Marshall House tours planned Saturday

SCHUYLERVILLE, N.Y. >> The Marshall House, one of the area’s most notable Revolutionary War-era structures, will be open for public tours from 2-6 p.m. Saturday.

Built alongside the Hudson River in the early 1770s, the farmhouse gave refuge to a large group of women, children, and wounded soldiers trying to flee the area after the British rout at the Battles of Saratoga.

Pinned down by enemy fire for days with little food or water, the party

endured a terrifying ordeal of cold, hunger, and thirst until the surrender of British

General John Burgoyne in October 1777 put an end to the hostilities.

Visitors will experience these events through the eyes of the Baroness Frederika Riedesel, the young wife of a German general fighting under Burgoyne, who sheltered in the house’s cellar with her three children as cannonballs crashed through the rooms overhead and the wounded all around them cried out in pain.

The courageous baroness promptly took charge of the situation. She organized a group to clean the foulsmelling cellar, separated the women and children and the wounded into different areas, and sought volunteers to brave sniper fire and fetch water from the river.

The open house will include:

• Touring a rare surviving example of Revolutionary War-era architecture.

Guests may walk on the structure’s original wood floor

where blood stains can still be

See and see the cellar where the baroness and her children took cover.

• View cannonballs and other artifacts found on the property, as well

as 19th century books with engravings and descriptions of The Marshall House as a Revolutionary War landmark.

• See a dramatic historical interpretation of the Baroness Riedesel’s harrowing experience. Local actress Debbie Bailey will give her

acclaimed performance of a young aristocrat and mother fighting to protect

her family and those around her under extreme conditions. Performances at

2 p.m., 3 p.m., 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Reservations required. Call (518) 695-3765.

There is a suggested $10 donation; children free.