Schuylerville residents celebrated the “turning point” of the American Revolution on Thursday, almost 250 years later.
October 17th marks “Surrender Day” in the Saratoga County village. British General John Burgoyne led his troops to surrender against the Continental Army in 1777.
It ended the British attempt to control the Hudson River Valley and the victory secured French support of the colonies.
“So, it was a day like this in 1777. The British had a horrible stay in Saratoga. It was a week of wet. They were cold, they were miserable, they didn’t have enough supplies so they were hungry. They described horses going around looking like living skeletons. And then today is similar because on October 17th, 1777, it was a bright, sunny day,” said Sean Kelleher.
Town of Saratoga historian Sean Kelleher is wearing a blue and white cotton coat and tricorn hat — dressed as American General Horatio Gates.
He’s standing on the bank of Fort Hardy Park and the morning fog is still lifting off the Hudson behind him.
“It’s very special because this is how we build stewards for our community. The Battle of Saratoga is considered the ‘turning point’ of the American Revolution. It’s one of the most significant battles in American history. But, as Americans what makes it really important is that the Declaration of Independence was just words on a piece of paper until it was made a great fact here at Saratoga where for the first time a complete British Army surrendered. So, it’s great that we’re celebrating this in this community, and our plans are just to improve the celebrations especially as we head toward our 250th anniversary,” said Kelleher.
The Capital Region and the Northeast at large are planning for an increase in heritage tourism as the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution approaches.
The nearby Saratoga National Historical Park drew more than 100,000 visitors in 2023, and county leaders continue to fund 250th anniversary initiatives.
Groups of students are walking from the Schuylerville Central School just down the road. Saratoga County Historian Lauren Roberts wants to expand today’s program to more schools.
“It’s an experience. It’s being on the ground where history happened, it’s out of the classroom, it’s looking at the Hudson River behind you and knowing that a really important world event happened here. So, if you can impress upon kids at a young age: it’s here because people that came before them have preserved it and that’s what we want to impress upon them that not it’s our turn and the legacy continues. Depending on how they feel and how they treat their history, if they’re proud of where they’re from and what happened here, if they continue to tell the stories and learn more about it, then it helps history going forward,” said Roberts.
The program includes speeches from local officials and students, 13 apple cider toasts, a reenactment of the surrender,
“He returned my sword but he’s keeping my army,” said Bruce Venter.
And a live cannon.
It’s one of teacher Peter Carner’s favorite days of the year. He’s a history buff.
“I was going to say the kids love the cannon, obviously, but for these guys in seeing the people that reenact in their attire, having the kids come in with the muskets really puts it into perspective and puts it real for them. So, it’s not just something they read about in books, they’re seeing it and talking to the people so, that makes it real life. It’s very easy to teach fourth grade history in Schuylerville,” said Carner.
His students have a harder time picking their favorite part of the morning.
The Campaign for Saratoga 250 is unveiling an educational kiosk at Trieble Park in Ballston Spa October 26th.
