Greenfield

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

When WW1 Gold Star Mothers Pilgrimaged To European Cemeteries

October 26, 2021 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

On May 13th, 1930, two Saratoga County women set out on an all-expense paid trip. Sailing from New York Harbor on the S.S. Republic, they would be welcomed in Paris by French and American officials and put up in one of the most expensive hotels in the city. After visiting the sites in and around Paris, they would stop in London on the way home where they received the same first class treatment.

It should have been one of the finest times of their lives, but it wasn’t. [Read more…] about When WW1 Gold Star Mothers Pilgrimaged To European Cemeteries

Stewart’s Shops 19th Century Patriarch Starks Dake’s Saratoga Lake Canal Plan

August 9, 2021 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

Starks Desivigna Dake was born May 9,1852. He died on November 10, 1937, at the family homestead in Middle Grove after a long illness. The Saratogian reported on November 11, 1937 that he was “Courageous to the last, he voted in the November 2 election at a polling place near his home.”

Starks was a member of one of the oldest families to settle in Saratoga County. He was the son of Benjamin C. and Mary Jane Carmen Dake. He attended school in Daketown and, in the winter of 1869-70, attended the prominent Fort Edward Collegiate Institute. In 1870 he won a scholarship to Cornell University, where he studied civil engineering. He left college early to teach school in Eddy’s Corners, South Corinth, Greenfield Center, Middle Grove, and Chatfield Corners in Saratoga County. In 1872 the enterprising Starks took up land surveying while still teaching. He would continue that occupation for the next 60 years. [Read more…] about Stewart’s Shops 19th Century Patriarch Starks Dake’s Saratoga Lake Canal Plan