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New York’s Great Warpath & Historian Harrison Bird

September 14, 2026 by Anthony F. Hall Leave a Comment

Lake George, NY resident Harrison Bird (1910-2003) belonged to a rare class of historians, those whose situate the local within the continental and, indeed, the global.

In four books published by Oxford University Press – Navies in the Mountains (1962), March to Saratoga (1963), Battle for a Continent (1965) and Attack on Quebec (1968) – Bird wrote about Lake George, Lake Champlain, Fort Ticonderoga, Saratoga, Quebec and the northern waterways not as isolated historic sites, but as parts of one strategic corridor: the route by which empires, armies, navies and ambitions moved between Canada and the Hudson Valley. [Read more…] about New York’s Great Warpath & Historian Harrison Bird

New York & The Struggle to Finance the Revolutionary War

August 27, 2026 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

One of the earliest acts of the New York Provincial Congress was the promise on May 24, 1775, to repay all monies advanced for the resistance to British domination. When the old colonial government was gradually superseded in 1774 and 1775 by an extra-legal government of committees and congresses chosen by the people, these bodies were met immediately by the problem of financing both the political activities and the military operations. The latter began with the plans to seize Fort Ticonderoga and Crown Point, shortly after the colonists had been electrified by the news of Lexington and Concord. [Read more…] about New York & The Struggle to Finance the Revolutionary War

East Line Hamlet: A Forgotten Crossroads

August 12, 2026 by Guest Contributor 4 Comments

Before East Line Road marked the boundary between the town line between Ballston and Malta, it marked a community. Today, only a roadside sign hints at what once stood at the crossroads of Route 67 and East Line Road:

“East Line. An early community ca. 1780. ME Church built in 1809. Nearby was a hotel, a tavern, and by 1837 an RR stop.” [Read more…] about East Line Hamlet: A Forgotten Crossroads

The Christopher Yates Papers Reveal Revolutionary Details

July 22, 2026 by Guest Contributor 2 Comments

Christopher Yates (1737-1785) of Schenectady was a surveyor by trade, a job that brought him into the frequent employ of Sir William Johnson. When the French and Indian War began in 1755, Yates joined the Second Albany Militia, serving under Johnson at some of the most crucial battles.

He was among the British troops defeated at Ticonderoga early in the contest during the July 8, 1758 Battle of Carillon, the bloodiest event of the war, with over 3,000 causalities. He later participated in the successful siege of Fort Niagara in July 1759. [Read more…] about The Christopher Yates Papers Reveal Revolutionary Details

Lake Champlain Aquatic Invasive Species Plan Updated

July 3, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and New York State Canal Corporation announced revisions this week to the Rapid Response Plan (RRP) that was implemented in 2022 to mitigate the spread of round goby, an invasive species, into the Lake Champlain Basin.

After first being discovered in the Hudson River near Troy in 2021, to date, round goby has not been captured north of Champlain Canal Lock 1 in Waterford, though there were two positive eDNA detections north of Lock 2 in Halfmoon in 2024. [Read more…] about Lake Champlain Aquatic Invasive Species Plan Updated

Mechanicville’s WWII & Korean War Veterans Photo Collection

April 22, 2026 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

The National WW II Museum in New Orleans is home to about 250,000 artifacts, including more than 100,000 photographs ranging from battlefield pictures captured by military and press photographers to individual albums full of wartime snapshots donated by veterans and their families. [Read more…] about Mechanicville’s WWII & Korean War Veterans Photo Collection

The Road North: From Native Networks to the Champlain Canal

March 16, 2026 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

Where the Hoosic and Mohawk rivers meet the Hudson River was a major Indigenous crossroads. Three major native pathways came together there: 1) The Hoosic River offered the main route east to New England, over the Berkshires and into Massachusetts. 2) The Mohawk River guided the way west. 3) The east side of the Hudson Valley provided a pathway north to Lake Champlain and Canada.

These well-worn trails, on which colonists later built their roads, linked the waterways used by Indigenous hunters, traders, and families moving between settlements. Stone, minerals, and other natural material from as far west as Michigan have been found in this region, revealing a broad network of trade among Native people, long before Europeans arrived. [Read more…] about The Road North: From Native Networks to the Champlain Canal

Early Saratoga County Inventors & The Patent Office Fire

January 28, 2026 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

The United States Patent Commission was created on April 10, 1790, to establish a formal method for submitting and indexing patents. Its first three members were Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of War Henry Knox, and Attorney General Edmund Randolph.

As only three people made up the early patent office, the first applications were not closely examined. An inventor simply submitted a written description, a working model, and a $30 fee (equivalent to about $1,000 today). [Read more…] about Early Saratoga County Inventors & The Patent Office Fire

Surveying The Champlain Canal Route, 1792

January 21, 2026 by Guest Contributor 2 Comments

What follows is a report made by the directors of the Northern Inland Lock Navigation Company of the country between the Hudson River and Lake Champlain. The expedition during which this survey was conducted was led by Philip Schuyler in September 1792 to establish a route for the Champlain Canal.

By the act of incorporation, the navigation of Hudson River, from the mouth of the creek on which the grist mill occupied by Colonel Rensselaer [Nicholas Van Rensselaer, 1754-1848, or Colonel Kiliaen van Rensselaer, 1717–1781] is erected in the town of Troy [possibly the Poesten Kill or Wynants Kill] to opposite the house of Mr. Tibbets [George Tibbits, 1763–1849] in Lansingburg is to be rendered navigable for boats drawing four feet water when loaded. [Read more…] about Surveying The Champlain Canal Route, 1792

Up the Hudson River: New York to Stillwater in 1783

May 4, 2025 by Guest Contributor 7 Comments

What follows is an excerpt from the diary of Francisco de Miranda (1750-1816), who traveled through the United States between 1783 and 1784. A Venezuelan who fought in the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolution and the Spanish American wars of independence, his diary was later published as The New Democracy in America: Travels of Francisco de Miranda in the United States, 1783-84 (University of Oklahoma Press, 1963). It has been transcribed by Hudson River Maritime Museum Contributing Scholar George A. Thompson and annotated by John Warren.

Tired from the toil of the trip [from Philadelphia, through New Jersey] and having formed some acquaintances in New York, I thought I would visit Boston and then return to New York, whence I would embark for England. The harshness of the winter held me suspended for some time and finally made me change the plan. The sound and the rivers remained frozen for a long time, obstructing all navigation, and the roads, although covered with snow, became impassable with the frequent thaws — neither sledge nor wheels could attempt them. [Read more…] about Up the Hudson River: New York to Stillwater in 1783

In Saratoga County, History Matters

February 12, 2025 by Sean Kelleher Leave a Comment

On a cold February 7th in 1791, Saratoga County officially separated from Albany County, marking its beginning as an independent community. Known as “Saratoga” by Indigenous peoples and later formalized by colonial settlers, the county has long been defined by its strategic location and historical significance. [Read more…] about In Saratoga County, History Matters

Isaac Mann: A Saratoga County Loyalist

January 30, 2025 by Jim Richmond Leave a Comment

As we approach the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution there is a concerted effort to broaden the story of our founding by seeking out the stories of those who either labored in the background on both sides – women, the enslaved, and Native Americans for example – or those who outright opposed the Revolution. [Read more…] about Isaac Mann: A Saratoga County Loyalist

19th Century Railroad News from Northern New York

July 12, 2024 by Maury Thompson Leave a Comment

It was high-speed rail – a little too high speed for some passengers’ comfort level. “The fastest time on the new railroad was made yesterday by the accommodation freight train, which ran from this place [Glens Falls] to Lake George in eleven minutes,” the Glen’s Falls Messenger reported on June 23, 1882. [Read more…] about 19th Century Railroad News from Northern New York

Lady Acland’s Voyage: A First-Hand Account of the Battles of Saratoga

July 3, 2024 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

The latest episode of the A New York Minute in History podcast tells the story of Lady Christian Henrietta Caroline “Harriet” Acland, aristocratic wife of Major John Dyke Acland, who commanded the British 20th Regiment of Foot during the Saratoga Campaign of 1777.

During the American Revolution it was not uncommon for the family of military officers to accompany them to camp. This was the case for Major Acland, who was accompanied by his wife Lady Harriet Acland. [Read more…] about Lady Acland’s Voyage: A First-Hand Account of the Battles of Saratoga

The Leland House in Mechanicville

June 5, 2024 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

An historic marker along the Waterford Road in Mechanicville, Saratoga County, NY, reads “Leland House: Raided by French and Indians in 1748, rebuilt in 1749, later the home of revolutionary patriot John Ten Broeck 1740-1822.”

The beautiful house that stands a short distance from the marker is indeed the one that was rebuilt 275 years ago. It was built from lumber cut right there on the farm, with bricks made from clay obtained from the soil thereon. [Read more…] about The Leland House in Mechanicville

Upgrades to Saratoga Battlefield Tour Road Completed

May 16, 2024 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Visitor access and understanding of one of the most historic landscapes in the country will increase with the recent completion of the $6 million Battlefield Tour Road Improvement Project funded by the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) Legacy Restoration Fund. The large-scale construction project in Saratoga National Historical Park, site of the Battle of Saratoga, focused on making upgrades and increasing accessibility of parking areas, trailheads, walkways, seating, signage, exhibits and viewing areas along the popular 10-mile-long route. [Read more…] about Upgrades to Saratoga Battlefield Tour Road Completed

Joe Bolio: Adirondack Guide, Hunter, and Hermit

January 22, 2024 by Dave Waite 1 Comment

I was first introduced to Joe Bolio in Camps & Tramps in the Adirondacks when author Ansel Judd Northrup encountered Bolio during the summer of 1878, while he and some friends were on a fishing trip into the Cranberry Lake region of St. Lawrence County.

Joe Bolio was said to have been a caretaker at a dam on the Grasse River, possibly in the area that is now the Grasse River Flow. [Read more…] about Joe Bolio: Adirondack Guide, Hunter, and Hermit

Saratoga Lake’s Snake Hill Protected by Land Trust

January 16, 2024 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

A $1 million land deal has protected Snake Hill, Saratoga Lake’s largest unprotected shoreline property. Local land trust Saratoga PLAN (Preserving Land and Nature) purchased the land from Stewart’s Shops with funding from the 2023 New York State budget. [Read more…] about Saratoga Lake’s Snake Hill Protected by Land Trust

Erie Canalway Corridor Receives Grant to Expand Education Programs

December 28, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor has received an Open OutDoors for Kids grant from the National Park Foundation to expand education programs throughout the National Heritage Corridor. The grant will enable Erie Canalway to engage 1,500 students from lower income schools in free field trips to the Erie Canal Museum (Syracuse), Fort Stanwix National Monument (Rome), Saratoga National Historical Park (Stillwater), and Women’s Rights National Historical Park (Seneca Falls) during the 2023-24 school year. [Read more…] about Erie Canalway Corridor Receives Grant to Expand Education Programs

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

August 27, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

During 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

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