Stop 7 The Irish on S. Franklin St.

Walking Direction: Cross South Franklin and walk North towards the intersection of Congress, Grand and Franklin. Walk on the east side of the street and you will see the Gideon Putnam Cemetery – the oldest in Saratoga. There is a historical plaque there.

Introduction to Stop 7

The Story

The mid-19th century saw an explosion in railway expansion.   The Saratoga-Schenectady Railroad station was built near Franklin Square in 1832 making it the second line in NY State and 4th overall in the nation.   The building of the railroad encouraged growth of the tourism to upstate New York and attracted workers to the area. The Irish in particular immigrated in large numbers between the years of 1845 and 1854 due to the economic situation in Ireland.

While Saratoga Springs had always been a spa resort destination because of the mineral springs, the advent of the railroads in the mid-19th century brought a real transformation. The trip from New York previously required a multi day trip on steam liners up the Hudson River to Albany and then a very long stage coach ride to Saratoga. With the building of the Saratoga-Schenectady line, Saratoga became much more accessible to tourists and workers alike.

The country had some of the largest hotels in the country at that time and the city became known as a resort destination for the wealthy during the Gilded Age. The demand for workers was high in all the service professions to accommodate the new wealthy tourists. In addition to the railroad, the hotels provided employment for a large number of the new Irish immigrants living on the west side of Saratoga Springs in what came to be called “Little Dublin.”

Artwork

This is one of the three historical narrative paintings focused on the stories of each of the immigrant communities. Each area represents a different story or aspect of the Irish story. As discussed in the Italian section, the composition and style of these paintings were inspired by the historical narrative mural paintings of Diego Rivera.

Did you know?

The 1850 Census showed 11% of the population in Saratoga Springs were born in Ireland that year.  There were no Italian immigrants listed in the 1850 Census.  (ACC HIS 274/4920 Economic and Social History of Saratoga Springs. Saratoga room)