This is another post about this upcoming tour, which still has slots open. Besides looking at Erie Canal sites, we will also stop at two Herkimer family sites, Fort Herkimer Church and the Herkimer Home, photos below, less than 10 miles away. Both sites tell part of the America250 story.

The photo below I took with my back to the Canal/Mohawk River. The home and the fort are visible from a passing boat, altghough you have to know when to look.

The Herkimer family cemetery is on high ground near the house. Part of what interests me about the family is how siblings were divided in their loyalties during the American Revolution. Older brother Nicholas distinguished himself on the patriot side, whereas his younger brother Johan Jost sided with the Loyalists, fighting against Nicholas at the battle at Oriskany. Johan Jost eventually was forced to become a refugee , banished from the United States, and became a United Empire Loyalist.

Nicholas and Johan Jost’s father, also Johan Jost, was born in what is now southern Germany.

To register for this Canal Society Study Tour, click here and follow to the end of the post.

All photos, WVD.