Stillwater

Title: "Place of the Still Waters"
Author: Leigh Hornbeck
Publisher: Times Union
Date: 2/25/2009

Linda Sanders in Stillwater is the latest local historian to add her expertise to the "Images of America" series. Arcadia Publishing will release Sanders' book, "Stillwater," next week. For Linda, it is the fulfillment of the "prophecy" written in her high school yearbook, senior year, which forecast Sanders would someday write about history for a magazine. Now, 50 years after she graduated from Stillwater Central School, her dream has come true in the form of a book.

Sanders dedicated the book to "everyone who has ever lived, lives, or will live in this wonderful town." She wrote a brief history of the town and selected historical photographs to fill more than 115 pages. The pictures capture the serious moments in Stillwater history - the shell of the Newland Saratoga Knitting Mill in 1904 after it was gutted by fire - and the lighthearted as well. There are three photographs in the book of Pete the goose, who had his run of Stillwater village and befriended a neighborhood dog. Sanders wrote each caption in the folksy manner in which she speaks, with clear affection for her hometown.

Sanders said her favorite picture is of the Rev. Lemuel Powers' skeleton. She laughed as she talked about it and said it might seem morbid to choose a picture of a man's remains as her favorite, but she liked it because it's different than the typical historical portrait. Powers was buried in the Manger Cemetery but exhumed in 1937 and reburied near the church he founded, the First Baptist Church (gone now) on Route 423.

"I love the last photo in the book too, of all of us who worked to move the Blockhouse," Sanders said, referring to the day in 1999 when the Stillwater Blockhouse Committee hired a crew to move the blockhouse, a replica of a fortress used during the French and Indian War, from the Saratoga National Historical Park to a village park on routes 4 and 32.

Sanders will appear at two book signing events; 1:30 p.m. March 29 at the Saratoga National Historical Park (the battlefield) and 6 p.m. March 31 at the Stillwater Public Library.

"Stillwater," from Arcadia Publishing, will be available beginning March 2 at local bookstores and online for $21.99. Go to http://www.arcadiapublishing.com to order or call 888-313-2665.

Title: Stillwater historian digs into town's history
Author: Kathy Bowen
Publisher: Daily Gazette
Date: 2/25/2009

When Stillwater Historian Linda Sanders says her new book bares the bones of the town's past, she's not kidding.

In Stillwater's case, the bones belonged to the father-in-law of Millard Fillmore, the nation's 13th president.

Sanders said the Rev. Lemuel Powers was the father of first lady Abigail Powers Fillmore. Lemuel Powers died in 1800, and his body was exhumed in 1937 and moved to another cemetery in town nearer to the church where he had preached on Route 423.

When Powers was exhumed, his skeletal remains were displayed briefly near his grave. Former Stillwater Historian Susan Hayner wrote a description of the events and took photographs of the bones.

One of those photographs appears in Sanders' book. Hayner was town historian from 1926 to 1971, Sanders said Tuesday: "Her work and the work of my other predecessors made putting this book together possible."

The newly published book, titled "Stillwater," is the latest in a series published by Arcadia Publishing called "Images of America."

The New Hampshire publishing house also has printed historical books about the Saratoga County communities of Wilton, Malta, Saratoga Springs, Clifton Park and Saratoga Springs. Sanders said she was contacted by the publishing house last year and asked if she would like to put the book together.

She said there was no up-front cost to print the book because the publisher will take a portion of each sale. The profits from the book will be donated to the Blockhouse Museum, Sanders said. The book will sell for $22, including tax, and will be available in a couple of weeks.

The Blockhouse Museum on Route 4 in Stillwater overlooks the Hudson River and is owned by the town but run by a volunteer committee.

Sanders was the former town historian and now works part-time as the village of Stillwater historian and deputy town historian.

She has worked as a historian in Stillwater for more than 20 years and during that time collected information, photographs and postcards dating back to Stillwater's immigrant beginnings about 400 years ago.

In her introduction to the book, she writes that the British built Fort Ingoldsby in Stillwater on the Hudson River in 1709 but French and other immigrants had inhabited the area from the early 1600s.

The 127-page book includes hundreds of photographs of the people, animals, houses, businesses, churches and events in the town over the past century.

There are several images of the founding of the Saratoga National Historical Park in the town, which commemorates the Battles of Saratoga during the American Revolution.

Sanders is scheduled to have a book signing at the Stillwater Free Library, 74 Hudson Ave., on March 31 at 6 p.m.

Title: Author pens first book on Stillwater's history
Author: Geraldine Freedman
Publisher: The Post-Star
Date: 3/29/09

Several local residents took a trip down memory lane Sunday afternoon at the Saratoga National Battlefield, where author Linda Sanders gave a slide presentation of some of the photographs she used in her new book, "Stillwater."

This was the first book for Sanders, who has been the deputy historian for the town of Stillwater since 1987, as well as the historian for the village of Stillwater.

"It took a year to put together," she said. "The captions (for the more than 200 pictures) were the hardest part because I needed to write 50 words."

The book is also the first compiled about the town. For years, the other town historians had intended to do a book but didn't, she said. But Sanders couldn't say no when Arcadia Publishers asked her.

"It was past time to do," Sanders said.

The 60-minute slide show covered several points of interest, many of which drew "Oh, I remember that" from audience members.

The Dutch named the town translated as Still Water because the river from the town of Saratoga south to the joining of Hudson's River (as it was called in the 18th century) and the Hoosick River (which runs east) was very calm. Early settlers were trappers and it became a popular supply depot.

There were several slides of homes that still exist in the town. One, called the Octagon House, which was built in 1858 by Theodore Baker, has no corners. In popular belief, this gave the devil no place to hide.

There was also a 17-piece town brass and percussion band in the 1890s and many churches built in the late 19th century, some of which still exist. The steamer from the original fire house, which is near where the current village fire department is, was restored and is taken out for parades.

Abigail Powers Fillmore, the wife of the 13th president, was born in Stillwater and, being a former teacher, was instrumental in getting the first library put in the White House.

There were famous hotels, such as the White Sulfur Springs Hotel where Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney trained in the 1920s, and the Hewitt House, which was known for its chicken and biscuits dinner. Both burned down.

Sanders reminisced about the penny candies -- her favorite was spearmint leaves -- that she used to purchase at the Talmadge Block store when she was little, and the pinafore she wore in kindergarten, much like the little children in an 1890 picture.

The Fortnightly Literary Club founded in 1898 still meets, and Sanders is a member. And the Stillwater Dramatic Club and Rod and Gun Club exist, although the Stillwater Ladies Softball team is no more.

Sanders drew her material from the five full cabinets at the town historian's office in the community center.

"We have tons of wonderful stuff," she said.

She doesn't intend to write a sequel, she said, but she's always interested to learn more about the town.

Office hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The book has 127 pages and sells for $21.99.