The Grant Cottage State Historic Site officially celebrated the completion of a new, fully ADA-accessible paved pathway to its historic Eastern Overlook on Mount McGregor in Wilton, NY. [Read more…] about A New Paved Trail To A Historic Hudson Valley View
Wilton
Early Saratoga County Inventors & The Patent Office Fire
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
Theft of Hunter’s Tent Leads to Arrest Months Later
On November 8, 2023 at 1 pm, Forest Ranger Caswell received a call from a hunter who reported his hunting wall tent had been stolen on Powley Road site 13 in the town of Arietta in Hamilton County in the Southern Adirondacks. Ranger Caswell went to the campsite and interviewed the subject who first discovered the tent was missing. [Read more…] about Theft of Hunter’s Tent Leads to Arrest Months Later
Forest Rangers Make Several Rescues; Work Snowmobile Trails
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents throughout New York State. Working with other state agencies, local emergency response organizations and volunteer search and rescue groups, Forest Rangers locate and extract lost, injured or distressed people and engage in policing on New York State Lands.
What follows is a report, prepared by DEC, of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers. [Read more…] about Forest Rangers Make Several Rescues; Work Snowmobile Trails
The 77th New York Infantry Volunteers in the Civil War
This week on the Historians Podcast, Chris Carola, a former Albany-based Associated Press reporter who lives in Saratoga Springs, discusses the Civil War’s 77th New York State Volunteer Infantry Regiment. [Read more…] about The 77th New York Infantry Volunteers in the Civil War
The 115th New York: The Iron Hearted Regiment During The Civil War
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
Saratoga County Granges: The Patrons of Husbandry
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
New Book On Seneca Ray Stoddard Published
The new book Seneca Ray Stoddard; and Intimate Portrait of an Adirondack Legend (Warren County Historical Society, 2023) by Daniel Way, MD is a complete biography of Seneca Ray Stoddard, including unique photographs and a virtual tour of Stoddard’s house, which no longer exists. [Read more…] about New Book On Seneca Ray Stoddard Published
Grant Cottage Master Plan Meeting Set for May 23rd
The Friends of Grant Cottage are in the beginning stages of developing a Site Master Plan for the Ulysses S. Grant Cottage State Historic Site & National Historic Landmark it’s hoped will provide a roadmap for a comprehensive set of “improvements to enhance visitor engagement, accessibility and safety, and circulation while expanding the site infrastructure for increased visitation and grand events,” according to an email sent to supporters. [Read more…] about Grant Cottage Master Plan Meeting Set for May 23rd
Grant Cottage’s Ben Kemp on the Historians Podcast
This week on The Historians Podcast, the guest is Ben Kemp from Grant Cottage in Wilton, Saratoga County, New York, where Civil War general and President Ulysses S. Grant died.
Friends, including Mark Twain, arranged for Grant and his family to live in the cottage for the last weeks of his life. Grant was dying from throat cancer and had lost his family’s money in a fraudulent scheme. [Read more…] about Grant Cottage’s Ben Kemp on the Historians Podcast
One Community’s Experience of the Second World War
This Memorial Day, Wilton, New York’s town hall will begin work on an exhibit which tells the story of Wilton’s Second World War families.
[Read more…] about One Community’s Experience of the Second World War
DEC Opens Public Archery Range in Saratoga County
DEC has opened its first-ever public archery range, Saratoga Sand Plains Archery Range, located in the town of Wilton in Saratoga County, NY. It features 16 targets ranging from five to 50 yards, eight adult lanes, four youth lanes, and four lanes accessed by an elevated platform. [Read more…] about DEC Opens Public Archery Range in Saratoga County
Veteran’s Honor Roll Is One Town’s Lonely Sentinel
In winter, it stands silently like a lonely sentinel, set back from Ballard Road in the Town of Wilton, Saratoga County. Day and night the traffic whizzes by the Veteran’s Honor Roll, yet its presence is overlooked by most. [Read more…] about Veteran’s Honor Roll Is One Town’s Lonely Sentinel
Murder Trials Of Note In 19th Century Saratoga County
The following record of nineteenth century murder trials in Saratoga County was provided by a Mechanicville correspondent to the Troy Daily Times in 1891:
There have been many noted murder trials in Saratoga county since the first court was held in the town of Stillwater May 10, 1791 – 100 years ago. The court now in session at Ballston Spa meets about five miles from where the first court was held, at the residence of Samuel Clark, near East Line, Judge John Thompson of Stillwater [then] presiding, he having received the appointment as the first judge of Saratoga county from Governor Clinton. [Read more…] about Murder Trials Of Note In 19th Century Saratoga County
Civil War Weekend Planned For Grant Cottage
Tickets are now available for the Civil War Weekend, a fundraiser for The Friends of the Ulysses S. Grant Cottage, which will be held on August 11 and 12 at D.A. Collins’ Ballard Road property in Wilton.
This official bicentennial celebration event of the Town of Wilton will include dozens of Civil War era reenactors. Camp life, infantry, artillery, cavalry drills, battles, and firing demonstrations will bring the period to life. The Iron Jacks, 77th NY Regimental Balladeers, and Veterans in the New Field will provide musical performances during the weekend. Children’s activities, book signings, military artifact displays, food and vendors will offer a weekend full of learning for all ages. [Read more…] about Civil War Weekend Planned For Grant Cottage
Tim Welch: Wilton NY’s Bicentennial, Grant Cottage
This week on The Historians Podcast, producer Tim Welch discusses his documentary on the history of Wilton, the town that led the economic resurgence of Saratoga County New York in the last half of the 20th century.
Welch also discusses the U.S. Grant Cottage historic site, where he is president of the Friends of Grant Cottage. View the documentary here. Listen to the podcast here. [Read more…] about Tim Welch: Wilton NY’s Bicentennial, Grant Cottage
Grant Cottage Opening With New Exhibits
U.S. Grant Cottage State Historic Site is set to open for the 2018 season on Memorial Day weekend, May 26-28, with new exhibits and the return of a popular program highlighting Cottage caretaker and Civil War veteran Oliver Pendelton Clarke and his wife Martha.
A new exhibit in the Grant Cottage Visitor Center, “Let Us Have Peace: Reconstruction and the 1868 U.S. Presidential Election,” celebrates the 150th anniversary of Ulysses Grant’s first run for President. The exhibit includes items such as a period ballot box, tintype photos, 1868 ballots, and publications covering the election.
Grant Cottage Seeks Volunteers
Ulysses S. Grant Cottage State Historic Site in Wilton (Saratoga County) has announced they are seeking volunteers to assist with operations throughout the upcoming season.
Volunteer opportunities are available for adults and teens (age 14 and up). Available positions include Tour Guide, Visitor Center Greeter, Education Assistant, and Parking Attendant. Schedules are flexible, and training is provided. No experience is necessary. [Read more…] about Grant Cottage Seeks Volunteers