New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Milton

Simeon DeWitt: America’s Surveyor General

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The Roemer map of Albany 1698 showing fort orange and BeverwyckTjerck Claeszen DeWitt immigrated to New Amsterdam (now New York City) from Grootholt in Zunterlant in 1656. Grootholt means Great Wood and Zunterland was probably located on the southern border of East Friesland, a German territory on the North Sea only ten miles from the most northerly province of the Netherlands.

By 1657, Tjerck DeWitt married Barber (Barbara) Andrieszen (also Andriessen) in the New Amsterdam Dutch Church and moved to Beverwyck (now Albany). While in Beverwyck, he purchased a house. At this time Albany contained 342 houses and about 1,000 residents, about 600 of whom were members of the Dutch Church. [Read more…] about Simeon DeWitt: America’s Surveyor General

Camp Boyhaven Property Added To Middle Grove State Forest

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DEC LogoThe New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the addition of 219 acres of land formally belonging to Camp Boyhaven to the Middle Grove State Forest in the town of Milton, Saratoga County.

Camp Boyhaven was established in 1924 as one of the longest operating Boy Scout camps in New York State, serving scouts from Schenectady County and the greater Capital District. [Read more…] about Camp Boyhaven Property Added To Middle Grove State Forest

The Disappearance of Civil War Veteran Dudley Goodwin

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Dudley Goodwin Missing Person Notice courtesy Ballston JournalOne hundred years ago a long-standing citizen of Ballston Spa went missing.

Usually known as Dudley Goodwin, his name was sometimes given as M. Dudley Goodwin (which is what appears on his tombstone). According to information on Find-A-Grave, his first name was Madison. He was born in Fulton County, on the second day of April, 1844. A sister was also born in Fulton County, about 1841, but Dudley’s other siblings were born in Saratoga County. [Read more…] about The Disappearance of Civil War Veteran Dudley Goodwin

A Saratoga County Cemetery Mystery

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Mann Monuments - Powell-Wiswall and Ballston Spa Village CemeteriesAlong Plummer Road in the town of Milton in Saratoga County sits the Powell-Wiswall Cemetery, a peaceful rural cemetery where local residents have been laid to rest since the early 1800s.

Standing like a sentinel over it all is a large statue of Christ. On two sides are engraved the names Ella Frances Wood-Mann and her husband Enos Rogers Mann. This monument sits adjacent to Wood family plots, where over the years Ella’s parents and other family members have been laid to rest. [Read more…] about A Saratoga County Cemetery Mystery

A Special Christmas At Saratoga County’s Poorhouse

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Saratoga County PoorhouseThe end of 1873 ushered in change at the Saratoga County Poorhouse in the form of a brand-new building, along with a novelty the residents had never before enjoyed – a Christmas tree.

The county’s original poor house was a modified farmhouse that had been purchased from Hugh Hawkins in 1826 and sat where the current county jail and animal shelter are today in the Town of Milton.

With the influx of people to the county throughout the 19th-century, the poor house was no longer adequate to care for the number of people who needed assistance. In 1873, a new two-story brick building was constructed with separate wings for men and women. By the end of the year, it was move-in ready. [Read more…] about A Special Christmas At Saratoga County’s Poorhouse

Murder Trials Of Note In 19th Century Saratoga County

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Saratoga County NY Map 1856The 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

A Tannery Fire Transformed Kaydeross Valley Communities

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Bulls Head Tannery Employees in Ballston SpaToday the crossing of Middle Line Road and Geyser Road in Saratoga County contains a few houses and a small parking lot to access the Kayaderosseras Creek. But in the mid-1800s, it was the site of a thriving hamlet of several hundred inhabitants called Milton Center.

Locally renowned Revolutionary War Lt. Colonel James Gordon became an early entrepreneur after the war. He built one of Milton’s earliest gristmills on the creek by 1800 as well as other small mills to the south in the Town of Ballston. [Read more…] about A Tannery Fire Transformed Kaydeross Valley Communities

Kesselring Atomic Power Labratory: A Short History

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Kenneth A Kesselring Site in the 1950s courtesy Town of Milton Historians Office CollectionIt was 71 years ago in May that the land for the Kenneth A. Kesselring Site began to be purchased to create the Atomic Energy Commission’s $20 million plant located in West Milton, Saratoga County, NY.

The Kesselring Site was built by the United States Government for the purpose of training nuclear officers and enlisted sailors to operate the United States Navy’s nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines. [Read more…] about Kesselring Atomic Power Labratory: A Short History

Kesselring Nuclear Site Marking 70th Anniversary

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saratoga county history roundtableThe Saratoga County History Roundtable is set to present its 2019 Town of Milton Heritage Award, celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Kenneth A. Kesselring Site, on Wednesday, September 18th at 7 pm.

Operated by Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory, the West Milton site operates land-based prototypes of shipboard reactor plants. This site is also used to train officers and enlisted personnel for the U.S. Navy’s fleet of nuclear-powered warships. [Read more…] about Kesselring Nuclear Site Marking 70th Anniversary

Historians Podcast: New History of Milton, NY

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The Historians LogoThis week on The Historians podcast, author Jim Richmond discusses Milton, New York: A New Town in a New Nation Richmond and Milton town historian Kim McCartney are co-authors of the book about a Saratoga County town that includes new information on religious conflicts, slavery, mill town development and Civil War soldiers.

Listen to the podcast here. [Read more…] about Historians Podcast: New History of Milton, NY