I enjoy taking my son to different parks and playgrounds at various locations. We like to adventure and see new places. One park that he enjoys is one we visit often, Fort Hardy Park. It has a playground, baseball fields, basketball courts, and not to mention various events throughout the year that are held by the town of Schuylerville. It’s a quaint and peaceful park for any family to enjoy.
Although, it wasn’t always a beautiful, serene atmosphere. In fact, it is the very site where the British surrendered to the Americans after the Battle of Saratoga.
British General John Burgoyne attacked the American troops on October 7, 1777. Although he hailed a minor victory weeks prior to this attack, he was over confident in his depleted troops and was forced to retreat. The British suffered 600 casualties whereas the Americans lost 150. Ten days later, the British General surrendered to Horatio Gates and Benedict Arnold, the Generals who led the Americans during the battle. This became a major turning point in the Revolutionary War and was the deciding factor for the French government’s alliance.
It’s amazing the history that scatters the globe. Where good men have died, children can now play. Where troops marched along the river to prepare for battle, people now gather to watch parades go by. Where forces invaded and tried to overtake us, we now live peacefully side by side as neighbors.
It’s a little late for Veteran’s Day and a little early for Thanksgiving but this post ties into both. So many men and women have made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that I can live freely with my family and I am eternally grateful.
Are there any parks you visit that have a bit of history? Share your story in the comments below. Thanks for checking in this week!
Until next time,
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter the words, but to live by them.” ~John F. Kennedy
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sources: History.com , HistoryPlace.com
I am excited to say that this week marks my one year anniversary from when I started my blog! I am very proud of my consistency and tenacity to keep up with it! It’s thrilling that I can share my work of all kinds with anyone who cares to take a gander. My drawings, photography, writing, paintings, all of it in one giant collection. It feels like the “Chronicles of Free Spirit Meg”. It keeps me focused and keeps me working even when I’m in a slump. This blog has helped me really see things, to pay attention to details even more so than I already did. There is always more to learn and because of that reason I feel like my blog will live on forever. Or at least until I die or blogging is replaced with the next big best thing!
I drove further up the road from the other spectators and got a look at the rainbow through an old cemetery nearby, one of which I have photographed before. The rainbow seemed to appear from behind one of the headstones (perhaps a message from beyond the grave). It was difficult to make out the name on the stone so I will have to do some digging and figure out whose it is. At the time, I was trying to get as many pictures as I could before the sun disappeared, taking the rainbow with it. I scrambled with my camera, attaching the lens and getting the proper filter on in a flash. I snapped the image of the headstone and climbed up the hill to get a landscape shot. I got about six pictures and once again, my inability to charge my battery after every use had gotten the best of me. My camera died. D@mn! At least I am lucky enough to live in the age of smartphones. I snapped the remaining images with my phone.
