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Saratoga County History Center

Milkweed: A World War Two Strategic Material

December 6, 2023 by Dave Waite 1 Comment

Milkweed Pods collected for World War Two in Massachusetts in 1944The move into the Second World War by the United States brought change for this country’s citizens. The most important was in the lives of the 16 million men and women who served during the war, and the over 400,000 who gave their lives. [Read more…] about Milkweed: A World War Two Strategic Material

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Ballston Spa, Maritime History, Military History, Native Plants, Naval History, Navy, Rensselaer County, Saratoga County, Saratoga County History Center, Saratoga County History Roundtable, Schuylerville, Shipwrecks, Warren County, Washington County, Waterford, World War Two

The 77th Infantry: The Bemis Heights Regiment in the Civil War

October 26, 2023 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

77th Infantry Flank MarkerOn November 23, 1861, hundreds of men dressed in the blue uniforms of the United States Army mustered in Saratoga Springs. Hailing from villages and towns across Saratoga County as well as from Fulton and Essex counties, the soldiers of the newly formed 77th New York State Volunteer Infantry Regiment were heading off to war.

Nearly seven months earlier, on April 12, successionist forces had opened fire on the federal government’s Fort Sumter in South Carolina’s Charleston Harbor. [Read more…] about The 77th Infantry: The Bemis Heights Regiment in the Civil War

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, History, Mohawk Valley Tagged With: 77th NY Infantry, Civil War, Essex County, Fulton County, Military History, Saratoga County, Saratoga County History Center, Saratoga County History Roundtable, Saratoga Springs, US Army, Virginia

The Erie Canal in Clifton Park Program Set For October 23

October 19, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Low Bridge on the Erie Canal at Vischer Ferry in Clifton ParkThe Saratoga County History Center is offering a program entitled “Low Bridge on the Erie Canal” on Monday, October 23 at 7 pm at Brookside Museum in Ballston Spa.

Town of Clifton Park Historian, John Scherer, will highlight the history of the local section of the canal using historical photographs and objects from his Town Historian’s collection. [Read more…] about The Erie Canal in Clifton Park Program Set For October 23

Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, Events, History Tagged With: Saratoga County History Center

‘Send Pies’: A Letter From School, 1854

August 30, 2023 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

The former Jonesville Academy in Clifton Park at the time it was a public school (Parker Goodfellow postcard view ca. 1910)As summer vacation comes to an end, students are once again preparing to return to school.  What follows is a letter written in 1854 by a student at the Jonesville Academy. The Academy was a private school, built about 1839, complete with dormitories.  It still stands today as a private home in the hamlet of Jonesville, in Clifton Park, Saratoga County, NY. [Read more…] about ‘Send Pies’: A Letter From School, 1854

Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, History Tagged With: Clifton Park, Education, Rensselaer County, Sand Lake, Saratoga County, Saratoga County History Center, Saratoga County History Roundtable

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

August 27, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Colonel Simeon Sammons of the 15th New York RegimentDuring 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

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, Mohawk Valley Tagged With: 115th New York Regiment, Amsterdam, Ballston, Ballston Spa, Broadalbin, Brookside Museum, Canajoharie, Caroga, Charleston, Charlton, Civil War, Clifton Park, Corinth, Day, Edinburgh, Ephratah, Florida, Florida; Milton, Fonda, Fulton County, Galway, Glen, Greenfield, Hadley, Half Moon, Hamilton County, Johnstown, Malta, Mayfield Northampton, Military History, Milton, Minden, Mohawk, Montgomery County, Moreau, Northumberland, Oppenheim, Palatine, Providence, Root, Saratoga, Saratoga County, Saratoga County History Center, Saratoga Springs, St. Johnsville, Stillwater, Stratford, Waterford, Wells, Wilton

Ballston Spa’s 19th Century Grand Balls in Competition

August 16, 2023 by Guest Contributor 3 Comments

Brookside Museum Ballston Spa Saratoga CountyMany citizens of Ballston Spa in Saratoga County will be aware that in the nineteenth century the east end of Front Street boasted a sumptuous hotel called the Sans Souci. Some of these residents may have mused upon the great events, including grand balls, which might have enlivened this hotel back in the day, even ones graced by the presence of European royalty on occasion. [Read more…] about Ballston Spa’s 19th Century Grand Balls in Competition

Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, History Tagged With: Architecture, Ballston, Ballston Spa, Brookside Museum, Cultural History, Dance, Historic Preservation, Saratoga County, Saratoga County History Center, Saratoga County History Roundtable

Round Lake Village Historical Walking Tour

August 11, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Round Lake Village Inn, April 2009 (photo by Wikimedia user Doug Kerr)The Village of Round Lake in Saratoga County, NY began in 1867 as a summer camp meeting location for Methodists. At first, visitors lived in tents and visiting ministers rented space in the second story of the local train station. By 1868 more permanent structures were established, including cottages, a two-story trustees office and bookstore, and a market. [Read more…] about Round Lake Village Historical Walking Tour

Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, Events, History Tagged With: Saratoga County History Center

Side Paths: New York State’s 1890s Bike Trail Network

August 8, 2023 by Dave Waite Leave a Comment

East Avenue sidepath (Monroe County Sidepaths, 1899) Sidepaths were constructed for bicycles in the 1890sAs the 1890s took New York State toward a new century, the use of the bicycle for recreation by both the young and old was sweeping the country. One reason for this growth was the development of a safer, easier-to-ride machine with a smaller front wheel than the earlier high-wheeled bicycles.

Other advances in the development of the bicycle at this time were pneumatic tires and a chain drive that further eliminated the need for the large front tire. [Read more…] about Side Paths: New York State’s 1890s Bike Trail Network

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, History, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, New York City, Recreation, Western NY Tagged With: Albany, Albany County, Ballston Spa, bicycling, biking, Glens Falls, Lake George, Legal History, Levi P. Morton, Mechanicville, Monroe County, Rochester, Round Lake, Saratoga County, Saratoga County History Center, Saratoga County History Roundtable, Saratoga Springs, trails, Transportation History, Warren County, Waterford

Labor History: Saratoga, Belmont, Aqueduct & the 1961 Track Workers Strike

July 23, 2023 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

Horse Transports at the Saratoga Race Course in 2019 (Matt Bonk photo)There were only 14 horses at Saratoga Race Course in late July of 1961. By that time, it was expected that at least 200 would have arrived for the racing season. Strikes led by Jimmy Hoffa and a branch of the Teamsters Union, Local 917, halted the transportation of horses from New York City to Saratoga Springs. [Read more…] about Labor History: Saratoga, Belmont, Aqueduct & the 1961 Track Workers Strike

Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, History, New York City Tagged With: Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park, Black History, Delaware & Hudson Railroad, Hispanic History, Horses, Labor History, Long Island, New York City, NYRA, Queens, Saratoga County, Saratoga County History Center, Saratoga County History Roundtable, Saratoga Race Course, Saratoga Springs, Teamsters, Transportation History

A Burnt Hills Hillside Cemetery Walking Tour

July 13, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

hillside cemetery in burnt hills nyRick Reynolds, Ballston Town Historian, will host the Saratoga County History Center’s first walking tour of 2023 on Wednesday, July 19th at 10 am at Hillside Cemetery in Burnt Hills, NY. [Read more…] about A Burnt Hills Hillside Cemetery Walking Tour

Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, Events, History Tagged With: Saratoga County History Center

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