August 5
WiFi is slow at tonight’s hotel, and it is late… so, will add comments tomorrow from Maine.
Much better here in Ellsworth, ME. Martin Van Buren is of Dutch ancestry. But he came into this world just after we had won freedom from Great Britain. Therefore, he is the first U.S. President born as an American. His parents lived in Kinderhook. He became a law clerk at the age of 14. From there he rose through political ranks to eventually being Vice President under Andrew Jackson and then the 8th President, after Jackson had held the office for two terms. He and Jackson did not agree on the forced relocation of American Indians. Today this is considered a major stain on Jackson’s presidency. Van Buren only served one term, and in 1839 came back to Kinderhook to buy a large home with 30+ rooms, which today is open for visitors to tour. He named it Lindenwald. The home was used as a base of operations for 1844 and 1848 Presidential runs. But Van Buren never again became President. Though people today do not give much thought of Van Buren, in the first 50 years of the 19th century, he was integral in our country’s operations. His ideas resulted in the “Political Party System” which we live with today.
Just before our tour began a couple of bald eagles appeared above the group. Seemed there was more interest in following their flight than of getting into the house. But we shuffled on in. The NPS has made it easy to see the demarcation line between the original house structure and the addition which Van Buren’s son built. The tall tower one sees in photos of the house is from the addition. Visitors are not allowed to climb to the top, but one can look straight up from the bottom floor, counting the number of staircase floors to reach the peak. Wallpaper on the first floor is original to 1839. Van Buren spared no expense in making the house upscale. Most of the furnishings in the home are original to Van Buren and his family, including the bed on which he laid when he died in 1862. The bathtub which Van Buren used is still in the bathroom. He had installed indoor plumbing so water could be sent up to the bathroom. Granted, it was only cold water, but still, what a treasure for the time. Hot water still had to be walked up the staircase, bucket by bucket, or could be obtained from a nearby fireplace. The basement has the kitchen, laundry, and storage. A bell system enabled the workers in the basement to know who in the house was calling for their assistance.
About 50 yards in front of the house is the old Post Road. This was the main thoroughfare between Albany and New York City. Pretty smart to buy a property with this location.
About one hour north is the battlefield of Saratoga. This was one of the turning points for the American Revolution. A British force from Canada had come south along the Hudson River. On September 19, 1777, they met the Americans at Freeman’s Farm. The Continentals were defeated by the numbers, but they had halted the British advance. This led to the October 7 battle in which Major General Gates decisively defeated General Burgoyne’s Redcoats, securing the first-ever surrender of a British Army across the centuries of British wars.
The 10-stop auto-tour rolls over the hills and down into the valleys which make up the battlefield (plenty of trees and brush have grown over the land in 240+ years). The first part goes to the American fortification lines, with the latter part being in the British lines. There are only a few monuments and cannons at the stops. I saw more people hiking and jogging than I did riding in cars and stopping at the parking lots. It is not one of the more heavily visited park units. But it should be since if it had not been for the American soldiers those two days, along with their brethren at Fort Stanwix to the west, we might not today have a United States of America. Eight miles to the north one can visit the Surrender Site, as well as the home of American General Philip Schuyler. He and Thaddeus Kosciuszko were the primary persons who designed and prepared the Saratoga defenses.
Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP is located in the woods north of Woodstock, VT. I met Paul (the husband of Elizabeth’s cousin Cheryl) at the front of the park’s Carriage House, which was converted into the Visitor Center. Horses are still allowed to be used on trails in the park, but they can no longer hang out at the Carriage House. One feature easily noticed are the nice carriage trails around the park and Mount Tom, the high point in the park. This has the makings of the Rockefeller family. That group loved carriages and taking rides. The Mountain Road trail took us to The Pogue and The Pogue Loop trail. The Pogue is 14-acres in size. The park is adjacent to the Billings Farm and Museum, an entity separate from the NPS (and a working dairy farm). Frederick Billings was the second owner of the mansion which is on the NPS property… environmentalist George Marsh was the first, and Lawrence Rockefeller was the last, before donating the land to the NPS.
MBR NHP is the only national park dedicated to telling the story of conservation history. Mount Tom and surrounding hillsides had been striped bare of wood in the 19th century. Long and arduous efforts by the three men resulted in the area being reborn. White Pines, Sugar Maples, Norway Spruces, Scotch Pines, Red Pines, and European Larches are all over the place. There were plenty of visitors hiking on the trails. There must be something about citizens up here in the Northeast and their love of the outdoors; great to see.
Dinner was at The Worthy Kitchen in Woodstock, per Paul’s recommendation. The Smash Burgers were awesome. If anyone wants to have a few days of relaxing enjoyment with quaint shops, fun restaurants, and beautiful outdoors, Woodstock is the place to check out. And remember, this is 1760 time frame, so no modern look here, it is more colonial in style. No McDonalds or WalMarts for miles around.