The American Battlefield Trust has transferred 25.6 historic acres to the National Park Service (NPS) for permanent care and stewardship, allowing the Saratoga National Historical Park to deepen its interpretive offerings, particularly related to the siege that occurred between the opening and concluding battles of the month-long engagement known as the Battles of Saratoga.
Saratoga, considered by historians to be the turning point of the Revolutionary War, saw the first-ever surrender of a British field army, which helped to seal the alliance between the new American nation and France.
“The American Battlefield Trust has committed itself to protecting 2,500 acres of important Revolutionary War battlefield land by the conclusion of the conflict’s 250th anniversary,” said Trust President David Duncan.
From initial discussions with landowners until transfer of properties to NPS, preservation can be a lengthy process, and the journey for these two parcels began as far back as 2018. Since completing the purchase of these properties, the Trust has acted as their steward; a 2021 adjustment to the park’s boundary cleared the way for the land to become federally owned.
The land sits on the heights overlooking the Fish Kill and, containing a majority of the American artillery emplacements, represented the central segment of the siege line between the fighting for Bemis Heights and the ultimate surrender of the British Army.
It also served as the staging area for the October 11 attempt to attack British positions, although the American attack force was recalled while crossing the Hudson River.
The land transfer is just one way that the Saratoga region is marking the month of the battle’s anniversary. The American Revolution Experience, a collaborative project of the American Battlefield Trust and the Daughters of the American Revolution, will be on display at the Champlain Canal Regional Gateway Visitor Center at Hudson Crossing Park in Schuylerville, NY, from October 13-28, 2024.
The pop-up exhibition includes display panels and interactive digital kiosks that use storytelling, illustration, technology and unique artifacts and primary accounts to connect modern audiences with the people and places that shaped the birth of the United States.
Begun as a grassroots organization started by historians nearly 40 years ago, the American Battlefield Trust has grown into one of the most successful land preservation and education organizations in the nation.
The Trust has protected nearly 60,000 acres associated with the Revolutionary War, War of 1812 and Civil War, representing 160 sites in 25 states from Massachusetts to New Mexico. You can learn more at www.battlefields.org.
Photo: Saratoga National Historical Park staff, American Battlefield Trust, National Park Service and local officials along with volunteers and supporters celebrate the land transfer (photo provided by American Battlefield Trust).
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