The Clifton Park Center Baptist Meetinghouse to Be Demolished

I read, with great interest, the May 14, 2018 Daily Gazette article on 1837 Clifton Park Center Baptist Meetinghouse.  The building and the cemetery, were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004 because of their historic roles in the Clifton Park's religious heritage. 

I thought that the addition
of historic building to the
Register included efforts
to preserve it.






Sadly, I was wrong.

Preservation of buildings on the

National Register of Historic

Places is not mandatory.

Non-federal owners that are not using federal funds are allowed to demolish structures.

The back of the meetinghouse
& the cemetery.

The side of the building

Clifton Park Baptist Cemetery is on two sides of the meetinghouse.

The tarp that covers the
roof is shredded.







A quick glance at the gravestones shows that the cemetery dates back to the 1830s.

The building will be taken

down in June, but the

cemetery will remain.

The Landing Hotel in Schenectady: A Place to Lay Our Heads

Our motorhome must stay the night at Cummins in Colonie.  Eric reserved a room at The Landing Hotel after receiving an email with a great discount....  $69.00 for a $119.00 per night room.  It's a good thing we signed up for "Rivers Casino Cards" during a visit last year.

The Landing is part of

The Rivers Casino &

Resort on the Mohawk

River in Schenectady.

Sit & enjoy the river view...

Eric shows off our room.

I like the light above the 

couch & table.

Our room faces Erie Boulevard

& Mohawk Harbor apartments.

Eric brought a flash drive

loaded with Deep Space 9

episodes.

The sliding door is on

a tract, just like a 

sliding barn door.

The closet & the safe,

with extra bedding.

I pull the door to the right

to reveal  the bathroom.

The walk-in shower has

a glass wall instead of

a shower curtain.

Eric and I have everything we need for a comfortable stay here.

We found the king size bed to be very comfortable.  The pillows are heavy and dense, unlike what Eric and I are accustomed to, but that did not stop us from a getting good night's sleep.

Off-Roading Behind the Hannaford Supermarket in Glenville, New York

A frequent off-roading "playground"

 for Capital District Jeep Wrangler

is an area behind the Hannaford 

Supermarket in Glenville.

Eric and I slowly drove along behind the Hannaford Store and found the access road...






It is heavily rutted.

 We're going to be throwing

up some mud....

I see a visit to a Car Wash

in our near future.

Two roads diverged....

... into a gravel pit.

After we run around in the pit

for a while, it's time to take 

one of the trails out to

explore the rest of the area.

Our Jeep Wrangler climbs

the gravelly incline easily.

This couch is where the 

locals meet up.

One tract took us deep

into the woods. 

We cross the gravel pit...

As we round a big puddle,

I see signs of civilization.

Eric found the access road and we left Glenville's off-roading "playground." Our next stop is a Car Wash with an undercarriage cleaning option.

This Car Needs A LOT of Work in Saratoga Springs, New York

What have we got here?

Eric inspects the wreck of
a car on a flatbed trailer.

This is a 1960 Chevrolet

Impala.

I am fascinated by the damage
to this long neglected car.

I think that the car was "stored"

in an old barn or garage.

Had this car been stored
outside, I think fewer
details of the car would
be preserved.

I hope to see this Chevy, fully

restored, at a future Car Show.

Exploring Congress Park in Saratoga Springs, New York

During previous visits to Saratoga Springs, Eric and I have used Congress Park as a shortcut between destinations.  Today we are going to explore the park.




A shot from Broadway
looking East, into
Congress Park.







The marker Eric is standing near is the park's 2015 restoration marker.

I admire the blooming

shrubbery.

Spring is everywhere!

Purple Violets greet this
grey day.

This statue honors the men of

the 77th New York Volunteers

(Bemis Heights Battalion) of

the Army of the Potomac

1861 - 1865.

Monumental Bronze Company
in Bridgeport, Connecticut
was a top manufacturer of
Civil War memorials.

Differences were created to
differentiate Northern
monuments from Southern
ones.





In the early hours of Thursday, July 17, 2020, a Saratoga Springs Police Patrol found the statue had been toppled from its pedestal and destroyed.  An investigation is underway to find the vandals.

I admire the stone bench

with a railing behind it.

The statue & reflecting
pool are opposite the
bench.

The inscription reads above The Spirit of Life reads:

 To Spencer Trask 1884 - 1909

His one object in life was to do right & to
 serve his fellow men

He gave himself abundantly to hasten the coming

of a new & better day with which prophetic

 vision he foretold for Saratoga Springs

This memorial was commissioned in 1913 by Trask's widow, Katrina Trask, and his business partner, George Foster Peabody to commemorate the Industrialist's efforts to protect preserve the mineral springs in Saratoga Springs.  

This pond is a magnet

for ducks.

I admire this small fountain

near the pond.

The former Canfield Casino

is adjacent to Congress Park.

It houses the Saratoga Springs

Historical Museum.

The Casino and Congress Park were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.

Congress Spring was

discovered by Nicholas

Gilman in 1792.

Eric & me with the World War 

Memorial Pavilion in the 

background.

It was dedicated in 1931 by 

American Legion Auxiliary 

Unit 70.

The memorial to those who served

 in World War II was dedicated by

American Legion Adirondack Post

 No. 70,  Gurtler Brothers Post

No. 420 & Veterans of Foreign Wars

 Dominick Saldone Italian American

 Post No. 35

This memorial is dedicated to
the branches of the United
States Military & to those
who served.

Those who served & sacrificed in

the Afghanistan-Iraq War & the

Global War on Terror are honored.

Ornamental urns decorate
the Reservoir.

A fountain in yet another pond.

The Katrina Trask Memorial
Staircase leads to Holiday 
Inn Saratoga Springs.

Tulips bloom near the

enclosed Carousel.

I have to investigate the
trees on the left.

Something is being
propped up.

A groundskeeper is
mowing the lawn.

Eric looks at this tree,

growing at an absurd

angle.

I wonder if this small

tree has a history that

is being preserved.

Eric took this picture of me
near a HUGE tree stump.

I found out that the beloved
Willow Tree was taken
down on May 2nd.








A new Willow Tree was just planted near by.

Spit & Spat spray water

at each other in the

Italian Garden.

This is an interesting
installation...

Pan and The Maenads partially encircle the Sundial.

Eric and I agree that Congress Park is a serene haven in the middle of busy downtown Saratoga Springs.