Saratoga County History Roundtable

Joshua Anthony: The Baking Powder King

November 22, 2023 by Guest Contributor 1 Comment

In the 1800s, most of the commerce at Halfmoon in Saratoga County, NY, was located close to the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers. Joshua Anthony however, developed his spice factory in a remote part of northern Halfmoon on his grandfather’s farm on Farm to Market and Anthony Roads.

The three-story tower in the center of the factory once boasted a windmill that provided power for the machinery. Anthony heated the farmhouse and buildings in the winter with steam from the factory. [Read more…] about Joshua Anthony: The Baking Powder King

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

October 26, 2023 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

On 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

‘Send Pies’: A Letter From School, 1854

August 30, 2023 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

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

Ballston Spa’s 19th Century Grand Balls in Competition

August 16, 2023 by Guest Contributor 3 Comments

Many 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

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

August 8, 2023 by Dave Waite Leave a Comment

As 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

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

July 23, 2023 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

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

World War II Home Front Memories

July 9, 2023 by Guest Contributor 1 Comment

For the family of Italian immigrants Genaro and Jenny Lambert, a July, 1943 headline “ALLIED INVASION OF SICILY” had special meaning. Although the German occupation of Europe – Poland had been overtaken in thirty five days; Belgium, Netherlands, Luxemburg, and France had surrendered in six weeks- painted a grim picture, the newspapers’ headline created hope. No one thought defeating the Axis powers would be easy, but maybe the tide was turning. [Read more…] about World War II Home Front Memories

A Saratoga Man’s Role in Evacuating Americans from Europe in 1939 & 1940

June 21, 2023 by Guest Contributor 1 Comment

Over 100,000 Americans were traveling or residing in Europe in 1939. As the threat of war became ever more ominous, in August the United States Department of State created a new office to facilitate the evacuation of these Americans.

The war began with Germany’s invasion of Poland on September 1. By the end of the year 75% of the Americans in Europe were either home or on their way home. Many American ships and men were involved in this evacuation. One of those sailors was my uncle. [Read more…] about A Saratoga Man’s Role in Evacuating Americans from Europe in 1939 & 1940

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

The Saratoga County Family That Lost 2 Of 6 Sons During WWII

May 10, 2023 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

On July 1, 1944, as the Second World War raged in Europe and the Pacific, a Western Union telegram arrived at the Saratoga Springs home of Aurora Asheych notifying her of the death in combat of her 21-year-old son, U.S. Marine Corps Pfc. Joseph Leonard Gagnon. Two months later, she received word that another son, Army Pvt. Victor Francis Gaynor, 19, was reported killed in action in France. Earlier that year, all six of Aurora’s sons were in the military. [Read more…] about The Saratoga County Family That Lost 2 Of 6 Sons During WWII