To the Editor:

The March 12 edition of the Enterprise carried a great story about the wonderful work of the Guilderland 250th American Revolution Celebration Committee (“Guilderland is celebrating its 250th anniversary in many ways”). We can expect lots of exciting events in the months ahead.

Sometimes, though, it may  seem that communities unpack their history for major commemorations but, once they are past, pack it back up again and return it to the shelves. 

Guilderland can take a different approach.

We have plenty of history. Guilderland is one of the oldest towns in the state (1803), one of the most historically interesting, and very distinct — arrayed along Route 20, near-urban in the east where it meets Albany, near-rural in the west where it meets Knox, Princetown and Duanesburg.

We have a great town historian, Mary Ellen Johnson, who regularly publishes historical essays in The Enterprise.

The Enterprise itself is a historical asset which reports the history of the week (newspapers are sometimes called “the first draft of history”) and carries historical essays by others in addition to the town historian. It also features thoughtful editorials that often draw on history by editor Melissa Hale-Spencer.  Back issues of The Enterprise are available online.

Guilderland also has a vibrant historical society, two libraries with books and other materials on Guilderland history, and many historical buildings. 

What we don’t have is a strategy for drawing on that history — in effect, putting it to work.

The comprehensive town plan, with an update completed last year, was, appropriately, future-oriented. But it did not go into the town’s history and did not draw on that valuable experiential base to help plan for the future. Nor did it include strategies for preservation and use of town history going forward.

A few things Guilderland might do:

— Celebrate Guilderland’s birthday, April 3, every year. That was the date in 1803 when the town was created by the state legislature. The first town board met for the first time a couple of days later at what is now the Appel Inn on Route 146.  This would be a chance every year to revisit, celebrate, and draw insights from our long history;

— Celebrate New York State’s birthday, April 20, every year. That was the day in 1777 when the first state constitution was completed in Kingston, transforming what had been the province of New York (under King George) into the state of New York, governed by its own citizens. This would be an opportunity to celebrate Guilderland history in the context of the larger history of the state;

— Hold commemorative activities every year during October, designated in state law as “New York State History Month,” a time to celebrate both state and local history;

— Provide for teaching some Guilderland history in the schools. Now, it is usually scarcely mentioned. Students ride to school through history every day. They ride on Route 20, for instance, without realizing that its origins can be traced back to the Great Western Turnpike, chartered in 1799. High schoolers probably don’t realize that the Northeastern Industrial Park adjacent to school grounds, began as the Guilderland Army Depot built in 1941, a major assembly point for material that sustained the American war effort in World War II. 

The State Education Department’s  4th- and 7-grade social-studies guidelines include provision for introduction of community history;

— Develop a policy for determining which buildings merit historical preservation either by the town requiring it or by purchasing them itself. This would not be limited to just “old” buildings in danger of deterioration or demolition, which is sometimes how people see “historical” buildings. Lasting historical significance would become the main criterion; and

— Provide for the more use of heritage structures that the town owns, e.g., Mynderse-Frederick House, Schoolcraft House, cobblestone schoolhouse in Guilderland Center. The town has wisely saved these for the people and over the years has maintained them and has put them to various uses. What is needed is a more comprehensive, inclusive, long-term plan.

Of course, these are just a few possibilities. 

Community history is beneficial in many ways. As the National Trust for Historic Preservation notes (https://savingplaces.org/building-stronger-communities), it fosters a shared identity, promotes a sense of belonging, strengthens social bonds, and fosters civic engagement.

Bruce W. Dearstyne

Guilderland

Editor’s note: Bruce W. Dearstyne has been a Guilderland resident since 1979. He is the author of several books on New York history and the editor of Revolutionary New York: 250 Years of Social Change  published in January 2026.