In 1845, Amasiah Ford of Ballston Spa wrote a multi-page manuscript for his application seeking a veteran’s pension. The account of his military experience 30-plus years earlier would be used 150 years later as references in several books on the War of 1812. [Read more…] about Hard Times For War of 1812 Veteran Amasiah Ford
Saratoga County
Saratoga’s Worden Hotel: A Short History
After the Marvin House at the northeast corner of Division Street and Broadway in Saratoga Springs was destroyed by fire in 1865, it was quickly rebuilt as the city’s largest hotel. In the early 1880s it was renamed The Arlington Hotel briefly before being purchased by William W. Worden in 1885. He renamed it The Worden Hotel at the request of guests who honored him with a dinner celebrating his purchase. [Read more…] about Saratoga’s Worden Hotel: A Short History
Barbara Linell Glaser Named ‘Conservationist of the Year’
The Adirondack Council will present its Conservationist of the Year Award to Barbara Linell Glaser, EdD, during the organization’s Forever Wild Day celebration on July 9th at Great Camp Sagamore, near the Adirondack hamlet of Raquette Lake. [Read more…] about Barbara Linell Glaser Named ‘Conservationist of the Year’
Medberry & Mann: Saratoga County’s Paper Collar Kings
Although no trace remains today, the Glen Paper Collar Company was a visible presence in the Saratoga County community of Ballston Spa 150 years ago. It was located in what was known as the “Blue Mill” on the north side of Milton Avenue, built as one of the area’s first grist mills. The collar company was one of the largest of its kind in the country and its owners, Horace Medbery and Henry Mann, were prolific inventors. [Read more…] about Medberry & Mann: Saratoga County’s Paper Collar Kings
Ulysses S. Grant’s Summer at Mount McGregor
The trip to Mount McGregor was set, if the hospice patient had enough strength to make the journey.
“If the present favorable conditions are maintained, General Grant will travel to Mount McGregor Tuesday, June 23rd,” The Morning Star of Glens reported on June 8th, 1885. “President Rutter, of the New York Central and Hudson Railroad, has placed its special car at General Grant’s disposal for the use of the general and his family on the trip. The car will be attached to a morning express train from the Grand Central depot.” [Read more…] about Ulysses S. Grant’s Summer at Mount McGregor
Resistance to the Revolution in Saratoga County, May 1777
On April 18th, 1777, during the American Revolution, the New York Provincial Convention received the following letter, dated two days previously:
“Dear Sir – Upon my arrival home , I found a letter from the chairman of the county committee, requesting the assistance of our militia to quell an insurrection of the tories in Ballstown, and upon inquiry found that the same spirit prevailed much in my regiment, to such a degree that it appears numbers have enlisted , and have taken the oath of secrecy and allegiance to the King of Great Britain, and that a regiment of royal volunteers is to be raised in the county of Albany, under the command of J. Hueston, as will appear by the enclosed; in consequence of which we have not complied with the request of the chairman. Seventeen of the villains are now in confinement, and by the vigilance of our committee, and militia officers, hope soon to detect the whole and transmit to the Convention the proof that shall be collected.
I am, dear sir, in great haste, Yours, [signed] Robt. Van Rensselaer” [Read more…] about Resistance to the Revolution in Saratoga County, May 1777
Grant’s Cottage Historic Site Goes Off Grid
The Grant Cottage State Historic Site, a 19th-century mountaintop residence where U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant completed his memoirs shortly before his death, is now part of the renewable energy era. [Read more…] about Grant’s Cottage Historic Site Goes Off Grid
Memories of a Childhood at Mount McGregor
My father was employed as an administrator at the Mount McGregor Veterans Rest Camp, Saratoga County, upon his discharge from the Army. Mom was a Registered Nurse at the Camp Infirmary. I lived on Mount McGregor from April 1946, the day I arrived in my mother’s arms, until I left for Boy Scout Camp Saratoga in July 1960. Five boys and one girl within two years of my age lived on Mount McGregor during that time. We were a loosely knit mostly outdoor group. [Read more…] about Memories of a Childhood at Mount McGregor
A Saratoga County Missionary To Canton, China
The Reverend Charles Preston arrived at the port of Hong Kong on May 12th, 1854 after a voyage of 160 days from the city of New York. His final destination was the city of Canton, China – where the Presbyterian Missionary Board had established a base of operation that included a school, hospital and chapel. There he would engage in his life’s work: trying to convert the people of China to Christianity. [Read more…] about A Saratoga County Missionary To Canton, China
The 1921 Trail of Saratoga’s District Attorney That Turned Into A Riot
On May 11th, 1921, Saratoga County District Attorney Charles Andrus stood before Justice Henry Borst at the courthouse in Ballston Spa for the start of a criminal trial.
It must have been a strange feeling that day for Andrus because unlike countless other times before the court, this time the District Attorney was seated at the defendant’s table. He had been indicted on charges of neglect of duty, bribery, and corruption. His trial would be extraordinary on many levels. [Read more…] about The 1921 Trail of Saratoga’s District Attorney That Turned Into A Riot