Saratoga National Historical Park
“The Battlefield” is operated by the U.S. Department of the Interior and is one of over 390 parks in the National Park System.
One of the most decisive victories in American and world history was fought at the Saratoga Battlefield. A must-see for visitors and locals alike, the Visitor Center offers an informative orientation film, a 15-minute fiber-optic battlefield map, exhibits, maps & brochures and a gift shop. In addition, guided tours and self-guided tours of the park are available.
The ten-mile tour road is open from early April to November 30th, weather permitting.
Call the Saratoga National Park at (518) 670-2985 for hours of operation. Admission is free.
Saratoga National Historical Park
648 Route 32
Stillwater, NY 12170
(518) 670-2985
www.nps.gov/sara
Saratoga Monument
The Monument, which features Gothic and Egyptian styled elements, is a rock-faced granite obelisk that stands 154 1/2 feet (49 meters). Aptly located in the Village of Victory, the Monument is situated on a high bluff upon the grounds of Burgoyne’s last camp and overlooks the scenic Hudson Valley. The cornerstone was laid on the 100th Anniversary of the American victory at the Battle of Saratoga.
Saratoga Monument is administered by the National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior. It is one of four sites that comprise the Saratoga National Historical Park.
Saratoga Monument
79-99 Burgoyne St
Schuylerville, NY 12871
(518) 670-2985
www.nps.gov/sara/photosmultimedia/saratoga-monument-virtual-tour.htm
Grant Cottage State Historic Site
Enter the Victorian world once again at the final residence of Ulysses S. Grant.
“When Grant gets possession of a place, he holds on to it as if he inherited it,” Abraham Lincoln said of his great General. Grant’s spirit is still in the cottage at Mount McGregor. Visitors to the Cottage enter the Victorian world just as it was for Grant. The items Grant used – his chair, bed, nightclothes and other personal effects – are just as they were when he died.
Fighting pain, weakness and time, Grant raced death in order to complete his memoirs, knowing that they could provide financial security for his impoverished family. His friend, Mark Twain had agreed to publish them, and in fact visited grant at the Cottage to discuss the book’s progress. On July 23rd, 1885, Grant, surrounded by his family, died in this secluded cottage only a few days after completing his memoirs.
Just a few miles north of Saratoga Springs, Grant Cottage is an important piece of American history.
U.S. Grant Cottage State Historic Site
1000 Mt. McGregor Road
Wilton, NY 12831
(518) 584-4353
www.grantcottage.org
Yaddo
The Yaddo gardens were a gift in 1899 from financier Spencer Trask to his wife Katrina, a poet and playwright. In 1900, when the Trasks determined that their estate should become a haven for creative artists, they stipulated that the gardens should remain open to the public free of charge, even after the bulk of the more than 4000 acre estate was converted to an artist’s working community in 1926. Their wish has been honored and the gardens, which comprise approximately 10 acres of the property, now attract some 45,000 visitors each year.
The Yaddo Mansion, completed in 1893 and home to many of the more than 200 artists who annually enjoy the gift of uninterrupted time to work at Yaddo, can be viewed from the gardens but is not open to the public.
The Yaddo Gardens include a formal rose garden based on Italian classical gardens the Trasks had seen on trips abroad, and an informal rock garden with a focus on indigenous landscape. Statuary, fountains and a 180-foot long pergola decorate the landscape.
Self-guided and docent-led tours for private groups are available.
Yaddo Gardens
312 Union Avenue
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
(518) 584-0746
Gideon Putnam Burying Ground
The Gideon Putnam Burying Ground, located on South Franklin Street on Saratoga’s west side, contains over 150 graves from the early and mid-19th century. It was restored in the 1980s after suffering almost a century of neglect. This plot of land has the distinction of being the only land in the city that has been continuously used for the same purpose since it was set aside as a cemetery in 1810. Gideon Putnam donated the land (then located on the outskirts of the village) for public use. Through the mid-1840s this site was the principal burying ground in the city.
Gideon Putnam, an entrepreneur and visionary, constructed the first building called Putnam’s Tavern and Boarding House, in what was then referred to as the “lower village”.
In addition, he laid out Broadway to its current proportions so that it would enable him to turn his lumber cart around as needed.
Our very first “real estate developer,” Gideon Putnam carved many of the existing side streets and was working on a second resort hotel when he fell from the scaffolding. Ironically, he was the first person to be laid to rest in the cemetery and his grave is the only existing remnant of his presence in the city he founded.
Entry to the cemetery may be arranged by contacting the City of Saratoga Springs at: (518) 587-3550 or www.saratoga-springs.org
Gideon Putnam Cemetery
Franklin Street
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
(518) 587-3550
Greenridge Cemetery
The Greenridge Cemetery, on Lincoln Avenue, was consecrated in June of 1844. Beautifully landscaped, with winding streets and pathways, it became the primary cemetery in for city of Saratoga Springs. Many families opted to move the remains of loved ones from the Gideon Burial Ground to the Greenridge Cemetery.
The original eleven acres, owned by Mary Avery, the widow of a Revolutionary War veteran, was on the outskirts of the village at that time. With space for 3000 graves, it was expected to be adequate for many years to come. However, by 1880, all available plots had been purchased, and the cemetery needed more acreage. It has expanded twice since then and is the largest cemetery in the city.
The graves of Native Americans, pioneers, entrepreneurs, African Americans, merchants and statesmen are mingled throughout. Some headstones predate the cemetery’s 1844 opening, because relatives moved remains of loved ones to the new site. The northeast corner was originally the Catholic section; “Potters Field” for indigents was situated at the southern boundary. About 20 Native Americans from the St. Regis tribe are said to be buried at Greenridge, but their graves are unmarked as was their custom.
The gravestones and monuments in Greenridge represent many styles. Willows, urns, clasped hands and drapery are frequent themes found on the older stones. Decorative cast iron fences still surround some family plots although many of their gates have been stolen. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, family mausoleums became popular with the upper class, and there are several fine examples. Some of the most exquisite statuary in the city can be found on this site.
Tours of the Greenridge Cemetery are conducted by the Preservation Society in the summer months and additional tours may be scheduled through the Visitor Center by calling 587-3241.
Greenridge Cemetery
17 Greenridge Place
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
(518) 584-5572