HIGH ROCK SPRING
A CENTENNIAL YEAR PROJECT TO BRING BACK THE WATER
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WRITTEN BY CHARLIE KUENZEL, PHOTOS BY MARGARET KUENZEL AND THE SARATOGA SPRINGS HISTORY MUSEUM
As you probably know by now… this year marks the Centennial of Saratoga Springs officially being granted status as a city from a village. 2015 has seen many wonderful events that helped to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of Saratoga Springs becoming that city. The Centennial started, as it should, at the stroke of midnight at the Saratoga Springs First Night Celebration when Mayor Joanne Yepsen announced the beginning of a yearlong celebration. A Centennial Committee had been formed by the mayor about mid-year in 2014 to help coordinate and facilitate the many events scheduled for 2015. The Centennial Committee was co-chaired by Eleanor Mullaney and Steve Sullivan. With direction from the mayor the committee identified that the re-drilling of the High Rock Spring was a major priority for 2015. Steve Sullivan, History Museum Director Jamie Parillo and I were the members of the sub-committee to direct this project.
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n the late 19th and early 20th century the overuse of our mineral springs caused the High Rock to stop flowing. In April of 1911 the Saratogian reported that the High Rock no longer flows. This was a tremendous set back to Saratoga Springs to have the founding element of the city lost from use. The idea to bring back the waters at High Rock was a need expressed by many Saratogians over many decades. In 1967 I remember that a committee was formed by the city to celebrate the 200 year anniversary of the visit to High Rock spring by Sir William Johnson. Sir William was given the job as agent for Indian Affairs in North America for the British Crown. Acting in this capacity, Sir William became a trusted friend of the Mohawk tribe and even married Molly Brant, a Mohawk woman. This trust allowed an ill Sir
William Johnson to be carried to High Rock by the Mohawk on a liter and therefore be the first European to be shown the location of the highly prized High Rock spring. After four days of drinking and bathing in the waters he felt strong enough to walk most of the way back to his house in the Mohawk Valley. He wrote to friends to explain the healing effects of the waters and soon under pressure from those friends a deal with the Mohawk was brokered to allow settlement in this area to begin in earnest. Therefore we can trace the roots of development for the City of Saratoga Springs to the visit of Sir William Johnson to the site of the famed High Rock spring. Research after 1967 supported the fact that Sir William Johnson’s visit was actually in 1771, four years later than what was celebrated in July of 1967 by that select committee. Even though the date was adjusted the purpose of the celebration was important to highlight the events that helped to start our city’s development. What is an important part to saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com