Luykas Groundhog's Columbia County Adventures

To read about the first part of my day experiencing the Independence Day celebrations at Clermont State Historic Site with Bob the Livingston History Sheep, check here.

After Bob and I checked out the games, it was time to get serious— we wanted to learn more about the meaning of Independence Day. Lucky for us, there were some visitors who had “time traveled” all the way from the 1700’s! They were discussing the reasons they thought the colonies should declare their independence from England, or remain loyal to the King of England:

The gentleman in favor of Independence suggested that the colonies were being taxed unfairly, without proper representation in the government in England. He was also worried that the English military wasn’t giving them enough protection.

The other gentleman felt that the British army did provide protection, and that it was better to pay taxes for protection from a more highly trained army, than to be defended by the less trained militia put together by the colonies.

Visitors to Clermont were asked to cast their vote: for Independence, or to remain loyal to the King.  Bob and I cast our votes on the side of the patriots (those who wanted independence). After all, we were enjoying the day at the home of Chancellor Livingston, who helped write the Declaration of Independence)!

Spending 4th of July at Clermont was really nice— I got to have fun, and I learned a lot about our country’s independence! Plus, there was a beautiful view:

In addition to my photos from the Civil War encampment at the Luykas Van Alen House, I also promised some photos from my visit to the Independence Day festivities at Clermont State Historic Site (and I’m a bit late, sorry!). Let me start by explaining that Clermont is a great place to spend the 4th of July, and not just because they have a great view of the Saugerties fireworks to end the evening! You see, one of Clermont’s most famous residents was Chancellor Robert R. Livingston (the “chancellor” part is actually one of his political titles, but since his father, and many other Livingston men were named Robert, we’ll call him the chancellor so we don’t get confused). Chancellor Livingston was invited to serve on the “committee of five,” who drafted (wrote) the Declaration of Independence. The Chancellor was not one of the signers of the Declaration, but one of his cousins, Philip Livingston, did.

I visited Clermont with my good friend, Bob the Livingston History Sheep (you can read about our previous adventures together here and here. The festivities at Clermont are focused on life in the 18th century— just like at the encampment, there were reenactors there, who studied what life was like in the late 1700’s. Here we are on the back steps of the mansion, decorated with patriotic bunting:

We decided to start our visit off with some historic games. There were graces (just like I tried to play at the encampment), as well as stilts! We decided to enter the three-legged race:

Despite having eight legs between us (making it more of a seven legged race), we didn’t do so well:

Congratulations to the winners though!

We also decided to try our hand at some 18th century card games, like whist:

Tomorrow, part 2: Bob and I have to vote for Independence, or to remain loyal to the King of England.

Before I start sharing my photos with you from the Civil War Encampment that took place here at CCHS last weekend, I want to make an apology. 

Last week, I was saddened to hear of the news from Cedar Park Cemetery in Hudson, that twice, flags were stolen from the graves of veterans of the Civil War in the G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic, an organization that was founded by Veterans of the Civil War) section of the cemetery (you can read more from the Register Star here and here).  Imagine my dismay when I read the paper on Saturday, only to learn that through careful investigation, they had discovered the suspects… my fellow groundhogs! (story here).

I wish I could say that all groundhogs have a love for history like I do, but unfortunately, that is not the case. As I continue to study the Civil War, I hope that I can teach my fellow groundhogs at the cemetery (and all over Columbia County!) more about the war those soldiers fought in, and why we should respect their graves. Maybe you can help me too— as we spread the word about the history of our county, hopefully we can also spread respect for that history.  It is an important lesson for both people and groundhogs!

-Luykas

Hi everyone, I just wanted to stop in and wish you a very happy 4th of July!  I am having a very busy week… that means I will have lots of pictures to share with you later this week.  This past weekend, CCHS held its annual Civil War Encampment at the Luykas Van Alen House.  I got to meet lots of interesting Civil War Reenactors (people who dress like soldiers and civilians from the time of the Civil War, and who know lots about what life was like then). 

Today, I started my 4th of July celebrations at the People’s Parade in the Village of Kinderhook (unfortunately, my photographer was playing in the band, so I won’t have any photos to share).  It was great to see all the kids and dogs dressed up to celebrate our nation’s independence!

This afternoon, I’m headed down to Clermont State Historic Site, for their 4th of July festivities.  Chancellor Robert Livingston, who worked on writing the Declaration of Independence with Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Roger Sherman, and Benjamin Franklin, lived at Clermont— its neat that we have such a great connection to the history of the holiday, right in our own county! 

I promise, I’ll have lots of photos and stories to share with you later this week.  For now though, I hope you have a fun and historic 4th of July!

-Luykas Groundhog