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Saratoga Springs Heritage
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| Our
city and its leaders are committed to creating an inclusive community.
Each year, the Saratoga Springs Visitor Center and Heritage Area
sponsors activities and programs that honor our heritage and
diversity. Saratoga Springs has a heritage that encompasses Native
Americans, African Americans, Irish and Italian immigrants, and
many more. |
| Skidmore College is a significant part of the city's heritage. Skidmore now has a flourishing campus at the north end of the city, just off North Broadway. But originally, Skidmore College was located at the opposite end of Union Avenue from the Saratoga Race Course. For a map of the original campus, go to http://www.skidmore.edu/centennial/old_campus_map.htm |
| In 1869 Charles F. Dowd, principal of of the Temple Grove Ladies Seminary in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., was the first in the U.S. to propose the use of time zones, within which all localities would keep the same time. His idea was to improve the scheduling of trains. In 1869, he presented his idea to a committee of railway superintendents in New York. As a result, in 1870 he published a pamphlet entitled "A System of National Time for Railroads." There is a monument dedicated to Dowd behind the Adirondack Trust building at the corner of Broadway and Church St. |
Sister Cities
Chekhov, Russia
Waveland, Mississippi – In the fall of 2005, Saratoga Springs decided to help out the people of Waveland in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina |
The City's People
Saratoga Springs has a rich cultural heritage, starting with the Iroquois Indians. African-Americans
came for the summer season to work in the hotels; some settled
in the village. Carole Ione's book Pride of Family provides a memoir of several generations of one African American family that settled in Saratoga Springs. During the 1840's, the Irish population increased
dramatically, forming in a cohesive neighborhood, known as Dublin,
on the West side of the town. In the 1880's, Italians arrived,
drawn by railroad jobs, but many established small businesses
including barbershops, shoe-shops and grocery stores. There were
few Jewish residents in the 1800's, but by 1910 there were about
25 families, and a synagogue was being planned. Many Jewish residents
engaged in operating boarding houses and small hotels to accommodate
hundreds of Jews who traveled from New York City to partake of
the waters. |
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Solomon Northrup descendents with former mayor Mike O'Connell. |
Solomon Northrup
Solomon
Northup was born a free man in Minerva, New York, July 1808.
Solomon was a literate man who worked on the Champlain Canal,
was a carpenter and inventor. While working as a cabbie and violinist
in Saratoga Springs, he was abducted in 1841, held in a slave
pen in Washington, DC, and sold into slavery in Louisiana for
12 years, where he served three masters, before regaining his
freedom. Through the efforts of Samuel Bass, a Canadian, and
both black and white citizens of New York and Louisiana, his
freedom was restored in 1853, after which he returned to Saratoga
Springs. Citizens of Saratoga Springs and surrounding areas were
instrumental in arranging for Solomon's release and return to
Saratoga.
Mr.
Northup published his autobiography, Twelve Years a Slave,
in 1853 about his ordeal. It is believed he traveled throughout
the region selling his book and speaking out against slavery
and was himself an abolitionist. Although Mr. Northup sought
to bring his captors to trial, they were never prosecuted and
he mysteriously disappeared. To date, his burial site has not
been identified and it is not known whether or not he was killed,
re-captured, or died of natural causes.
In 1999, in recognition of his ordeal and that of other African-Americans,
July 24th was declared Solomon Northup Day in Saratoga Springs,
New York. An historical marker was placed at the corner of Congress
and Broadway along with an exhibit panel inside the Visitor Center
commemorating Mr. Northup's life.
At
the ceremony dedicating the historical marker, a number of speakers
from the community, including clergy and elected officials participated.
Also participating were Northup descendants from four states,
including matriarch Victoria Northup Linzy Dunham, age 90. Northup,
an accomplished violinist, carpenter and writer, published his
autobiography entitled Twelve Years a Slave. |
| The
annual Solomon Northup Day is held the third Saturday in July at the Saratoga Springs Visitor Center. |
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