Revolutionary Trail Scenic Byway

One of 13 Scenic Byways of the Adirondack North Country

• Scotia - Dock at the village pier on the Mohawk River and visit this small town with a public beach on Collins Lake. Or bird watch at the scantuary on Scotia Island on the river. By the mid 1800's Scotia was the center of the country's largest broom industry with almost 100 operating broomcorn farms, manufacturing up to 1,000,000 brooms a year.
• Amsterdam - Visit the Walter Elwood Museum, one of only two public school-operated museums in New York with exhibits on life in the Mohawk Valley. In 1912,
this city of 32,000 was bustling - it was known as The Carpet City. Nearby is Fort Johnson where Sir William Johnson's negotiations with the Iroquois nations kept them on the side of the British during the French and Indian War.
• Fonda - Two miles away is the The National Shrine of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha - only completely excavated Iroquois Indian village in the country. Also here is the Fonda Fair and the Fonda Speedway.
• Palatine Bridge - namesake of the early German settlers from the Palatinate, was formed in 1788 from a large part of the Palatine District of old Montgomery County.
• Little Falls - The General Herkimer State Historic Site near Little Falls pays homage to Herkimer County's namesake and Revolutionary War hero, General Nicholas Herkimer, a wealthy farmer who built his Georgian-style mansion in 1764. The home still stands as grand as it was more than 200 years ago. There are many period furnishings in the house, and the landscape is remarkably unchanged from the days when he lived there. Another well-known historic home, and restaurant, is the Beardslee Mansion, a castle based on one in Ireland whose owner also built a dam on the Mohawk River and sold electricity in 1898 to St. Johnsville and to farmers from the surrounding areas.
  The deep chimney potholes, scoured in the stone by the swirling waters, at the end of the last ice age, are a geological marvel. Many of the larger pot holes are located on Moss Island, adjacent to Lock 17. If one searches carefully, "Little Falls Diamonds" can be located along various outcroppings. Excellent examples of the unique crystals found in this area are on display at the Public Library and Little Falls Historical Society Museum. The society offers exhibits of Little Falls memorabilia, genealogical files, tours,and a gift shop featuring handmade crafts, antiques, linens and postcards. Parks like Moreland Park, for example, located in a wooded setting, offer facilities for family and small group picnics and outings. There is also, located along the south bank of the Erie Canal, the Miller Bicycle and Exercise Trail, ideal for taking a casual walk. Interpretive signs of the Mohawk Valley Heritage Corridor are found in and around Little Falls. Since 1988, each year in August, Little Falls celebrates a mini 5 day Mardi Gras, Canal Days. Enjoy glimpses into the history of Little Falls.
• Herkimer - The Herkimer County Historical Society, located in a Queen Anne style building, is one of four buildings on the National Register at Herkimer's Historic Four Corners. It offers a local and genealogical research library, rotating and permanent exhibits and tours of the Keller Doll House. It contains the 1834 Jail Gift Shop which offers souvenirs, books and gifts relevant to the area, a library, and many exhibits about historical events in Herkimer County. Across the street is the Herkimer County Courthouse, built in 1848, and close by, is the original 1834 county jail, made famous in "An American Tragedy" by Theodore Dreiser. It's the jail where Chester Gillette waited for his trial for the Grace Brown murder. Enjoy the pictorial history of the village of Herkimer from the early 1900's to 2002 contrasted with the latest artwork on exhibit at the Herkimer Community College Cogar Art Gallery.
  Herkimer County is also known for having some of the oldest quartz crystals, the Herkimer Diamonds, in the world. The Diamond Mines in Herkimer;the Ace of Diamonds Mine in Middleville; and the Treasure Mountain Diamond Mine in Little Falls, are some of the places where visitors can gather some of these doubly-terminated crystals (points at both ends). Mining can be as easy as picking them up off the ground or as difficult as breaking rock with hammers and chisels. The views while mining can be spectacular - Adirondack foothills to the north and Mohawk Valley to the south.
• Utica - visit the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute, famous for its collections of 18th, 19th, and 20th century American and European arts. All 25,000 pieces! Learn about the ethnic heritage of the area when you visit the eating establishments of the region such as the 90 year old local pizza shop where they still make their world famous tomato pie. Utica is known for its great food. . Do not miss the "Mexican baroque" Stanley Performing Arts Center and the Utica Children's Museum. Be sure to take time for a tour of the F.X. Matt Brewery, home of the famous Saranac line of beers. Between the Erie Canal and the Mohawk River, the Utica Marsh Wildlife Management Area, a mixture of cattail wetlands, wet meadows, open water pools and flooded willows create a diverse marsh habitat that harbors a tremendous variety of plants and animals, especially birds.
• Oriskany - plan to visit the Oriskany Battle Site , where General Herkimer's militia was ambushed in what was a turning point in the Revolutionary War. The Battle of Oriskany, fought on August 6, 1777, has been described as one of the bloodiest battles of the American Revolution. The war, thus far, had brought a series of disasters to the armies of the rebellious American colonists. In the first murderous volley, General Herkimer's horse was shot from beneath him and his leg shattered by a musketball. Sitting beneath a beech tree, propped against his saddle and smoking an old black pipe, Herkimer continued to direct the battle. This battle is also recognized as having broken the The Great Peace where Indian nations allied under the Iroquois Confederacy fought as enemies for the first time in many generations.
• Rome - do not miss Fort Stanwix nor the Erie Canal Village where in July 4, 1817, the first shovelful of earth was turned for the construction of the original Erie Canal. To learn more about Rome, home of Revere Copper and Brass, and people such as Francis Bellamy who wrote the Pledge of Allegiance, visit the Rome Historical Society Museum and the Rome Art and Community Center. View some photos of Rome. Nearby is the Oneida Indian Nation. Also nearby is the Rome Sand Plains, a combination of high sand dunes and low peat bogs, making this area a rare natural feature.
• Camden - visit Oneida Lake and/or Forest Park for picnicking and bicycling. Mad River runs through the town of Camden which was formed from the town of Mexico on the 15th of March in 1799.
• Altmar-Albion - visit the Salmon River Fish Hatchery, the mainstay of DEC's stocking program for Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, located in the Village of Altmar in Oswego County. The hatchery attracts more than 500,000 visitors annually, many of whom come to watch egg collections from steelhead, coho salmon and chinook salmon returning to the hatchery. Annual fish production totals 120,000 pounds.
• Pulaski - visit the Salmon River, famous for its salmon and steelhead fishing. Explore the Great Salmon Wilderness, the southern entrance to the Tug Hill Region and the western entrance to the Adirondack North Country Region.

Maps of Adirondack North Country
and Tourist Oriented Signage