Tuesday, September 21, 2010

9/11 in Stillwater, NY

Stillwater, NY doesn't get any respect.

The battle of Saratoga, which many historians believe was the turning point of of the Revolutionary War, was fought close to the village of Stillwater, NY, which back "when" was called.....Saratoga.  Not to be confused with the present day Saratoga, this small village is steeped in history and I highly recommend a visit.  From the French and Indian War, through the Revolutionary War, to.....9/11?

I have to tell one more 9/11 story.  Due to rain making us change our plans, we ended up in Stillwater, NY, visiting a structure called the Blockhouse.  We had a wonderful conversation with two women staffing the Blockhouse, one of them being the town historian of Stillwater.  The other explained what a Blockhouse was, the historical origins of all the wood used in the structure, and showed us exhibits: on one wall, the French and Indian War, on another war the Revolution, on the third wall the Civil War.  But what caught my eye was a large American flag.  On the stripes portion, many names were printed.

It was a flag displaying the name of everyone who died on 9/11.  Two names were highlighted with a tiny frame.  I asked, were these people local?

Yes.  One of them was a woman the staffer grew up with.  She briefly shared her "9/11" story and told me about the 9/11 commemoration the village had just celebrated., I sometimes wonder that people from all over the country (and, as we know, the world) died on that day. This special village indeed had absorbed the lessons of 9/11/01.

I will have some photos on my computer the next time I post, and will write more about the Saratoga area soon.

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