
Residents of an alpine valley in Northern Italy still hail as heroes two American pilots of a crippled U.S. plane who crashed into the side of a mountain rather than release their bombs onto the villages below during a World War II mission.
Both pilots died, but they bought enough time for the five other crew members aboard their crippled B-25 Mitchell bomber to bail out. One of them, 1st Lt. Franklin Lloyd Darrell Jr., the bombardier-navigator, lived for a time during and after the war in Saratoga County, as did his parents. [Read more…] about A World War Two Bomber’s Final Flight
Edinburgh and Corinth Tracts Management Comments Sought
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is seeking public comment on a draft management plan for the Edinburgh and Corinth Conservation Easement Tracts in Saratoga County. The public comment period is open until June 10th, 2022. [Read more…] about Edinburgh and Corinth Tracts Management Comments Sought
Harry James Carman: Farm Boy to Columbia University Dean
“Here is a good dirt farmer gone wrong” is how Harry James Carman described himself.
He started out as a farm-raised country boy in Saratoga County, NY and rose to the position of Dean of Columbia University in New York City. [Read more…] about Harry James Carman: Farm Boy to Columbia University Dean
Adirondack Poultry Yards: King of the Rhode Island Reds
A century ago, Corinth, in Saratoga County, was home to some of the top Rhode Island Red chickens in the state. Backyard hens have become popular in recent years but poultry breeding was a big business in the earlier 1900s. [Read more…] about Adirondack Poultry Yards: King of the Rhode Island Reds
Corinth’s 1919 German–American Club Fire
In the early morning hours of July 4, 1919, a fire alarm was sounded in the village of Corinth, Saratoga County. Many residents thought some kids were celebrating Independence Day a bit early, but when the International Paper Mill fire whistle sounded everyone knew it was real.
The popular German-American Club next to a creek on lower Pine Street was ablaze. [Read more…] about Corinth’s 1919 German–American Club Fire
Murder Trials Of Note In 19th Century Saratoga County
The following record of nineteenth century murder trials in Saratoga County was provided by a Mechanicville correspondent to the Troy Daily Times in 1891:
There have been many noted murder trials in Saratoga county since the first court was held in the town of Stillwater May 10, 1791 – 100 years ago. The court now in session at Ballston Spa meets about five miles from where the first court was held, at the residence of Samuel Clark, near East Line, Judge John Thompson of Stillwater [then] presiding, he having received the appointment as the first judge of Saratoga county from Governor Clinton. [Read more…] about Murder Trials Of Note In 19th Century Saratoga County
The 1869 Shooting of Thomas Brown in Corinth
A fatal mistake on Sunday evening, November 7th, 1869 resulted in the death of Thomas Brown, agent and superintendent of the Palmer Falls Water Power Company and Woolen Factory in Corinth.
Brown, a Scottish immigrant, had come to the area from Niagara Falls as a speculator with plans to improve the water flow on the Hudson River at Palmer Falls. He hoped to sell or lease rights to the abundant waterpower with property along the Hudson to manufacturers. A canal was added to provide hydropower to an edge tool factory operated by Brown in 1860. [Read more…] about The 1869 Shooting of Thomas Brown in Corinth