Task Force Ready To Save Local History

By Don Rittner

For the last year and a half, members of the Mohican Nation, archeologists, historians, environmentalists, business leaders, and interested citizens have been meeting frequently to develop a coordinated plan to promote the preservation of the human and natural history resources of the Capital District. The group is called the Capital District Preservation Task Force (CDPTF), and it's time to go public, especially after the events of the last few weeks.

This network of organizations and citizens have taken on a huge task - to convince the political powers, both local and state, and the public at large of the need to preserve our natural and human history and to capitalize on its economic potential.

No better example of the immediacy of this occurred over the last few weeks. One of the most important archeological finds in decades was revealed in Albany. A 170-foot section of Albany's 18th century defensive wall (stockade), perhaps a Native American fishing weir, and the docks where the 18th century sloop "The Experiment" launched and returned to China, were meticulously excavated and exposed by a team of professional archeologists.

In all my years, I've never been as awed as I was standing in front of this site looking at the engineering feat of 18th century Albanians. Any one with half an imagination could stand there and retreat back 300 years ago seeing the tall pitch pines joined together to protect the residents inside from enemy attack, or imagine the sentries that were posted on top of the found blockhouses overlooking the mighty Hudson River.

Len Tantillo's painting of 'The Experiment,' the 60-foot sloop that became only the second vessel in U.S. history to sail to China, actually came to life as you looked at the stone foundation of the Dean Street dock where these brave sailors started their trip in 1784.

You could imagine a family of Mohican Indians tossing fishnets into the Hudson to get the catch for the day hundreds of years before any European called Albany home.

This was exposed for all to see.

While I was viewing these finds bulldozers were pushing fill on top of it. Last week piles were driven through portions of it. It will become a parking garage, so a few state employees can have a short walk to work. This is a project of the State University - yes the same university system that has a "public" history program and anthropology department.

In the last few years there have been a number of archeological excavations that have turned up parts of Albany's early past only to be covered over again for commercial development interests.

The renewed interest in redeveloping Albany, Troy, and other local areas is welcomed but it can have an even greater economic benefit besides the usual laundry list given by politicians, e.g., new jobs, increased tax base, etc. How about millions of dollars in tourist dollars as people from around the world flock to the Capital District to view and appreciate a prehistory and history that dates back thousands of years? All it takes is a revision in the way our business and political leaders think. The local citizenry have been way ahead of them and have proved the interest exists. More than 2500 people visited the excavations while they were going on.

The goals of CDPTF are to try and make our leaders see the economic benefits that will arise from incorporating the buried economic resources that comprise our prehistory and history into their development plans.

And the benefits are many. Consider that a recent study by the Travel Industry Association of America revealed that "46% of the 199.8 million U.S. adult travelers (92.4 million) included a cultural, arts, heritage, or historic activity while on a trip of 50 miles or more, one-way, during the past year." Visiting a historic site such as a historic community or building was the most popular cultural activity among travelers (31%), followed by visiting a museum (24%). Of the 92.4 million travelers that included a cultural activity while on a trip, 29% (26.7 million adults) added extra time to their trip because of this cultural activity or event.

Heritage tourism means money. It's estimated that by the year 2000 more than 100 million visitors a year will visit a heritage site and heritage tourism will be a $200 billion industry in the United States by the year 2005. By the year 2000 tourism will become the number one industry in the U.S (it's third right now). According to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the average historic site visitor stays a day and one-half longer than other tourists and spends $62 more.

Back in 1995, the travel and tourism industry contributed $430 billion to the U.S. economy, and more than six billion direct jobs were created.

Between 3.5 - 5 million tourists visit Lancaster County, Pennsylvania each year to visit the Amish and other historic areas generating about $500 million in annual revenue.

In 1977, $55 million in New Jersey state bond monies, together with private and other funds used to match the grants, leveraged about $403 million in total historic rehabilitation efforts, created 6,200 jobs, $222 million in income and $307 million in gross domestic product (GDP) for New Jersey residents. Furthermore, there are annually 9.1 million adult heritage travelers spending $432 million in New Jersey.

In a Vermont survey, 77% of the polled individuals said that they went to Vermont to visit historic sites.

In Missouri, tourism is already the state's second largest industry.

You get the picture! I'll bet there isn't even a heritage tourism item in any of the budgets of Albany, Schenectady, or Rensselaer Counties!

The Task Force has set up a Web site (www.mesh.com ) that contains a live chat room, a forum area for discussions, links to other related Web sites, and a great deal of local history and resources for studying it. It is hoped that this Web site will become the online heritage center for anyone wanting to know what is here, why they should visit, and understand the rich legacy left by our forefathers - both native and transplanted.

The Task Force has already worked last year with Malta and Village of Round Lake Officials in Saratoga County on various archeological issues. It hopes to meet with Albany, Troy, Schenectady, and State officials in the near future. You can participate too by visiting the Web site and contributing your thoughts.

How many heritage tourism dollars will we loose because of a lack of vision? It's your history! Whether it becomes the future of economic vitality for the Capital District depends on you.

Got history? Contact Don at drittner@aol.com or 251 River Street.