The Experts Speak
There are many experts who have brought the past of Saratoga County to life. Officially, Saratoga County, City and Town Historians and librarians work to preserve and collect records, lead educational programming and support researchers, community. members and government work. The County's national, state and local historic sites are staffed by dedicated professionals and volunteers.
Community-based organizations and non-profits including the Saratoga County History Roundtable, MLK Saratoga and NDakinna offer additional expertise. So, too, do faculty and students at area colleges whose research (from the arts to the sciences, social sciences and humanities) helps recover the physical, oral, and documentary histories of the County.
In spring 2021, eleven students conducted nine interviews to tap into their expertise. These and many more who have lived in and studied the County have also recorded lectures and talks that enrich our understanding. Let us know if you've found additional resources!
The Experts
Anne Clothier.
Education Director, Brookside Museum
Rachel Clothier,
Town of Corinth Historian
Amy Godine,
Independent Scholar
Sean Kelleher,
Town of Schuylerville Historian
Ben Kemp
Operations Manager, Grant's Cottage
Paul Perreault
Town of Malta Historian
John Scherer
Town of Clifton Park Historian
Dr. Joe Bruchac, historian and storyteller of Greenfield Center, New York, shares his knowledge of northeastern Native American history, focusing specifically on the Mohawk, Mohican, and Abenaki peoples, whose true presence and influence on Saratoga County history has been obscured by politics and scholarship. Some key topics covered include Native involvement in the Revolutionary War (34:00), local industry (53:00), and transportation (41:00), as well a traditional Mohawk story about Saratoga Lake (21:00).
Anne Clothier is a historian who works as the Director of Education at the Brookside Museum, home of Saratoga County History Center in Ballston Spa. In this interview, she discussed maternal medicine, medical history, and its connection to the COVID-19 pandemic (Cholera, Chickenpox, Spanish Flu), and the role of women in establishing formal healthcare in the County. Listen to 1-6 (women's health) and 13-17 about spanish flu and Dr. Ralph Post, agriculture and butchering (23-29), and Native American history (30-36).
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Rachel Clothier, town historian of Corinth, NY, describes...
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Independent scholar Amy Godine....
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Sean Kelleher is the historian for the Town of Saratoga, which includes Schuylerville and Victory. He has been involved in historical reenactment for decades as a director, producer and participant, since America's Bicentennial Celebrations. He shares his thoughts on how reenactments tell smaller stories that books can miss (10:54), as well as insights into the possible development of the old Victory Mills into an apartment complex (32:01). He finishes by discussing the importance of waterways to understanding Saratoga's history as they were once the sources for power and transportation systems (54:28).
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Dr. Karen Kellogg, a professor of Environmental Science at Skidmore College, gives an interview detailing various water conflicts in Saratoga county. Go to 17:38 to hear about Loughberry Lake/ Drinking Water in the County, 26:23 for Commonwealth laws, 35:11 for Riverkeepers in the Hudson River (enviromental advocacy), 41:55 for Groundwater/ Urbanization, 52:37 for New York State Environmental Protections, and 56:12 for Gasification Plant/ Industry.
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Ben Kemp, director of Grant Cottage, discusses history of the towns of Corinth, Greenfield, and Schuylerville in Saratoga County, challenges and programming at the Cottage (in Wilton, NY), and reflects on the importance of telling stories of everyday life and 'regular people,' whatever their walk of life.
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Paul Perreault, historian of the town of Malta, gives a general overview of the town's history and its role in County history. Listen to 9:52 for a description of Malta's formation and foundation, 14:30 and 40:00 for discussion about the famous Malta Rocket Test Station, 32:00 for information about the community of Round Lake, 22:00 and 42:00 for depictions of the importances of the Luther Forest, and 19:43 for a fascinating little-told story about Elmer Ellsworth, the first Union officer killed in the Civil War, born in none other than Malta, New York.
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John Scherer.....
Rachel Clothier