Parcel added to park
Historic site gains 170 acres
STILLWATER, N.Y. >> A 170acre parcel has been added to the northeast part of Saratoga National Historical Park where the 1777 Battles of Saratoga were fought.
The property, once under threat of development, was protected with funding secured through the Land and Water Conservation Fund and was transferred to the park by the Open Space Institute.
“The vision of OSI and the private landowner to conserve this sacred ground, a key site of the Revolutionary War, ensures the protection of this historical property in perpetuity,” said Amy Bracewell, park superintendent.
In September 1777, this parcel was surrounded by the British army to the north and the American army to the south. When the British broke camp and advanced upon the American positions, they crossed over this terrain to begin the first battle in this area, the battle at Freeman’s Farm.
A road cut diagonally across this parcel and a fortification was built on the hilltop to block the road.
After the second battle at Saratoga, concentrated along the bluffs, the British withdrew and retreated to modern day Schuylerville. On the bluffs of the parcel, is a cemetery dating back to the 18th century.
“The battles fought over these lands ushered in the turning point of the American Revolution,” said Stillwater Supervisor Edward D. Kinowski. “The OSI transfer of the parcel to the National Park Service is a welcome addition to the prominence this park and area of Saratoga County offers to all Americans.”
Saratoga County is one of the fastest growing counties in New York and development pressures increasingly threaten farmland and undisturbed wooded areas. For more than two decades, OSI has worked in this Saratoga County landscape to protect the historic site, its viewshed, and the important farmland that has supported its community for hundreds of years.
Since 1997, OSI has protected 2,700 acres within the Saratoga Battlefield viewshed.
The Land and Water Conservation Fund is a dedicated funding stream to protect America’s irreplaceable recreational, natural, historic, cultural, and outdoor landmarks using proceeds generated by offshore oil and gas drilling leases. Over the decades, this fund has made significant impacts on landscapes across the nation creating national, state, and local parks; protecting wilderness areas; supporting conservationbased timber practices; promoting a range of recreational activities, including fishing, camping, hiking, and biking.
Locally, this fund has been critical to the protection and enhancement of such popular destinations as John Boyd Thacher, Saratoga Spa and Grafton Lakes state parks.
In addition to its work at the historical park, the OSI is working with state and local leaders to develop a trail corridor and protect critical wildlife habitat between Saratoga Spa and Moreau Lake state parks.