NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 14, 2021
Contact: Michael Landis, Ph.D.
Chair, Communications Committee
Saratoga County History Center
mlandis@brooksidemuseum.org
518-885-4000
Commemorating the Battles of Saratoga and the 250th Anniversary of the American War for Independence
Ballston Spa, NY – The year 2025 will mark the 250th anniversary of the American War for Independence, and the Saratoga County History Center has already started commemoration activities.
In August 2021, a special “America 250!” committee was appointed by History Center president Jere Blackwelder to work with other agencies and associations to celebrate American independence and educate the public on the Saratoga County’s special place in that history. The committee will work with the Saratoga County 250th Anniversary Commission, the New York State 250th Commemoration Commission, and the America250 Foundation U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission. A plethora of exhibits, public events, and family-friendly activities are already in the works.
The History Center committee is composed of Sean Kelleher, Chair and History Center Vice President; Anne Clothier, History Center Education Director; Paul Supley, Reenactor and Historic Presenter; Sara Kipp, Director, Stillwater Public Library; Jim Richmond, Author and Founder of the Saratoga County History Roundtable; and Marie Frankson, Author. We are also pleased to include two student interns from Siena College’s McCormick Center for the Study of the American Revolution.
Events already scheduled include the following:
October 18, 2021, 9:30 a.m.: Commemoration of the American Victory at Saratoga.
Location: Fort Hardy Park beach on Ferry Street (Rt 29) in Schuylerville.
Join students, teachers, historians, and reenactors to mark the 244th anniversary of the Battles of Saratoga surrender with cannons, patriotic speeches, wreath-laying, reenactments, and the traditional “thirteen toasts.” The keynote speaker is Saratoga County Historian, Lauren Roberts.
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October 21, 2021, 7 p.m.: “My Zeal and Cause for My Country: Benedict Arnold in 1777”
Location: Virtual (via Zoom)
Eric Schnitzer, military historian and park ranger at Saratoga National Historical Park, will be the October speaker for the popular “Experts Next Door” series. Register: https://bit.ly/3ihLwdE
October 23, 2021, 2-5 p.m.: Book launch event for Saratoga County Stories
Location: Brookside Museum, 6 Charlton St, Ballston Spa
Meet the contributing authors and editorial team of Saratoga County Stories, a collection of essays and articles from local historians which include several pieces on the Revolutionary era. Purchase copies of the book and have them signed by authors.
October 30, 2021, 1-3 p.m.: “The Revolutionary War in the Adirondacks”
Location: Brookside Museum, 6 Charlton St, Ballston Spa
Meet local historian Marie Danielle Annette Williams, author of The Revolutionary War in the Adirondacks: Raids in the Wilderness (The History Press, 2020). The book, which describes the British and Loyalist raids that took place in upstate New York after British General Burgoyne’s 1777 campaign, will be available for purchase and signing.
December 14, 2021, 7 p.m.: “Jane McCrea: A Revolutionary Martyr and an Early American Family Story”
Location: Virtual (via Zoom)
Blake Grindon, Ph.D. candidate at Princeton University, will explore and examine the life and legacy of Jean McCrea. Best remembered as the focus of anti-Indian and anti-British Patriot propaganda that followed her death during the Saratoga Campaign in 1777, further investigation reveals her role in an interconnected world of colonial wars and Native politics stretching back long before the American Revolution.
The Saratoga County History Center is dedicated to preserving and sharing the diverse histories of Saratoga County. In addition to the venerable Brookside Museum, the History Center offers a variety of innovative, exciting, and educational programming online. Please visit the website (www.brooksidemuseum.org) and social media accounts (@SaratogaCoHistory) for news and announcements.
