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OCT

13

A Tale of Two Knox Commissions

Champlain Canal Region Gateway Visitor Center

October 13, 2026

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Saratoga 250 will host historian Ben Haley for a look at how Massachusetts and New York sought, jointly at first, to commemorate Henry Knox’s 1775–76 winter artillery trek. Haley, Director of the National Register of Historic Places program for Massachusetts, will examine how that early cooperation ultimately gave way to competing priorities and divergent interpretations.

A short film marking the 250th milestone of the bistate Henry Knox Noble Train of Artillery commemoration was produced and aired on regional PBS affiliates, community libraries, and was selected for the Ames IA Film Festival
Knox Trail

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In this richly illustrated program, Haley traces the creation of the Massachusetts and New York Knox commissions, the bodies responsible for installing the granite monuments that still mark the “Knox Trail” across both states. He will explore the surge of interest in Knox’s expedition during the 1920s, the political and cultural forces that shaped its commemoration, and the ambitions that led each state to assert stewardship over the story.

Haley will also examine how the commissions’ initial spirit of collaboration gave way to the practical challenges of coordinating a bi-state heritage initiative. The result is a closer look at how public memory is constructed, and how it can fracture.

An expanded essay on this topic will appear next year in the Historical Journal of Massachusetts.

This program is part of Saratoga 250’s ongoing series highlighting scholarship, commemoration, and community engagement leading up to the 250th anniversary of the Battles of Saratoga. The Gateway Visitor Center is free and wheelchair accessible.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Saratoga250 will have a presence at the Saratoga County Revolutionary Run for Veterans, a 5k run at Fort Hardy Park which benefits Saratoga County Veterans.

Watch history come alive at the 250th Battles of Saratoga Reenactment. Two days of live muskets and maneuvers, October 9–10, 2027 in Saratoga, NY.

Join the Turning Point Parade marking 250 years since the Surrender at Saratoga. October 17, 2027, 10am in Schuylerville, NY.

Using a variety of archival sources and research techniques, Saratoga National Historical Park Curator Christine Valosin will talk about six different women with ties to the Schuyler family or estate, illuminating little known stories of their lives during the turbulent years of the American War for Independence.

Published for the 250th anniversary of the United States, When the Declaration of Independence Was News focuses on the nation’s founding document at the moment of its creation in 1776, before anyone knew what the legacy of the Declaration would be or if the United States would win the war against Great Britain.

Americans generally assume that the surrender of Sir John Burgoyne to General Horatio Gates at Saratoga on 17 October 1777 caused France to openly enter the American War of Independence. The American leadership interpreted the defeat at Saratoga within their military and political needs. Saratoga was of great military importance, an immense morale booster and extensively used for propaganda purposes. But France’s decision to join the American rebels came after years of preparation and was by no means monocausal.

The role of African Americans, free and enslaved, in the regiments of the Continental Army is not well-known; neither is the fact that relatively large numbers served in southern regiments and that the greatest number served alongside their white comrades in integrated units. John Rees will discuss black soldiers’ acceptance, service, and experiences during and after the War for American Independence, focusing on those who served in Continental regiments. African American women with the army will also be featured.

      Keep America’s Turning Point Alive  icon-star-red

    Keep America’s Turning Point alive for generations to come by making a tax-deductible donation to the Campaign for Saratoga 250, Inc. Our certified 501c3 nonprofit organization is dedicated to promoting awareness, education, and preservation of critical assets of the Battles of Saratoga. Your support will help promote historical awareness of new generations of people across the region, nation, and globe.