Daytrips
(chapter excerpt)
THE KNICKERBOCKER MANSION
In the flat bottomland between Schaghticoke and the Hudson stands the eighteenth-century, Flemish-style Knickerbocker Mansion, surrounded by farm fields. Once shaded by stately oak trees, the house now bakes in the August sun. A fallen column of concrete like a giant fossil bone in the northeast corner of the lawn is all that remains of the most famous of the old trees. Planted in 1676, the Wittangemote or Council Oak marked the signing of peace treaties between the English royal governor Andros and the chiefs of the Mohicans and Schaghticokes. The magnificent white oak tree grew to fifteen feet in circumference and in its last years was kept together with wires and concrete. It finally succumbed to a flood of the Hoosic River in 1949.
With shuttered windows, the house seems to be sleeping or closing its eyes against the glare. Jon Stevens, a retired scientist, genealogist, and historian, opens the shutters as we walk with him through the deserted rooms. The interior is cool and dark. Long abandoned, the building is gradually being restored by dedicated volunteers. The front parlor has some new paint and plaster and wallpaper just like one of the originals. Details of faux wood grain on the door between the parlor and the hall are emerging pixel by pixel from behind layers of paint as Jon patiently chips at it with dental tools.
Overlooking Lake Champlain
2007; gouache on canvas;
9 x 12 in.
The cannon is a part of Ft. Ticonderoga’s authentic collections: artillery, clothing, paintings, and utensils that were
used as far back as the French and Indian War. It rests today
in a portion of the gunnery wall of the fort and overlooks
Lake Champlain. When we visited, there were tiny sailboats
on the lake, and it was peaceful. All was well.