Ballston Spa, New York

Last updated

Ballston Spa
Village
Village of Ballston Spa
Ballston Spa 1.jpg
Milton Avenue in Ballston Spa
Motto: 
A Village of Friends
Ballston Spa Saratoga NY.png
Location within Saratoga County
USA New York relief location map.svg
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Ballston Spa
Location in the State of New York
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Ballston Spa
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 43°0′26″N73°51′4″W / 43.00722°N 73.85111°W / 43.00722; -73.85111
Country United States
State New York
County Saratoga
Settled1771
Village1807
Named for Eliphalet Ball
Area
[1]
 • Total1.61 sq mi (4.17 km2)
 • Land1.60 sq mi (4.15 km2)
 • Water0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2)
Elevation
315 ft (96 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total5,111
 • Density3,192.38/sq mi (1,232.93/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
12020
Area codes 518
FIPS code 36-04253
GNIS feature ID0969840
Website www.villageofballstonspa.org

Ballston Spa is a village and the county seat of Saratoga County, New York, United States, located southwest of Saratoga Springs. It is part of the Capital Region. [2] The population of the village, named after Rev. Eliphalet Ball, a Congregationalist clergyman and an early settler, [3] [4] was 5,111 at the 2020 census. [5] Ballston Spa lies on the border of two towns, situated partly in the Town of Ballston and partly in the Town of Milton. The Ballston Spa School District encompassing most of the combined towns of Milton, Malta, and Ballston is often referred to locally as ‘Ballston Spa’ with the village proper being referred to as ‘The Village’ or 'Town'.

Contents

History

The village was first settled in 1771. In 1787 Benajah Douglas, grandfather of 1860 presidential candidate Stephen A. Douglas, built the first tavern and hotel at Ballston Spa. It was located near the natural spring. [6]

In 1803, Ballston Spa's Sans Souci Hotel, at the time the largest hotel in the United States, was built by Nicholas Low. Presidents, senators and governors stayed there, as well as many wealthy private citizens. [7] Ballston Spa was incorporated as a village in 1807.

At different times, the village was served by four railroads: the Delaware and Hudson Railway, the Ballston Terminal Railroad, the Schenectady Railway Company, [8] and the Hudson Valley Railway. [9]

The village was famous for its mineral water spring used for healing in sanatoria, [10] including the Hawthorne and Lithia springs.

The effervescent water, tonic, and cathartic from this city is also known as Ballston Spa. The liquid contains common salt and carbonates of magnesium and calcium.

Movies, Music and Books

Portions of the novel The Last of the Mohicans were written by James Fenimore Cooper in the present day Brookside Museum and inspired by the local landscape.

Buster Red, a Depression era folk singer, wrote in his song "When I Go Out" details about his trip through Pennsylvania and New York. According to the song it was in Ballston Spa that he was ultimately found out for some crime or deception, before moving on to Saratoga. [11]

The village was the model for the village of North Bath, NY, the setting for the 1993 best-selling novel and 1994 movie, Nobody's Fool . The book's author, Richard Russo, is a native of nearby Gloversville. It was also the location of the fictional "Elspeth Hatch" murder trial defended by Clarence Darrow set in 1897 in the book titled The Angel of Darkness by author Caleb Carr.

Several scenes in Sydney Pollack's 1973 film The Way We Were were filmed on Ballston Spa's Front Street. Scenes from The Horse Whisperer (1998) were also filmed in the village. [12]

Since 2008 Ballston Spa has been home to the Ballston Spa Film Festival of short films from around the globe. [13]

Ballston Spa was also mentioned in the 1963 novel The Tulip Tree by Howard Rigsby. [14]

Museums

The historic Verbeck House. Verbeck House, Ballston Spa, NY.jpg
The historic Verbeck House.

Ballston Spa is home to the National Bottle Museum. [15] It is also home to Brookside Museum, Saratoga County Historical Society. [16]

The Brookside Museum, United States Post Office, Union Mill Complex, and Verbeck House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [17]

Industry

In 1838 the Ballston Spa National Bank, one of the oldest still functioning American banks was founded. As of 2022, the Bank has 13 branches. [18]

George West (known as the "Paper Bag King") developed a line of square-bottomed paper bags which he manufactured by the millions after the American Civil War, and at one time owned almost a dozen paper mills located along the Kayaderosseras Creek. [19] The village was also home to the Ballston Knitting Company from 1918 to 1994.[ citation needed ]

As the county seat of Saratoga County, county offices, courts, law enforcement, and the jail are major employers.

Government

Recent mayors of Ballston Spa:

Notable people

Geography

Ballston Spa is located at 43°0′26″N73°51′4″W / 43.00722°N 73.85111°W / 43.00722; -73.85111 (43.007185, -73.851168). [20]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.6 square miles (4.1 km2), of which 1.6 square miles (4.1 km2) is land and 0.62% is water.

New York State Route 50 (Milton Avenue), a north-south highway, passes through the village and intersects New York State Route 67 (West High Street). County Road 63 (Malta Avenue) leaves the village to the east, connecting it to U.S. Route 9 and Interstate 87 (The Northway).

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1810 500—
1840 1,500—
1850 2,00033.3%
1860 2,28514.3%
1870 2,97030.0%
1880 3,0111.4%
1890 3,52717.1%
1900 3,92311.2%
1910 4,1385.5%
1920 4,103−0.8%
1930 4,59111.9%
1940 4,434−3.4%
1950 4,93711.3%
1960 4,9911.1%
1970 4,968−0.5%
1980 4,711−5.2%
1990 4,9374.8%
2000 5,55612.5%
2010 5,409−2.6%
2020 5,111−5.5%
U.S. Decennial Census [21]

As of the census [22] of 2020, there were 5,111 people, 2,291 households in the village. The population density was 3,464.8 inhabitants per square mile (1,337.8/km2). There were 2,398 housing units at an average density of 1,495.4 per square mile (577.4/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 96.33% White, 1.17% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.52% Asian, 0.61% from other races, and 1.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.94% of the population.

There were 2,267 households, out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.9% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.9% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 23.9% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 32.7% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.2 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $37,173, and the median income for a family was $49,387. Males had a median income of $36,929 versus $27,281 for females. The per capita income for the village was $20,237. About 7.4% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.8% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over.

Schools

Public schools

Before the 2008-2009 school year, the arrangement of public schools was as follows:

Non-public schools

Climate

This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Ballston Spa has a humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps. [23]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saratoga County, New York</span> County in New York, United States

Saratoga County is a county in the U.S. state of New York, and is the fastest-growing county in Upstate New York. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was enumerated at 235,509, its highest decennial count ever and a 7.2% increase from the 219,607 recorded at the 2010 census, representing one of the fastest growth rates in the northeastern United States; and despite the worldwide toll of the COVID-19 pandemic in the early 2020s, Saratoga County has continued its rapid growth. The county seat is Ballston Spa. The county is part of the Capital District region of the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ballston, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Ballston is a town in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 11,831 at the 2020 census. The name is derived from an early settler, Eliphalet Ball, a Presbyterian minister who relocated there from Westchester County, New York in 1770. The town is in the southern part of the county, and is north of Schenectady.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malta, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

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North Ballston Spa is a census-designated place (CDP) within the town of Milton in Saratoga County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 1,376.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Round Lake (village), New York</span> Village in New York, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saratoga Springs, New York</span> City in New York, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milton, Saratoga County, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Milton is a town in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 18,800 at the 2020 census. Some believe that the town was named after the poet, John Milton, while other sources state that it is a shortening of "Mill-town" for the early mill activity.

Brookside may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York State Route 50</span> State highway in New York, US

New York State Route 50 (NY 50) is a 31.67-mile (50.97 km) state highway in the Capital District of New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an intersection with NY 5 in Scotia. Its northern terminus is at a junction with NY 32 in the Saratoga County hamlet of Gansevoort.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George West (American politician)</span> American politician

George West was an industrialist and a U.S. Representative from New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaydeross Railroad</span> Trolley line in New York State

The Kaydeross Railroad, earlier known as the Eastern New York Railroad and Ballston Terminal Railroad, was an electric-powered trolley line that served industries along the Kayaderosseras Creek in the town of Milton, Saratoga County, New York. It was a "terminal railroad", which means it had an interchange at one end but terminated without any other interchange.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock City Falls, New York</span> Hamlet in New York, United States

Rock City Falls is a hamlet in the town of Milton, Saratoga County, New York, United States. The principal roads are Route 29 and Rock City Falls Road. The hamlet achieved fame as the origins of Paper Bag King George West, who established his Empire Mill there in 1862. He went on to build the Excelsior Mill next door in 1866 and a mansion across the street. The George West House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isaiah Blood</span> American politician (1810–1870)

Isaiah Blood was an American farmer, manufacturer and politician from New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kayaderosseras</span> River in New York, United States

The Kayaderosseras Creek, usually shortened to Kaydeross, is the largest river that lies completely within Saratoga County, New York State. It originates in the Kayaderosseras Range in the northern part of the county, passes through the towns of Corinth, Greenfield, and Milton, and serves as the boundary between the City of Saratoga Springs and the Town of Malta before emptying into Saratoga Lake.

Bloodville is a hamlet of Ballston Spa, Saratoga County, New York, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Post Office (Ballston Spa, New York)</span> United States historic place

The U.S. Post Office in Ballston Spa, New York, is located on Front Street in the village's commercial center. It is a brick building constructed in the mid-1930s, serving the 12020 ZIP Code, which covers the village and the surrounding areas of the Town of Ballston, Town of Milton, and Town of Malta

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brookside Museum</span> Historic house in New York, United States

Brookside Museum, sometimes known as the Aldridge House, is located on the western edge of downtown Ballston Spa, New York, United States. It is a wooden house built in 1792, one of the oldest in the village, but modified since then.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Mill Complex</span> United States historic place

The Union Mill Complex,, is located at the junction of Milton Avenue and Prospect Street in Ballston Spa, New York, United States. It is a complex of three late 19th-century brick buildings on a 4-acre lot, and the ruins of a dam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ballston Creek</span>

Ballston Creek, also called Shenantaha Creek from the Iroquois name for Ballston Lake, is a stream in Saratoga County, New York. It originates at the north end of Ballston Lake and runs approximately six miles (9.7 km) through the towns of Ballston and Malta, descending 100 feet before exiting into Round Lake.

References

  1. ↑ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ↑ Grose 1907 , p. 11
  4. ↑ "History of Ballston, NY". The Saratogian. 1899. Archived from the original on January 4, 2013. Retrieved November 9, 2010.
  5. ↑ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Ballston Spa village, New York".
  6. ↑ "History of Milton, NY". History.rays-place.com. Retrieved November 25, 2012.[ permanent dead link ]
  7. ↑ "History of Saratoga County, History of the Village of Ballston Spa". Rootsweb.ancestry.com. Retrieved November 25, 2012.
  8. ↑ DiCarlo, Gino. "Saratoga Line". Gino's Rail Pages. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
  9. ↑ The Ballston Terminal Railroad And Its Successors, 2008
  10. ↑ "Spa, Sanatorium". The Independent. July 13, 1914. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
  11. ↑ "American Folk Song Collection".
  12. ↑ "The Horse Whisperer (1998) - IMDb". IMDb .
  13. ↑ "Ballston Spa Film Festival" . Retrieved August 29, 2013.
  14. ↑ Rigsby, Howard (1963). The Tulip Tree (Book Club ed.). Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company. p. 128.
  15. ↑ National Bottle Museum Archived September 15, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  16. ↑ Brookside Museum
  17. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  18. ↑ "Capital Region Branch Locations | BSNB".
  19. ↑ Lost Industries of the Kaydeross Valley, Starr, 2007
  20. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  21. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  22. ↑ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Ballston Spa village, New York".
  23. ↑ Climate Summary for Ballston Spa, New York

PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Ward, Artemas (1911). The Grocer's Encyclopedia .{{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

Bibliography

Grose, Edward F. (1907). Centennial History of Ballston Spa 1763-1907. Troy, NY: E. H. Lisk. Retrieved November 9, 2010. A Souvenir of the Centennial Celebration Held June 22–25, 1907

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