Saratoga Springs History Museum
Encyclopedia
Saratoga Springs, New York
Saratoga Springs, also known as simply Saratoga, is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 26,586 at the 2010 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area. While the word "Saratoga" is known to be a corruption of a Native American name, ...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, USA, is located inside the historic Canfield Casino
Canfield Casino and Congress Park
Canfield Casino and Congress Park is a site in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. It was the site of the former Congress Spring Bottling Plant and the former Congress Hall, a large resort hotel, which together brought Saratoga Springs international fame as a health spa and gambling site...
. The Museum's collection focuses on the cultural history of Saratoga Springs and immediately surrounding communities.
The museum
The Saratoga Springs History Museum was founded in October 1883 as "The Historical Society of Saratoga, including the Upper Hudson, Lake George and Lake Champlain." The Museum has been located in the Casino, built in 1870, since 1911 and is open to visitors year round. Its large collection of historical documents, photographs, artworks and objects relating to the history of Saratoga Springs is open to researchers and the general public. The Museum's permanent collection is augmented by temporary exhibits. Currently, the Museum is showing exhibits on historic and couture fashions and costumes, and the destructive fires that have shaped the city's history.The Museum encompasses the Bolster Collection of historic photographs from the 19th and 20th centuries and the Walworth Memorial Museum, objects and records from the family of Reuben Hyde Walworth.
Archival collections
The George S. Bolster Collection encompasses 375,000 negatives of photographs taken in and around the city of Saratoga Springs from 1855–1980 by a succession of commercial photographers. About three-quarters of the collection is the work of 20th century photographer George Bolster, with the rest culled from the work of Harry B. Settle, Jesse S. Wooley, Gustave Lorey, Seneca Ray Stoddard, C.C. Cook, and H.C. Ashby.The Beatrice Sweeney Archive contains thousands of documents and business records such as the Caffè Lena
Caffè Lena
Located in Saratoga Springs, New York, Caffè Lena is the oldest continually running coffee house in the United States. Founded in 1960 by Bill and Lena Spencer, it features acoustic concerts and cultural events showcasing folk music, traditional music, and singer-songwriters of a wide range...
papers.
The Museum's holdings also include items from the George S. Batcheller Collection. George Batcheller (1837-1908) was a lawyer, diplomat, judge and politician whose career included serving in the New York State Assembly and as United States Ambassador to Portugal
United States Ambassador to Portugal
This is a list of Ambassadors of the United States to Portugal.Bilateral diplomatic relations between the United States and Portugal date from the earliest years of the United States. Following the Revolutionary War, Portugal was the first neutral country to recognize the United States. On February...
from 1890-92. His mansion overlooking Congress Park has been restored, and some of his belongings are on display in the History Museum.
Walworth Memorial Museum
Seven rooms in the Museum are devoted to the history of the Walworths, one of the most prominent families in 19th century New York. Patriarch Reuben Hyde Walworth (1788–1867) served as ChancellorChancellor
Chancellor is the title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the Cancellarii of Roman courts of justice—ushers who sat at the cancelli or lattice work screens of a basilica or law court, which separated the judge and counsel from the...
of the State of New York from 1828 until the post was abolished in 1848. That same year he ran unsuccessfully for governor. His son Clarence Augustus Walworth
Clarence A. Walworth
Clarence Augustus Walworth was an American attorney, writer, ordained Roman Catholic priest, and missionary. Walworth was a well regarded writer who published numerous works related to the Roman Catholic Church.-Life:...
(1820–1900) was a Catholic Redemptorist priest and his daughter in law Ellen Hardin Walworth
Ellen Hardin Walworth
Ellen Hardin Walworth was an American author, lawyer, and activist who was a passionate advocate for the importance of studying history and historic preservation. Walworth was one of the founders of the Daughters of the American Revolution and was the organization's first secretary general...
(1832–1915) was a co-founder of the Daughters of the American Revolution
Daughters of the American Revolution
The Daughters of the American Revolution is a lineage-based membership organization for women who are descended from a person involved in United States' independence....
.
Further reading
The Walworth family's history is told in: The Fall of the House of Walworth: A Tale of Madness and Murder in Gilded Age America by Geoffrey O'BrienGeoffrey O'Brien
Geoffrey O'Brien is an American poet, editor, book and film critic, translator, and cultural historian. In 1992, he joined the staff of the Library of America as Executive Editor, becoming Editor-in-Chief in 1998.-Biography:...
, Henry Holt and Co., 2010 (ISBN 978-0-8050-8115-2).