August 6th marks the anniversary of the 1777 Battle of Oriskany. Fought as an American relief column marched to aid the besieged Fort Stanwix, about 800 Tryon County militiamen and 60 allied Oneida warriors under Brigadier General Nicholas Herkimer were ambushed by British, Loyalist, and Indigenous forces (including Mohawk and Seneca warriors). [Read more…] about August 6th Marks 1777 Battle of Oriskany Anniversary
Frankfort
The Restless Italian: A Merchant on the Erie Canal
Thousands of immigrants poured into the United States during the mid-nineteenth century. Coming mostly from northern Europe, many arrived in New York City and from there spread out to every region of our country. One such immigrant who eventually found his way to Saratoga County, NY was a restless Italian by the name of John C. Brizolara.
Brizolara was born January 1, 1822, in the village of Magniasco, Town of St. Stefano, County of Chiavery, Sardinia. At age 15, after two years of public school and further education at Bobbio Seminary, he was engaged in hotel keeping. [Read more…] about The Restless Italian: A Merchant on the Erie Canal
A Teenager’s War of 1812 at Sackets Harbor, Plattsburgh & Greenbush
The Sackets Harbor Battlefield State Historic Site’s digital archive holds over 11,000 names of military personnel who served at, or passed through, Sackets Harbor during the War of 1812.
Sackets Harbor became a strategic location in 1808 when the military arrived to enforce the Embargo Act of 1807. With the outbreak of the War of 1812, the harbor became the US military headquarters for the northern frontier on Lakes Ontario and Erie. [Read more…] about A Teenager’s War of 1812 at Sackets Harbor, Plattsburgh & Greenbush
James Colby Harrington: Con Man Extraordinaire
In 1898, James Colby Harrington was known in Schuylerville as an honest and friendly young man, yet only four years later he had gained the title “Schuylerville’s Star Swindler.”
And that is only the beginning, as this story spans 30 years and traverses a thousand miles as it follows the life of this notorious con man. [Read more…] about James Colby Harrington: Con Man Extraordinaire