New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Saratoga County History Center

Ellis Corners: Before Saratoga Spa State Park & SPAC

by 1 Comment

Ellis Property Map 1822 courtesy Saratoga Springs City ArchivesI think one of the most intriguing aspects of being a history buff is peeling back the layers of history beneath the surface of a well-known location. We drive by today and wonder – what was it like 50 years ago? 100 years ago? Even 200 years ago.

What homes, barns, taverns, and other structures were there, long since gone? Which buildings still exist along the road, often remodeled to the point where they might be unrecognizable to the original inhabitants? Who lived there? What roads did they travel to get to the next crossroads, the next village? Do we still follow the same routes that existed back in the day? [Read more…] about Ellis Corners: Before Saratoga Spa State Park & SPAC

Mechanicville’s Unique Second World War Photo Collection

by Leave a Comment

Carmine DeCrescente Sr. by Charles Siciliano, Sr. courtesy Mechanicville Public LibraryOn May 8th, 1945, Nazi Germany surrendered to Allied forces, ending the Second World War in Europe. Less than four months later, on September 2nd, Japan formally surrendered aboard the USS Missouri anchored in Tokyo Bay, bringing history’s most destructive conflict to an end. [Read more…] about Mechanicville’s Unique Second World War Photo Collection

The Whitetail Deer Paddock in Saratoga’s Congress Park: Some History

by Leave a Comment

llustration by Prentiss Ingraham 1885 Saratoga Winter and SummerIt is difficult to imagine tame whitetail deer roaming freely through Congress Park in downtown Saratoga Springs, yet in its early years, it was both a common sight and an eagerly anticipated part of experiencing the city for both young and old.

It all began with a gift. [Read more…] about The Whitetail Deer Paddock in Saratoga’s Congress Park: Some History

Saratoga County Life in Photographs Exhibit Opens May 5th

by 2 Comments

County Life in Photographs Racetrack at Saratoga County Fairgrounds 1914 courtesy Brookside MuseumThe Saratoga County History Center at Brookside Museum will open a new exhibit, “County Life in Photographs,” on Thursday, May 5th, with a 7 pm reception.

The exhibit includes 26 images of gatherings in Saratoga County between the 1870 and 1950, interpreting the ways in which county residents interacted in social, political, and celebratory contexts. [Read more…] about Saratoga County Life in Photographs Exhibit Opens May 5th

Forgotten Crossroads: Saratoga Co History Center Launching New Video Series

by Leave a Comment

Kilmer mill in Rock City FallsThe Saratoga County History Center has announced the launch of a new video series, “Forgotten Crossroads of Saratoga County.” Produced in partnership with the Saratoga County History Roundtable and various town historians, episodes will explore Saratoga County’s storied past in detail. [Read more…] about Forgotten Crossroads: Saratoga Co History Center Launching New Video Series

Saratoga County Was Once A Leading Pork Producer

by 1 Comment

Duroc Pig courtesy National Swine RegistryNot that they’re boasting, but lots of Saratoga County people like the ring of the “health, history and horses” theme used by the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce. But 150 years ago, the thoroughbreds didn’t yet run at Saratoga Race Course on Union Avenue, and the county motto could have been “homesteads, harvests and hogs.” [Read more…] about Saratoga County Was Once A Leading Pork Producer

Clifton Park’s Ties to Lincoln’s Assassination

by Leave a Comment

Drawing of Mercy Harris's tombstone in the Garnsey Cemetery by George Hubbard, RexfordApril 14th marked the anniversary of Abraham Lincoln‘s assassination by John Wilkes Booth in 1865. This tragic event, like the later assassination of John F. Kennedy, had a tremendous impact on the nation.

There was a period of twenty days of mourning from the time Lincoln was shot to the time he arrived by train for burial at his home in Springfield, Illinois. The first of his twelve funerals was held in Washington, then his funeral procession began by train across the land to Illinois, stopping at major cities for additional funerals. It was the mightiest outpouring of national grief the world had yet seen. [Read more…] about Clifton Park’s Ties to Lincoln’s Assassination

William Sears’ American Hygiene Vegetable Renovating Pills

by Leave a Comment

Sears American Hygiene Vegetable Renovating Pills Advert Newburgh Telegraph, Jan 26 1835The nineteenth century in America saw the rapid growth of “patent” medicines, developed and marketed to a populace longing for relief from the many chronic maladies of life.  Newspapers of the times were filled with advertising extolling the virtues of these creations as entrepreneurs tried to make their fortune by selling into this need.

The early fall of 1834 found one such man, William Sears, then in his middle fifties, traveling around Saratoga County soliciting testimonials from prominent local citizens as to the benefits of the medicines he had produced that were now being offered to the public. [Read more…] about William Sears’ American Hygiene Vegetable Renovating Pills