Ballston Spa in Saratoga County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Site of

First courthouse and jail of Saratoga County image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Steve Stoessel, December 3, 2018

1. First courthouse and jail of Saratoga County

Inscription.
First courthouse and jail
of Saratoga County.
Erected 1796
destroyed by fire, 1816

Erected 1932 by State Education Department.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1796.

Location. 42° 58.95′ N, 73° 52.885′ W. Marker is in Ballston Spa, New York, in Saratoga County. Marker is on Middle Line Road, on the left when traveling north. Across from the road from colonial inn marker. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Ballston Spa NY 12020, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Colonial Inn (a few steps from this marker); Home of Jonathan Filer (approx. ¼ mile away); Briggs Cemetery (approx. ¾ mile away); James Gordon (approx. 0.8 miles away); Home of George Scott (approx. 0.9 miles away); 1780 Invasion (approx. 0.9 miles away); Samuel Davis MD (approx. 1.4 miles away); McCrea Hill (approx. 1.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ballston Spa.

Regarding Site of. This site is Court House Hill because of this early court house site. Middle Line Road predates the Revolution and was an important and well maintained road. The road was even a route of invasion by British and

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Indian forces in October 1780. The relatively central location of this slight hill made it a good place for the county courthouse in an age when people needed to walk everywhere. The court-house stood on the west side of the road, opposite a large dwelling-house, formerly a tavern. A contemporary said, “Around the court-house a thriving village was growing. Several stores and two hotels were erected, and did a 'land-office' business in court terms. Two lawyers - John W. Taylor and Samuel Cook - displayed their shingles there.” The court-house and jail burned to the ground on the morning of the Sunday preceding March 27, 1816 - closing the village prospects of the Hill. George Billings, a prisoner chained to the floor, lost his life.

Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. Colonial Inn

Also see . . . Early Settlement. "History of Saratoga County" by Nathaniel Bartlett Sylvester (1878) excerpt (Submitted on December 3, 2018, by Steve Stoessel of Niskayuna, New York.)

Credits. This page was last revised on December 11, 2021. It was originally submitted on December 3, 2018, by Steve Stoessel of Niskayuna, New York. This page has been viewed 381 times since then and 36 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on December 3, 2018, by Steve Stoessel of Niskayuna, New York. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.