Historical Sites from the Battle of Saratoga :: History Saratoga

The Blockhouse was built in the late 1920's to serve as a visitor's center for the Historical Park which was then owned and operated by New York state and was located near where the Nielson House still stands today. It is said that the Blockhouse was built using lumber from barns and other structures that were present during the Battles of Saratoga. In 1938 the Battlefield became a National Historical Park and eventually a new visitor's center was built. The Blockhouse was then removed from the National Historical Park in the early 1960's and was relocated to a plot of land on Route 32 across the street from it's original location. After many years of discussion the Blockhouse was finally moved to a location on the river on Routes 4 and 32 in the Village of Stillwater. (W. Valosin, personal communication, May 5, 2002). It currently serves as a Visitor's Center and a Museum containing artifacts from the history of Stillwater, NY. The Saratoga Monument was built to commemorate the victory of the Battles of Saratoga. Construction began on October 17, 1877, which marked the 100th Anniversary of the surrender of General Burgoyne, and was completed after 10 years of construction (W. Valosin, personal communication, May 5, 2001). The structure can be seen before you enter the Village as it stands nearly 155 feet tall and contains 184 stairs ("Saratoga Monument", 2001) that lead to an observation level from which you can see the entire Village of Schuylerville. Over the years there have been many structural concerns, due to water damage, which had caused the Monument to be closed to the public on two different occasions. The first time was in 1970 where it remained closed until it reopened in the summer of 1981 after extensive repairs. Unfortunately there were again structural concerns, due to moisture, and the National Park service, which now owns the building, was forced to close the historical site once again in 1987. Now, after inspection has shown that it is structurally safe and it has been under repair for internal damage for more than three years, the Monument is scheduled to be reopened to the public May 25, 2002. ("Saratoga Monument", 2001). John Nielson built his house in 1775 or 1776, where he and his wife lived until they learned that General Burgoyne and his British troops were headed to the area in September of 1777. The American Army had set up Fortifications to wait for the British Army to arrive and used the Nielson House as a mid-level headquarters.