Glens Falls Chronicle Serving the Glens Falls/Lake George region; Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties since 1980
The five-counties WSWHE BOCES planned a ceremonial send-off Wednesday, May 28, for two full-scale replica sleds built by Career and Technical Education students in the F. Donald Meyers Education Center in Saratoga Springs. Students used 18th-century construction techniques and tools to replicate the sleds by which General Henry Knox and his troops transported captured cannons from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston during the harsh winter of 1775-1776.
They went 300 miles in 56 days, arriving Jan. 25, 1776. In March the artillery helped drive the British out of Boston.
Environmental Conservation and Forestry students from BOCES’ Southern Adirondack Education Center in Hudson Falls milled oak timbers they harvested from trees on the Queensbury school campus.
“The students have been exposed to skills and tools that they’d otherwise never experience in a modern shop,” Construction Trades instructor Ian Hamilton was quoted. “There’s a built-in history lesson here — and I’ve been proud to see their creativity and pride in the process.”
“The trees, which were damaged by invasive gypsy moths and posed a safety hazard on the Queensbury school’s cross-country trail, were carefully selected and removed by students.
“They used a mini-excavator to prevent the logs from touching the ground and introducing imperfections in the wood — highlighting both sustainable forestry practices and historic awareness.”
“It’s incredibly exciting to see students connecting to history in such a tangible, meaningful way.”
“This event celebrates hands-on student learning, local collaboration and historic preservation in action,” writes BOCES Senior Public Information Specialist Maribeth Macica.
The sleds will be featured at high-profile events, including Washington and Saratoga County Fairs, the Philadelphia Orchestra’s August 6 Tchaikovsky Spectacular (including the 1812 Overture) at SPAC, and the region-wide Historic Knox Artillery Trail Commemoration, “before ultimately being accessioned into the New York State Museum’s permanent collection,” she wrote.
The project is in conjunction with regional efforts to mark the 250th anniversary of the Battles of Saratoga and the American Revolution.
A documentary film is also in the works, Ms. Macica wrote, to chronicle the collaboration between students, instructors, historians and community partners “from timber to trail.”
As for the send-off, the Saratoga County Department of Public Works planned to “carefully” transport the student-built sleds on a flatbed truck, Ms. Macica wrote, “with a Sheriff’s escort.”
A Henry Knox reenactor and staff from the New York State Museum planned to attend the “send-off.”
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