Collections
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ARTIFACT of the MONTH 
Saratoga National Historical Park May 2013 "Schuyler House: generations" Many years ago, a noteworthy part of Saratoga NHP…wasn't. It was someone's home! General Philip Schuyler's house was the George Strover home. Strover, age 87 in this 1878 photo with grandchildren Jessie and George Lowber (and the family dog), had owned the place for some 50 years. Two generations of the family knew this house. In 1950, the house and 26 acres of land became part of Saratoga NHP. How might you feel knowing the house you grew up in was historically important enough to become part of a National Park? The photographer, Charles H. Pease, hailed from Maine, and had his own interest in history. As a member of the 17th NY Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War, he developed a sense of connectedness with and empathy for the American Revolution. He eventually moved to Schuylerville, living there for about 20 years. There, he expressed his respect for the Revolution through photography, and published a number of stereoview photos of historic sites and structures, including Philip Schuyler's house. (SARA-28,687) 
Saratoga National Historical Park April 2013 Prescribed fire...old school! Park visitors in the early spring will see fields burned with curious precision. It's no accident, it's prescribed fire-using fire to keep fields open, clear them of accumulated fuels, return nutrients to the soil, and reduce invasive plant species. The current program has great foundations, as the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) program pioneered the use of prescribed fire. Camp NP-2, working at Saratoga Battlefield from 1939-42, helped in this work. The park's curatorial collections contain some of their tools, including this axe-like pulaski and this mattock. (SARA #4079 and #4091) 
Saratoga National Historical Park March 2013 "In this my present Distress" Elizabeth Witnell was the wife of William Witnell, an artificer (professional tradesman) with the British Train of Artillery in pre-revolutionary America. William, in Boston in the summer of 1774, was a "collarmaker" - making and repairing harnesses and collars for horse teams pulling the artillery. Elizabeth, apparently left behind in New York because of a lingering illness, could not pay her quarterly rent and faced eviction. Illiterate, Elizabeth had a letter written for her, asking the unit's paymaster, William Forman, for an advance on her husband's pay. Her August 10, 1774 letter was answered the following day, with the money she needed. Nothing more is known of the Witnells, a military family on the eve of the American Revolution. PDF transcript available (31 kb) (SARA-17786) 
Saratoga National Historical Park February 2013 Washington at Saratoga? Yes! In 1932 at the 200th anniversary commemoration of George Washington's birth, called the "Washington Bicentennial," two sculptures of our first president were donated to the Saratoga Battlefield's museum collections. The first was a zinc alloy bas relief cast by sculptor Charles Calverley (1833-1914), who used Houdon's life mask of Washington to guide his work. The other is a plaster bust by an unknown artist, inscribed "1732-1932, George Washington Bicentennial Commission." In 1932, Saratoga Battlefield hosted an event commemorating Washington's birth. In addition to the donation of these sculptures, an elm tree was planted in Washington's honor. The tree has not survived. (bas relief: Collections #SARA-116; plaster bust: Collections #SARA-4050) 
Saratoga National Historical Park January 2013 "You can call me Betty..." Since ancient times, people have used simple grease lamps to bring light into the darkness. A palm-sized, shallow dish held a small amount of grease or oil. A twisted fibrous wick rested with one end in this fuel as the other end rested in a corner or point of the dish. The exposed end was lit, creating a small, dripping, smelly, smoky flame. Betty lamps improved on the lamp design. A hinged lid partly covered the fuel. A small, internal lip within the dish held the wick up and away from the dish edge, so dripping fuel would drip back into the tray, instead of on the floor. While the earliest grease lamps were generally made of dried or fired clay, by the 1700s they were made of thin sheet metal (usually iron or tinplate). A small, pointed metal hook attached to a curved, metal strip on top enabled hands-free lighting, allowing the user to either push the point into a wall or wall beam, or simply hang the betty lamp from something like a window frame or a nail. This example was donated to Saratoga National Historical Park in November of 1943, and was given by a local resident, Daniel Wilbur. His farm was established along the northeastern side of the battlefield, roughly around the end of the war. (Catalog #SARA-154) 
Saratoga National Historical Park December 2012 "Tea, anyone?" Creamware was lead-glazed, cream-colored earthenware made in England. Widely exported after 1760, it's distinguished by a thin body and fine forms. Reconstructed from sherds excavated at a site on "the Summit" in the American entrenchments, this handleless tea cup with an impressed, beaded border near its rim may have been used by an American officer. Identical creamware tea cups and other tea wares have been found in military contexts of the 1770s at Fort Moultrie in South Carolina and Fort Michilimackinac in Michigan. (SARA-931) 
Side-by-side image of the three-page letter from Schuyler to Van Vechten. Saratoga National Historical Park November 2012 "Back Home" Handwritten in October 1776 by General Philip Schuyler at his Saratoga (Schuylerville) estate, this 3-page letter, addressed to Captain Samuel Van Vechten of the 4th New York Regiment, provides instructions regarding recruitment of American soldiers. One year later, on October 17, 1777, Schuyler would be standing on his Saratoga property, nearly all the buildings burned down by British forces. One month after that, by the end of November 1777, Schuyler rebuilt his country house, where it still stands today as part of Saratoga National Historical Park. Now, 235 years later, Schuyler's letter to Van Vechten has returned home, very recently purchased by Saratoga NHP for the park's museum collection. (SARA-28,066) PDF copy of transcript (60.3 kb) 
Saratoga National Historical Park October 2012 "Reflecting on History" Franklin D. Roosevelt had a personal interest in the history and preservation of Saratoga Battlefield. This scene was captured October 7, 1940, when he came to inspect possible sites for a visitor center. Here, a State Trooper speaks with Eleanor as FDR looks on, his intent expression reflected in the windshield. (SARA-22,073) 
Saratoga National Historical Park September 2012 "Preserving their history" We have seen the Olympics put on shows that trace the history of nations, but long before these performances a similar pageant took place at Saratoga Battlefield. In October 1927--85 years ago--in a large, involved pageant performed here, the proud people of Saratoga celebrated the rich history of this area, spanning from the Ice Age to Gen. Burgoyne's surrender after the Battle of Saratoga. They spent a great deal of time and effort making this event exciting and memorable, and they certainly succeeded. 
Saratoga National Historical Park August 2012 "Tea anyone?" New York State established Saratoga Battlefield as a historical site in 1927, and created a few buildings, including a "Period House". In 1929, Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt visited the park, and here is shown having tea, served by a "Colonial Dame". 
Saratoga National Historical Park July 2012 "Curiosity" It had seemed a mere novelty: a simple American soldier's brass coat button held onto a sliver of cloth by a thin twig, as the archeologist reported. But park exhibit research revealed more: an archeological excavation that uncovered the button had found it amid remains of a soldier, mortally wounded by a piece of grapeshot, also uncovered with the remains. Novelty melted into solemnity. (SARA-887) |
Did You Know?
Not all American soldiers during the Revolutionary War used dark blue uniforms trimmed with red. Some did, but a number of different colors were in use. Some of the German soldiers at the Battles of Saratoga also wore dark blue uniforms. Think it could be confusing sometimes?