Greenfield

Memories of a Saratoga County One-Room School

April 8, 2026 by Guest Contributor 2 Comments

I started first grade in our local one-room school in Daketown, in Greenfield, Saratoga County, sitting in the row of the smallest desks beside the blackboards in September 1942. I finished in the last seat of the last row of bigger seats on the window side of the room eight grades later in June 1950.

I had just turned five the previous year, but my mother refused to send me because the last mile of the walk was not plowed in winter. [Read more…] about Memories of a Saratoga County One-Room School

Early Saratoga County Inventors & The Patent Office Fire

January 28, 2026 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

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

‘Somebody’s Out There!’ Growing up at Bowman’s Store, Greenfield, NY

January 14, 2026 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

Bowman’s Store. That is what everyone called the place where I spent my childhood. A little gas station and general store in the Adirondack foothills crossroads of Greenfield Center in Saratoga County, NY.

I was raised by my maternal grandparents, Jesse Bowman and Marion Dunham Bowman. Jesse was a dark-skinned man who tried to hide his Abenaki ancestry. He raised me to manhood without ever admitting his heritage, yet today I am known as an American Indian storyteller and writer. How did this happen? The process was not linear or orderly. But I know where it began. It began in Bowman’s store. [Read more…] about ‘Somebody’s Out There!’ Growing up at Bowman’s Store, Greenfield, NY

Ballston’s Colonial Inn

November 19, 2025 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

There it is, sitting atop a hill, a hill known 200 years ago as Courthouse Hill, on present-day Middleline Road in Saratoga County, NY. It’s north of the Middleline Road/Charlton Road intersection where Eliphalet Ball established his church, the center of the community.

That community was to become the town of Ballston. And, yes, there it is, still standing to this day, a building then known as the Colonial Inn. [Read more…] about Ballston’s Colonial Inn

Rowland’s Hollow: A Lost Crossroads in Saratoga County

May 8, 2025 by Jim Richmond 1 Comment

Saratoga County, NY, has seen nine generations come and go in the almost 235 years since it was carved out from Albany County in 1791. Settlers moved in, established farms, mills, and small communities. Several of these communities have become villages, cities and suburban towns.

Others have remained hamlets and become forgotten crossroads – still vibrant communities with a rich history of memories. Still others have disappeared altogether, no longer visible or remembered. [Read more…] about Rowland’s Hollow: A Lost Crossroads in Saratoga County

Recent Wildfires in Chemung, Chenango, Orange, Saratoga, and Washington Counties

April 2, 2025 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Between March 14 and 31, Forest Rangers responded to wildland fires in five counties across New York State, including Chemung, Chenango, Orange, Saratoga, and Washington Counties. The fires burned 23 acres of land. [Read more…] about Recent Wildfires in Chemung, Chenango, Orange, Saratoga, and Washington Counties

A Rev War Soldier’s Multiracial Combat Experience

January 30, 2025 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

The latest A New York Minute in History Podcast highlights the war experiences of the legendary 1st Rhode Island, a multiracial combat regiment that served through the entirety of the American Revolution, from the Siege of Boston to the disbanding of the Continental Army in 1783. [Read more…] about A Rev War Soldier’s Multiracial Combat Experience

From Civil War Private to General: Morgan Henry Chrysler

July 27, 2024 by Dave Waite Leave a Comment

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

Forest Rangers Recover Body, Make 13 Rescues of Hikers, Climber, Swimmer, Paddler

July 9, 2024 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

New York State Forest Rangers recovered the body of one swimmer, and carried out more than a dozen rescue missions between July 3rd and July 8th around Upstate New York, including one climber, a swimmer and a paddler. What follows is a report, prepared by DEC, of those recent missions. [Read more…] about Forest Rangers Recover Body, Make 13 Rescues of Hikers, Climber, Swimmer, Paddler

Greenfield, Saratoga County, Appoints A New Historian

June 5, 2024 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Town of Greenfield in Saratoga County, has appointed resident Duane Cornell to the position of Town Historian. The role had been held for the past ten years by Ron Feulner, who died earlier this year. [Read more…] about Greenfield, Saratoga County, Appoints A New Historian

The Milton Jog: A Saratoga County Boundary Dispute

February 5, 2024 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

Is it a mistake when everyone accepts the error?

In 1829, in an effort to bring certainty to town boundaries, the state legislature enacted boundary descriptions of all New York State’s towns. The Saratoga County town of Milton’s east line was defined “by the east line of the fourteenth allotment of the Kayaderosseras patent and the same continued to the north line of the sixteenth allotment.” Milton’s eastern boundary was a straight line, unchanged since the town of Greenfield was cut out of it in 1793. [Read more…] about The Milton Jog: A Saratoga County Boundary Dispute

Recent Projects on New York State Lands in the Adirondacks

December 22, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Throughout 2023, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has been improving trails, campsites, access roads and trailhead parking lots on New York State lands. [Read more…] about Recent Projects on New York State Lands in the Adirondacks

The 115th New York: The Iron Hearted Regiment During The Civil War

August 27, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

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

June 11, 2023 by Guest Contributor 1 Comment

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

Firearms Seized From Man Shooting Into Water With AK-47

June 2, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

On Sunday, May 28 at 2:30 p.m., DEC’s Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from a camper reporting someone was target shooting into the water in the town of Greenfield, Saratoga County, NY. [Read more…] about Firearms Seized From Man Shooting Into Water With AK-47

Fallen Rock Climber Rescued In The Adirondacks; Unprepared Hikers Located

April 19, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents throughout New York State. Working with other state agencies, local emergency response organizations and volunteer search and rescue groups, Forest Rangers locate and extract lost, injured or distressed people.

What follows is a report, prepared by DEC, of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers. [Read more…] about Fallen Rock Climber Rescued In The Adirondacks; Unprepared Hikers Located

Sam Hill: Folklore & History Of A Saratoga Resident

January 22, 2023 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

Though perhaps a dying proverb, “What in Sam Hill?!” used to be commonplace as an expression of exasperation. A quick internet search will point to several possible origin stories that explain where this phrase came from but the definitive truth remains elusive.

Could it be that a Saratoga County resident known by this common moniker contributed to this once-popular phrase? [Read more…] about Sam Hill: Folklore & History Of A Saratoga Resident

Edinburgh, Corinth Tracts Recreation Plan Complete

September 10, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

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 Saratoga County Odd Fellows Hall Is Now A Place For History

May 19, 2022 by Guest Contributor 1 Comment

Although little is known about the early history of the Order of Odd Fellows (OOF), it was already an established organization in England before 1730. No one knows exactly where the name “Odd Fellows” came from. One possibility is that prior to this organization, only the wealthy belonged to such fraternities. This organization was made up of common laboring men of England who at the time were thought to be an “odd” group to be forming such an organization.

Another, more probable theory posits that in 18th century England, major trades were already organized as guilds, and “odd fellows” from less typical “odd trades” organized themselves under the “odd fellows” name. [Read more…] about A Saratoga County Odd Fellows Hall Is Now A Place For History

Russell Ormsbee’s Oil Adventure

March 3, 2022 by Guest Contributor 3 Comments

The Drake oil well drilled in Venango County, Pennsylvania in 1859 is widely known as the first oil well in America, however, many wells before the Drake well were producing petroleum oil.

Well drilling was common with many recent improvements by the time the Drake well was sunk, although most were drilled for salt brine (a source of salt). Oil was sometimes found in these wells and pumped as an unwanted by-product, but by the late 1800s, several changes made oil more valuable.

Whaling had been the primary source for illuminating oil (lamp oil), but whales had been over-hunted and were becoming scarce, and the cost of harvesting them was increasing. Also, by the 1850s, scientist had discovered the potential for manufacturing kerosene from crude oil which was found to be an ideal replacement. [Read more…] about Russell Ormsbee’s Oil Adventure

Greenfield

We Need Your Help Now More Than Ever

New York Almanack receives no public funds.

It’s supported only by readers like you.

Please give today (a monthly recurring gift is best)