Saratoga Springs Diary

(7/26/06) Took about 1200 photos at Greenridge Cemetery

Day Two

(7/27/06) Rained out.

(7/28/06) More rain...but took 400 photos at Greenridge between downpours

Day Four

(7/29/06) 700 Photos at Greenridge, 85 photos at Vernam/Pratt Family Burial Grounds & 200 photos at the Warren County Home Cemetery/Potters Field

Day Five

(7/30/06) Photo transcription of Vernam/Pratt Family Burial Grounds & kayaking on Trout Lake with Bob, Lance & Hadley

Day Six

(7/31/06) Lake George at daybreak - 1020 photographs at Caldwell Cemetery & photo transcription of Warrensburg County Home Cemetery

Day Seven

(8/1/06) Pancake breakfast at the Lone Bull Restaurant. Kayaking again without the dogs. Mosquitoes, mosquitoes, mosquitoes. No internet access until evening. A transcription day.

Day Eight

(8/2/06) NY HEAT WAVE 96* in the shade!  No shady cemeteries...  A transcription day.

Day Nine

(8/3/06) Update website while listening to the Philadelphia Orchestra AM rehearsal with Maestro Dutoit.  86* at 10am.   When will this heat break so I can continue my work?  Found the most fantastic early 19th century cemetery in Saratoga Springs.  Stones from 1800-1840.  Hope to photograph tomorrow.

Day Ten

(8/4/06) Update website with Caldwell Cemetery additions.  Hopefully the weather will hold out for me to hit the terrific cemetery I found yesterday.  My fingers are crossed.

Day Eleven

(8/5/06) A quick run home here to NJ.  My little sister's (Dominique-we're 32 years apart in age)  birthday is tomorrow, so Bob & I have to go to Manassas to spend time with family :)  Good news!  Not only did I get over to South Side (AKA Whitford) Cemetery, I also found the Salmon & Ruth Munger Burial Site & an unbelievable early 19th century site under a railroad trestle!!  As soon as I finish transcribing Caldwell, I will be moving on to transcribing South Side.  The Munger page is now available.  :) 

Day Twelve

(8/6/06) Spent many hours in the car traveling to & from Virginia.  Couldn't resist beginning the transcription of Southside Cemetery, Saratoga Springs.  Although it is just begun, the Southside page is now available.

Day Thirteen

(8/9/06) Finally back in Saratoga Springs!  I stumbled upon a hill of stones in Greenfield just outside the Skidmore College campus.  I aim to return this afternoon... Hopefully, I'll be able to find it again even though there is no sign.  Southside Cemetery transcription is nearly complete.

Day Thirteen 

(8/10/06) I didn't make it to the Greenfield Cemetery today, but did photograph all of Rice Cemetery in South Glens Falls, Warren Co.  Beautiful.  I also stopped by the Bolton Landing Cemetery (West shore of Lake George), but my batteries were dead.  Oh, the irony.  I will probably photograph Bolton Landing tomorrow & Warrensburg Cemetery Saturday.

Day Fourteen

(8/11/06) A spectacular day on Lake George.  A high of 60* and sunny!  I made an unexpected stop today at Federal Hill Cemetery near the Sagamore Golf Course in Bolton.  I found it on a local map this morning and was pleasantly surprised to find it in A+ condition; a feat considering the age is circa 1799.  I was able to return to Bolton Landing after finishing Federal Hill Cemetery.  I photographed the southern half of the cemetery.  The northern half is much newer and the stones are in much less jeopardy.  I must say that both cemeteries were admirably maintained. I will photograph the north side the next time I am able to return.

Tomorrow I plan to stop at the little hill of stones I found in Greenfield on Wed.  Weather permitting, I will be stopping at St. James in Saratoga Springs for a few hours to photograph to very oldest stones.  Unfortunately, St. Peters has NO shade.  I will do my best.  I don't think I will be able to hit Warrensburg this trip, but I will make every attempt.

(8/12/06) I finally made my trek over to St. Peters Cemetery in Saratoga Springs. It has very old stones & many new stones.  I took about 600 photographs before my skin started to burn.  Since there's no shade, I will probably have to return in the late fall to complete the St. Peters project.

A good friend of mine took me to a little known cemetery in Milton, Saratoga Co. called The Factory Village Cemetery.  Small enough to complete in about an hour.  Maybe 100 stones or so.  It was surveyed in 1876 and at that time it had 400 stones.  I don't think there are there are nearly that many now.

It's about 5pm & I'm finally off to that little hill of stones in Greenfield.

(8/13/06) It turns out that the little hill of stones with no sign is called "Miller Cemetery."  Unfortunately, it appears to be abandoned and not protected in any way.  Many of the stones have fallen and are covered by leaves & creeping foliage.  I did my best to uncover all the stones I was able to find. 

We leave for home tomorrow.  I had planned to stop to photograph the Saratoga Battlefield Cemetery on our way out of town.  Weather permitting I will.  I come to Saratoga every summer, but this year has been hotter than any other I can remember.  Locations without protective shade are unbearable.  I was at St. Peters yesterday and it only took about 15 minutes before my skin started to burn.  I was forced to put on a sleeved shirt and continued for another 90 minutes before I was completely heat exhausted.  I will finish more of St. Peters the next time I return.

I went up to St. Cecilia's Cemetery in Warrensburg this morning, hoping to beat the heat.... but could not.  I lasted only 20 minutes before putting the camera away.  I have lost my heat stamina.  I fear tomorrow will be more of the same at the Saratoga Battle Field.  I hope anyone who was patiently waiting for information will forgive me if I am unable to do more photography my last day here.

As soon as the sun starts to set, I plan to go down to Lake Luzerne Cemetery to capture as many images as I can before I lose light.  My goal is to photograph to oldest parts of the cemetery first and then perhaps finish the next time I come to visit.

I should be happy with the 14 cemeteries I was able to photograph.  :)