The Saratoga County History Center is proud to present a new exhibit, “A Saratoga Family Tale,” which tells the stories of several interconnected families as they established themselves in and around Saratoga County throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. The exhibit opens June 30 and will be featured in the Long Room at Brookside Museum until November 17.
“A Saratoga Family Tale” follows the Medbery, Clark, and Betts families from their various colonial settlements to their eventual settlement in Saratoga and Rensselaer Counties. Using genealogical information and materials donated to the History Center, the exhibit shares tales of soldiers, prominent individuals, and family connections.
Numerous photographs, family trees, artifacts, and a Civil War uniform worn by Col. James C. Clark will be on display. Most notably, James served as an officer in the Corps D’Afrique, a unit of black soldiers, and was stationed in Louisiana around the time of the siege on Port Hudson. After James died from illness in 1864, his wife, Sarah Betts Clark, recorded diary entries talking about James, her experiences as a widow, and various aspects of everyday life for her and the people around her. Selections from Sarah’s diary will be on display for visitors to read.
The exhibit can be visited during the museum’s open hours, Tuesday through Sunday from 1pm to 5pm. Brookside Museum is located at 21 Fairground Avenue, Ballston Spa, at the intersection of Front Street, Charlton Street, and Fairground Avenue. Admission is free. For more information, call (518) 885-4000 or visit www.brooksidemuseum.org.
