BALLSTON SPA, N.Y. (NEWS10) — The Saratoga County History Center on Thursday announced that the Bacon Hill community is the subject of an upcoming local history documentary, which will premiere in special screenings in March. The documentary is part of the Forgotten Crossroads series of videos which tells the history and stories of people living in still-existing communities that started in the early days of Saratoga County.
“Our county is brimming with these long overlooked hamlets; each has a unique story to tell, and the History Center should be applauded for bringing these to light,” said Lauren Roberts, Saratoga County Historian. “Many county residents will be surprised that these ‘crossroads’ are still vibrant communities.”
This episode of Forgotten Crossroads highlights Bacon Hill, a small crossroads two miles northwest of Schuylerville along New York State Route 32 in the town of Northumberland. The hamlet center is the Reformed Church which celebrated its 200th anniversary three years ago and is home to several large farms owned and operated by families who can trace their ownership back many generations.
“Bacon Hill is a special place with special people,” explains SCHC’s Jim Richmond, volunteer director of the film. Richmond has enjoyed working closely with a group of local residents since the summer of 2022. “From our first meeting, they embraced the challenge of telling the story of the community they love. They brought binders of pictures and scrapbooks at each meeting that helped tell their stories.”
“We really didn’t know what the project was going to be,” said Marian Crandell, one of three Peck siblings interviewed. “Bacon Hill is like normal to us. We didn’t really know how much it meant to the people who live there and how much they care about each other.”
Richmond, along with History Center volunteer videographer, Dave Waite, recorded 25 interviews. They are now in the process of editing the film. “Selecting the clips to use is hard,” said Richmond, “there are so many great stories to tell.”
The video will premiere at Brookside Museum in Ballston Spa in late March and the Bacon Hill Church in mid-April. Forgotten Crossroads-Bacon Hill was funded in part by Welcome Stock Farm, King Brothers Dairy, Clear Echo Farm, Thomas Poultry, and Stonebridge Iron and Steel, Inc.