1876 Independence Day

Happy Independence Day!

It sure has been a hot few days this past week - although the honor of having to melt the most goes to Troy with a record of 108 degrees Fahrenheit on July 22nd , 1926. But Waterford's record for July 4th seems to be pretty close to Troy's state record - 104 degrees Fahrenheit in 1911.

Moving past the heat, although that's hard to do since it's 96 degrees today, there are bound to be some festivities going on to celebrate the 242nd birthday of the country. Please make sure you stay safe! 

So if you're curious to read some local perspectives on how things were for the 100th anniversary, check out this found in collection item.

The Waterford Historical Museum and Cultural Center's  original mission at the time of its creation in 1964 was to preserve and education the history of Waterford, NY and its surrounding communities.

Which means that there are items from Cohoes, Troy, Lansignburgh, Saratoga, Halfmoon and other local-ish areas that were included in the early days of the museum's collection. Sometimes there are direct connections to Waterford....other times it's not so easy to determine. Today, the collections committee does its best to accept any potential new acquisitions based on the items' relevance to Waterford.

So occasionally there are items like this 24-page pamphlet titled, "Centennial Day: An Oration Delivered at Schaghticoke, N.Y. July the Fourth Eighteen Hundred and Seventy Six; The One Hundredth Anniversary of American Independence by Joseph Foster Knickerbocker"

  
Schaghticoke, like Waterford, has a connection to Revolutionary War history and so it is not surprising that for the hundredth anniversary there would be such an effort to have this commemorative ceremony.

Waterford also had a centennial anniversary celebration too, with one of the items from this event on display now in the current "Water & War: Waterford's Routes And Canals Through Conflict" exhibit.

It must have been a pretty hot day for this reenactor too - this  1876 reproduction of a 1776 uniform had some sweat stains on the inside. Aside from that and a little yellowing of the trim, this uniform is in good condition for you to take a look at when you visit.

You can also check out the WWI uniform that is also pictured here as well, as part of the exhibit acknowledging the 100 years since the end of WWI and the official opening of the Barge Canal in New York.

If you're interested in reading a little more of how our founding was looked at during this time, some local perspectives and other aspects of the day, you can read it below.