A PEEK AT THE GILDED AGE: History Museum in Saratoga Springs, NY

Inside the Saratoga Springs History Museum. 

In the 1870s and 1880s, people came to Saratoga Springs in upstate New York for the sparkling water that gives the city its name, and for the horse races, gambling, and thriving social life in the elegant hotels that lined the main street. Today the grand hotels of Saratoga Springs' Gilded Age are gone, but the city is still a popular vacation center known for its racetrack and beautiful surrounding countryside. 

John Morrisey built the racetrack that made the area famous.

Depictions of horses and horse racing can be seen throughout the town.

Entrance to the Saratoga Springs History Museum.

What was once a gambling casino for the rich and famous now houses the Saratoga Springs History Museum where you can see mementos from the past and learn more about some of the people who are part of the city’s history.

Skidmore College building in downtown Saratoga Springs. (The main campus is just outside of town.)

In mid-May when we were in Saratoga Springs for our grandson’s graduation from Skidmore College, we visited the History Museum, located in Congress Park near the center of town.

Our tour of the ballroom, bar, and reception areas of the Casino.

At the entrance to the museum we purchased tickets to see the exhibits. As it happened, we were just in time for a tour of the ballroom area adjacent to the casino. Our guide was an extremely knowledgeable museum volunteer.

Stained glass decorations in the ballroom.

Ballroom ceiling.

The ballroom is not always open for public view because it is a popular wedding and party venue. We were lucky that we happened to be there between events. The rooms are truly impressive and it is easy to imagine ladies in long elegant dresses and gentlemen in formal suits dancing and conversing with one another.

Exhibits on the main floor of the museum.

When the tour of the ballroom ended we were free to visit the rest of the museum on our own. This included a room on the main floor next to the gift shop, plus two floors of exhibits upstairs. Here are a just few of the items I found most intriguing.

Bicycles like this one were popular in the 1890s.

An elegant way to travel was in a personal hand carried sedan chair like this one.

Roulette wheel in the card room. At the Casino, men came to make business deals, gamble, and socialize with their peers.

Hand-cut silhouette artwork was popular in the 19th century.

Steep stairs lead to the upper floors of the museum.

When we finished our visit to the history museum, we went for a walk in Congress Park on our way to lunch at one of the many local restaurants. A few weeks later, when the summer racing season began, crowds of horse enthusiasts would pour into town, just as they did every summer more than one hundred years ago. Our visit to the museum helped us imagine what it might have been like back then.

Models like these display the elegant clothing of the Gilded Age.

THE LIBERTY BELL, BEN FRANKLIN, and More: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Liberty Bell, cast in 1753 by John Pass and John Stow for the Pennsylvania State House

In honor of our country's 250th birthday, I am republishing this post from 2014 about my visit to Philadelphia, home of the Declaration of Independence.

The Liberty Bell, with its famous crack, has long been a symbol of the American Revolution. But contrary to popular belief, there is no evidence that the Liberty Bell rang on July 4, 1776, to proclaim independence. However, it did ring on many other occasions and was used to summon members of the Pennsylvania Assembly and to announce noteworthy events. It last rang in 1846 to celebrate the birthday of George Washington.

Independence Hall

In June 2014 Art and I spent the weekend in Philadelphia at a family celebration and had the opportunity to visit the Liberty Bell and other sites around Independence Mall. The wealth of historic sites reminded me how central Philadelphia was to the early history of the United States. A map inside the Liberty Bell Center shows dozens of important sites–Independence Hall, the Benjamin Franklin Museum, Betsy Ross’ House, Christ Church and the Christ Church Burial Ground, Mikvah Israel Congregation (the oldest continuous synagogue in the United States), the Franklin Mint, the new National Constitution Center, to name a few.  We visited the historic area on a Sunday morning, which had the advantage of being cooler and less crowded.

Part of historic Philadelphia

My last visit to Philadelphia was fifteen years ago and I remember going inside Independence Hall and seeing where the Continental Congress first met.  Now, in order to go inside, one has to get a ticket (which is free) and stand in line for a tour (which we didn’t do because of our limited time, although we did walk through the grounds.) On my last visit, the Liberty Bell was housed in a small building by itself.  Now it is part of a large visitor center filled with exhibits about the bell and the concept of freedom, focusing on the fight to end slavery and for equal rights for all citizens of the United States.

Exhibits in the Liberty Bell visitor center about the Pennsylvania Abolition Society.=

If you go to Philadelphia, it’s hard to avoid Benjamin Franklin. You can see where he lived, where he worked, and where he is buried.  His name is everywhere from the Franklin Mint to Franklin Court behind the Ben Franklin Museum.  Even the chairs in the lobby at the Westin Hotel where we stayed were decorated with his image.

Coins for good luck are strewn across Benjamin Franklin's Grave

Born in 1706 in Boston, Benjamin Franklin moved to Philadelphia as a young man, where he lived until is death in 1790 at the age of 84. Among his many accomplishments are that he founded the Philadelphia Library, invented the Franklin stove, was the first to utilize electricity, was the postmaster of Philadelphia, and a delegate to the Continental Congress. At his grave site in the Christ Church Cemetery there are two plaques.  One lists important dates in his long life.  The other has three quotes about him.  My favorite is by French writer Anne-Robert-Jacques Turgot who wrote: “He tore from the skies the lightning and from tyrants the scepter.” (1779)

This trip made me realize that I need to go back to Philadelphia when I have more time so I can do justice to all the fascinating history in the city.  

Plaque at Christ Church Cemetery with famous quotes about Benjamin Franklin

This article was first published 7/7/14

All text and photographs copyright Caroline Arnold.

TANG MUSEUM OF ART, SKIDMORE COLLEGE, Saratoga Springs, NY

Ceramic piece by Kathy Butterly, Assume Yes Exhibit at the Tang Museum, Skidmore, College.

On the campus of Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, stands a large angular building, the Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery. Its stated purpose is to “awaken the community to the richness and diversity of the human experience through the medium of art.” The museum mounts twelve exhibitions each year and students are often involved in the curatorial process. It is an impressive resource for the students at Skidmore as well as for the wider community.

A long walkway leads to the entrance of the Tang Museum.

Tang Museum of Art

Fringe, by Oliver Frontini. Senior Thesis Exhibit.

I visited the Tang Museum in May, on graduation weekend when the senior thesis exhibition featuring works by graduating art majors occupied one of the main floor galleries. A large sculptural piece by Oliver Frontini, dominated the lobby. It was the Outstanding Senior Thesis award winner.

Student work spanned a wide range of media--painting, photography, textiles, sculpture, metalwork and more.

Metalwork. Senior Thesis Exhibit.

Woven textiles. Senior Thesis Exhibit.

In the other main floor gallery Kathy Butterly's inventive ceramic pieces were scattered across large table-height platforms, each piece glowing like a large jewel. None of them are more than a foot tall, but by giving each of them their own space they didn't feel overwhelmed by the large room. Each one had its own personality.

Ceramics by Kathy Butterly.

  

Ceramics by Kathy Butterly.

Ceramics by Kathy Butterly.

More exhibits were in the upstairs galleries. Here is a sample of some of the pieces that caught my eye.

All These Growing Things exhibit.

Alewife, 2014. By Alexis Rockman. The Alewife is one of a few species of fish that can live in both fresh and saltwater.

View of second floor galleries.

"Rug"

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM, LONDON: A Few of Our Favorites

Diplodocus dinosaur skeleton in front of the Natural History Museum, London.

On our recent trip to London, the Natural History Museum was our first stop. The museum is enormous and you can’t possibly see it all in one visit. And even if you do have time, it is best to decide which things to focus on. Our main goal was to see the exhibit of the winners of the yearly photography competition—100 photos selected from more than 4000 entries. We also wanted to revisit some of our favorite parts of the museum.

Blue whale skeleton in Hintze Hall.

We walked to the museum from our hotel near the South Kensington tube stop and entered at the East Gate, where we followed a path through the Evolution Garden to get to the Central Entrance. The museum is free, but we had to line up to go through security. Once inside, the giant skylit space of Hintze Hall loomed before us, with a huge whale skeleton hanging overhead and a grand staircase leading up to a statue of Charles Darwin.

Art with Statue of Charles Darwin.

After paying our respects to Darwin, we stopped at the information booth to pick up a map and get directions to the photo exhibit. The map divides the museum into four color coded zones. We focused on the Green Zone which includes birds, the wildlife photographer of the year gallery, fossil marine reptiles, and treasures of the museum, where we saw the fossil skeleton of Archaeopteryx, the first bird.

Caroline with fossil of giant sea reptile collected by Mary Anning.

On our way to the photo exhibit we passed by the amazing display of fossil skeletons of giant marine reptiles, many of them collected by Mary Anning in the nineteenth century. During the Dinosaur Age the oceans teemed with these huge reptiles.

Wild Photographer of the Year Gallery.

The Wildlife Photographer of the Year photo exhibit requires a ticket, which we purchased at the entrance. Each photo in the exhibit was backlighted so that it glowed in the partially darkened room and was accompanied by a label with the title, photographer’s name and other pertinent information. What surprised me was not only the diversity of the subjects and locations where they were shot, but the variety of cameras—ranging from specially designed equipment to a simple iPhone.

Photo of moth camouflaged against tree bark--taken with an iPhone.

Having worked with photographers on many of my books, I know how hard it is to get just the right shot. I appreciated a quote mounted on one wall of the exhibit: It is vital to be patient and wait for the moment that completes the story you are trying to tell, even if it takes hours or days or weeks, or sometimes even years. (Akansha Sood Singh, natural history filmmaker)

Models of two dodos. Extinct since 1681 due to overhunting, habitat loss and predation by other animals.

The exit from the photo exhibit was through the museum gift shop where it was possible to buy postcards and books of the images in the exhibit. We then visited the bird room in search of the Archaeopteryx fossil but got sidetracked by a case full of birds that have gone extinct, including the dodo, which once lived on a remote island in the Indian Ocean. Although we found a cast of Archaeopteryx in the bird room, we learned that the actual fossil, one of the most valuable items in the museum’s collection, was upstairs in the room of treasures. So we trudged up the stairs to find it.\

Fossil of Archaeopteryx embedded in limestone. You can see impressions of feathers attached to the wings.

After viewing Archaeopteryx and the other museum treasures it was time to sit down and have some refreshments, which we did in the Central Café behind the stairwell on the main floor. We had seen many of our favorites and been inspired by the photo exhibit. We’ll come back another day to see more.

Main entrance to the Natural History Museum, London.

HEIDELBERG, GERMANY: A Walking Tour of the Old Town and Castle

Heidelberg, Germany. Church of the Holy Spirit.

The historic city of Heidelberg, situated on the banks of the Neckar River, is the home of the oldest university in Germany (founded 1386) and exudes the charm of an earlier era. In late April, while my husband was attending a conference, I had the opportunity to explore the Old Town and Castle, taking a self-guided walking tour of the cobblestone streets and riding the funicular up to the castle grounds. It was a beautiful sunny spring day with flowers blooming and trees beginning to leaf out.

Walkway along the Neckar River. The Neckar is a tributary of the Rhine.

The city of Heidelberg developed along the banks of the Neckar River. Before diving into the maze of the Old Town streets I took a short walk along the Neckar on a shady tree-lined path.

Shops on the Hauptstrasse.

Once inside Old Town I followed a map from the Tourist Center that identified key historic buildings, including houses, churches, businesses, departments of the university, and other significant sites. The main street, Hauptstrasse, runs the length of the Old Town paralleling the river and is for pedestrians only. Lined with shops and eateries, it is meant for tourists.

Cobblestone street in the Old Town.

Typical house decoration.

Side streets are narrow and lined with colorful building framing the wooded hillside beyond. I followed one street into the courtyard of the Jesuitenkirche, which dates back to the 17^th century. When I pulled open the heavy wooden doors and went inside I was greeted by a light and airy interior, giving the space a calm and peaceful atmosphere.

Interior of the Jesuitenkirche.

Ruach. Wood sculpture by Bernhard Apfel in the Jesuitenkirche.

But then, on my way out, I was caught by surprise when I looked up and saw a carved wooden figure, bright red, perched over the entryway. Unlike the rest of the more traditional decorations in the church alcoves, this was a modern piece. A sign explained (in both German and English) that she was a Ruach, or a feminine depiction of the Holy Spirit. She was created by wood sculptor Bernhard Apfel.

Church of the Holy Spirit and marketplace.

The huge Church of the Holy Spirit, the largest church in Heidelberg and one of the oldest, constructed from 1398 and 1515, is located in the historic market place of the Old Town. 

View of the castle ruins from the Old Town.

From there I followed signs to the castle, which sits on the hill overlooking the town. There is a walking path to the castle grounds (very steep) or you can ride the funicular. I chose the funicular. The ticket includes the price of entering the castle courtyard. The vast grounds and gardens around the castle are free.

View from the ramparts of the castle. The wooded hillside on the opposite side of the river is full of hiking trails including the famous Philosopher's Walk.

Old bridge over the Neckar. View from the castle.

One of the primary reasons to visit the castle is for the spectacular view. The castle’s history goes back to medieval times but in 1693, after it was destroyed during the Palatine War of Succession, has not functioned as the seat of government since. It is most famous as a ruin. Nineteenth century painters, writers and travelers loved it. The English painter James M. W. Turner painted it surrounded in evocative mists. Mark Twain visited it and wrote about it in his book A Tramp Abroad. “A ruin must be rightly situated, to be effective. This one could not have been better placed. It stands upon a commanding elevation, it is buried in green woods, there is  no level ground about it, but, on the contrary, there are wooded terraces upon terraces…..Nature knows how to garnish a ruin to get the best effect.”

Lilacs at the castle.

Within the castle courtyard a few buildings have been renovated. One of these has become a Pharmacy Museum, displaying old pharmacy equipment and exhibits about the history of medicine. My favorite room was for children, which included a display of an old pharmacy in miniature.

Restored building in the castle courtyard house the Apothecary Museum and a restaurant.

Miniature old-fashioned apothecary shop displayed in the children's room of the museum.

I had packed a sandwich and enjoyed my picnic lunch at a table of an outdoor café on the castle grounds before walking to the funicular station for a ride back down the hill. I then retraced my steps through the Old Town to the bus stop that would take me to my modern hotel. But for the few hours I spent in Heidelberg's Old Town and Castle, I felt like I had traveled back in time.

View from the Castle.