Saratoga County History Roundtable

19/02/2020

Upcoming Events!
Saturday February 22 1-3 PM Creating Oral History As part of SCHR’s Oral History initiative, members of the Rutgers University Oral History Team will present a program on how to capture and present historical narratives. Attendees will listen to narrative excerpts and learn how to interview and be interviewed.

Thursday, March 19 7 PM – Researching the Other Half Genealogy Workshop. Have you always wanted to dig into your family’s past, but didn’t know where to start? Join with members of Heritage Hunters of Saratoga County for a hands-on introduction to genealogy. Using Ancestry.com, Fulton History and Family Search we will research pre-selected residents of the Saratoga County poorhouse circa 1900 provided by Lauren Roberts, Saratoga County Historian.

As always, please visit our web site for info on these as well as past and future programs. https://saratogacountyhistoryroundtable.com

To read an important message about Brookside Museum, home of the Saratoga County Historical Society, Please Click Here: https://saratogacountyhistoryroundtable.com/save-brookside/ Mission Statement:“The purpose of the Saratoga County History Roundtable is to deepen the understanding of local hist....

30/10/2019

Save Brookside Museum


AN OPEN TO LETTER TO SCHR MEMBERS AND ALL ADVOCATES OF OUR LOCAL HISTORY


History Buffs,

Brookside Museum in Ballston Spa which we consider the home of the Saratoga County History Roundtable, is facing the real possibly of having to close its doors due to lack of funds.

Since this situation first became known in mid-October, an ad-hoc group of Brookside supporters have banded together to insure this does not happen. At a meeting at the Museum on Monday October 21, a initiative to "Save Brookside Museum" was launched. A $100,000 appeal was outlined and is now being further developed by a Core Team consisting of seven members- Board members Ervin Murray, Sander Bonvell, Donna Dardaris and Jon Hallgren; Museum Director Michelle Arthur; and SCHR members John Cromie and Jim Richmond. SCHS and SCHR have both issued press releases to bring this issue to the Saratoga County community and beyond.

How can we help? In several ways. Most immediately, the Museum needs a cash infusion of at least $50,000 by year end and another $50,000 during the first quarter 2020 to remain open and continue their programs. As of October 21, over $10,000 has already be raised from a small number of donors. You can help build on that by making a donation through Network For Good on the Brookside website. Please follow the link below.
http://www.brooksidemuseum.org/keep-history-alive/donate-sponsor/

Secondly, A Task Force has been formed to evaluate Brookside's current operations and prepare a business plan to place the Museum on a sustainable path to financial viability. Much more on that in coming weeks, but we would ask that each of you consider how you can help.

You may have ideas for new programs, grants, or fund-raising events. You may have insights into what other history museums do. You may have contacts in the community that can help. You may be willing to be part of an expanded volunteer staff to breathe new life into the museum. If you do, please let us know so the Task Force can maintain a list of these ideas and proceed in an organized fashion. You will be kept in the loop on these efforts going forward. Please share your thoughts and ideas via e-mail to
SaratogaCoHistoryRoundtable@gmail.com

We see this as both a challenge and an opportunity. Please join with us to save and revitalize Brookside Museum!

Jim Richmond,
SCHR Coordinator

Keep History Alive, Show Your Support Click here to access our Network For Good Giving Site to make a donation today! We are grateful for your support! The generous donations from our community en…

14/10/2019

History Buffs,

After a month away celebrating Kesselring's 70th Anniversary,
the Saratoga County History Roundtable returns to Brookside
Museum this Thursday (October 17th) for a facinating program entitled "Surgery in
Peace and War." presented by retired cancer surgeon and author
Dr. Gerald Stulc. Dr. Stulc will discuss surgery techniques and display
surgical instruments from the Revolutionary War to the early 20th century.
Dr. Stulc is the author of The Surgion's Mate, a work of historical fiction.

We will also update all attendees on our ongoing activities, including
our Oral History initiative, a first look at our 2020 programs, and
opportunities to volunteer in Brookside's Research Room.

16/09/2019

History Buffs:

This is the week that history will be made!
On Wednesday, September 18th, at 7 PM we will honor
the 70th anniversary of the Kesselring Naval site with a
program at the Milton Community Center, 310 Northline Road in
Ballston Spa. Milton Town Historian Karen Staulters will
present the history of the West Milton area and it's early
residents. Site Director Dean Heithoff will discuss 70 years of
base operations, highlighted by pictures and models of the site
over the years. Milton Supervisor Scott Ostrander will present the
town's Heritage Award, and local officials will offer their congratulations.

This is a rare opportunity to hear from site officials in an event open to
the public, so bring your friends!

Jim Richmond,
Coordinator, Saratoga County History Roundtable

14/08/2019

History Buffs,

After a summer on the road to Abner Doubleday's House, Grant's Cottage,
the Saratoga County Fair, and Vischer's Ferry, The Saratoga County
History Roundtable is back at Brookside Museum this week.

At our program this Thursday we go back in time to 1836 and welcome
two prominent citizens of Ballston Spa and Saratoga Springs as they
debate the relative merits of their villages. Join Joshua B. Aldridge
(Jim Richmond) and Henry Walton (Charlie Kuenzel) for a lively discussion.
Which village could claim the most medicinal springs?The most
comfortable accommodations? The most effective leaders? The most
enticing entertainment? Which village was most likely to succeed and why? Join the debate - what do you think?

See you Thursday!

22/07/2019

History Buffs:

Busy week for the SCHR! We will be at the Saratoga County Fair with Brookside all week. SCHR members will be at our
table in the Antique Building Tues - Sunday 4-8 each day and earlier on Wed, Sat and Sunday. Stop by and see us! Special
thanks to the 20+ folks who signed up to be table monitors. We have several hands-on exhibits to share with fairgoers.
On Saturday July 27 at 10 AM we will sponsor a walking tour of the Vischer Ferry Historic District. The Tour will be led by Clifton Park Historian John Scherer.

The Historic District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. It is a typical Erie Canal hamlet with a high concentration of Greek revival homes constructed by canal boat builders who worked at the two Erie Canal dry docks located in the hamlet. Learn about the Erie Canal and the growth it brought to a sleepy hamlet settled by the Dutch in the mid eighteenth century. Explore architecture styles from Clifton Park’s oldest home built by Nicholas Vischer in 1740 to a large Queen Anne Victorian home constructed in 1902. Hear about some of the interesting characters who once roamed the streets of Vischer Ferry, and at the conclusion of the tour enjoy lunch at the restored Vischer Ferry General Store.

Park at the store or across the street at the fire house. You can pre-order lunch when you arrive. Map from Brookside to Vischer Ferry is attached.

Hope to see you this week!

07/06/2019

The Saratoga County History Roundtable will present a program on "Forgotten Railroads" 7:00 PM Thursday, June 13 at Brookside Museum in Ballston Spa. Independent historian Bill Bennison will discuss the failed post-civil war attempt to construct a railroad through Saratoga County to compete with the New York Central in connecting the East to Chicago. While a con-man duped investors and a local industrialist, the overall project was partially successful and still in operation today.
For more information on SCHR programs, please visit our web site

The Ballston Area History Roundtable is now the Saratoga County History Roundtable! Mission Statement:“The purpose of the Saratoga County History Roundtable is to deepen the understanding of local history through research and sharing of information among history buffs of all ages.” The Saratog.....

14/05/2019

History Buffs,

Our first meeting as the Saratoga County History Roundtable
will be this Wednesday, 5/15. Clifton Park historian John Scherer
will share stories of researching Clifton Park History from his
many years of experience, and will lead a tour of the Historic
Grooms Tavern built in the 1820's

DIRECTIONS AND PARKING - You can get there coming from the
Ballston area via Rt 50 (to Kingsley/Blue Barns Road/Riverview Rd
to Grooms Road) OR Exit 8A of the Northway west on Grooms Road.
The address is 817 Grooms Road for you Google Map folks.
Parking is off Grooms Road in the back of the Tavern.
Hope to see you there!

10/04/2019

Thank you for your support of the BAHR.

The Ballston Area History Roundtable will present a program entitled "History Isn't
Old, It's New!" 7:00 PM Wednesday April 17 at Brookside Museum in Ballston Spa.
Any idea why an old desk is important to our past? Do you know about the "French
Connection" to our area? How about the torrid love affair between Kitty Heaton and
George Gilbert?? Town of Ballston Historian Rick Reynolds invites you to come hear all
this and much more and see how the past truly connects to now! For more information
on BAHR programs, please visit our web site https://ballstonareahistoryroundtable.com
Hope to see you all there!

Sharing a passion for history

14/03/2019

The Ballston Area History Roundtable will present a program entitled "Diseases of their Lives" 7:00 pm Thursday, March 21 at Brookside Museum in Ballston Spa.
Anne Clothier, Education Director at the Museum, will discuss illnesses and treatment in Saratoga County and beyond in the period 1780-1920. Join us for an interactive journey learning about the illnesses that plagued early residents of this area. For more information on the BAHR, please visit our website https://Ballstonareahistoryroundtable.com

All are welcome!
Hope to see you all there 😊

Sharing a passion for history

12/02/2019

Upcoming Meetings!