WALRADT's FERRY

Recently a discussion broke out about a local Revolutionary War ferry. Long forgotten, this important historical site was simply known as Walrath’s Ferry. First mentioned in 1780, it served the Canajoharie Settlement on Sand Hill for some 23+ years. The date of its final demise is unknown. That said a study of primary historical documents reveals the following information. In the spring of 1780, the Revolutionary War was rapidly depleting the available population of men of an appropriate age to serve within the Militia. Thus every male citizen between the ages of 15 and 55 was required to take up arms in defense of the State. However, exemptions were made under the law for certain select individuals to be excused from these rigors with except in times of invasion or local emergency. Among those exempted, because of their great importance to the cause, were ferry operators. The law stipulated, however, that the said individual must be licensed by the State to obtain his exemption. Amongst those licensed under the Law exempting ferry operators was Johannes Walradt of the Palatine District. The exact text of his license is found in Volume 5 of The Public Papers of George Clinton, page 593, and reads:   We the Supervisors of Tryon County do hereby certify that the Place of John Walrad is very convenient to be an establish’d Ferry, and at this Time highly necessary to preserve a Communication between Forts Plank and Paris, and do hereby recommend the said John Walrad to his Excellency Governor Clinton, for a License for a Ferry across the Mohock River. Given under our Hands the 6th Day of April 1780.             Jelles Fonda, Chris’r P. Yates, John Pickerd, Augustinus Hess, Henrick Staring. The ferry was employed by the Fourth New York Regiment on June 15, 1780 to cross over the river as they marched eastward (Samuel Talmadges’s Orderly Book in the New York State Library) and from the Court Martial Proceedings against Robert Van Rensselaer, we learn that the ferry played a vital role in the defeat of the British forces which destroyed the Palatine District on October 19th, 1780 (The Public Papers of George Clinton, Volume 6). Lieutenant Colonel Marinus Willett is also stated to have employed the ferry in his October, 1781 pursuit of Major John Ross and Captain Walter Butler following the Battle of Johnstown (Conrad Widrig, RWPA #R11498), which lead to the death Butler at the base of Mount Farmen on the West Canada Creek (Jacob Coons, RWPA #R2291). On February 24, 1783, Lieutenant Witter Johnston was ordered to proceed to Walradt’s and remove all but one boat and to send any excess vessels found to Assistant Quarter Master General Henry Glen in Schenectady (RWPA #S23729). The last known evidence of militarily usage of the ferry comes from the Personal Journal of Lawrence Tremper which mentions it in October of 1784:   7th Proceeded on my Journey Breakfasted at Windeckers then went on to Yatses and took out a Rit for Lt John Mercer; I Dind at thi[s] I then Proceeded to Fort Plank to See the Sherf [Abraham Van Horne] But Could not find him at hom I then Returnd to the River and Crost the Ferry Lodgd at Wormuts From Certificates of Quit Rent Remissions submitted to the New York State Comptroller beginning in 1786, we learn that John Walradt owned a farm of 150 acres in Lot 4 of the Francis Harrison Patent during the American Revolution, and that a Peter Wormuth occupied a farm of 150 acres in Lot 5 of the same patent (New York State Archives Manuscript A1211). Fortunately, we have Benjamin Wright’s 1803 Survey of the Mohawk Riverfrom the Oneida County Historical Society which shows the actual site of the ferry, just shy of 43 miles above the City of Schenectady. This places the ferry approximately one road mile from the site of Fort Plank [44 miles from the City of Schenectady] and nearly two miles upriver from the site of Fort Rensselaer [41 miles from the City of Schenectady] as described in a 1780 Plan to Resupply Fort Schuyler [our modern Fort Stanwix] (The New-York Historical Society in New York City). The site, as shown by Wright, can still be seen today lying about mid-point between the southern tip of Abeel’s Island and Lock 15 of the “modern” Erie Canal. It is best viewed from the apex of Sand Hill which lies directly above it, but it can also be viewed from the Revolutionary War Farm of Adam and Casper Lipe, immediately above and behind the Fort Plain Museum partially occuping Lots Two and Three of the Otsquago Patent’s Expense Lot “B” (New York State Library Manuscript #10816 & New York City Surrogates Wills 33:420). A xerox copy of Benjamin Wright’s Survey showing the 1803 location of Walradt’s Ferry and a photograph of the site today can be viwed from within this website.