Town of Bethlehem Memorial VETERANS PARK

The history of the town of Bethlehem's involvement in military action, supporting our nation, traces back to the earliest days of the formation of our country. During the Revolutionary War period, twenty-seven local residents served as enlisted men and officers. Bethlehem men, and later, women, participated in subsequent conflicts identified on this website. Most of the names of individuals from the town of Bethlehem, who served in the military, are listed in the book, Bethlehem Revisited, which was published in 1993 under the auspices of the Bethlehem Bicentennial Commission.

In addition to sending sons and daughters to war, the town contributed to the national effort in other ways. It supplied food from its farming community to Revolutionary War soldiers stationed in the Albany area. Encampments, for training purposes, were established on land such as the Haswell Farm, as early as 1812. Later in the century, a military exercise known as "the battle of Slingerlands" took place. Citizen response during twentieth century conflicts included a variety of activities as preparing bandages for the Red Cross and manning air raid observation towers.

SUGGESTED FURTHER READING

Floyd Brewer, Sr. Ed., Bethlehem Revisited: A Bicentennial Story 1793-1993.

Howell and Tenney, History of the County of Albany, N. Y. from 1609 to 1886.

Kammen, Michael, Colonial New York: A History.

Parker, Amasa J., Ed., Landmarks of Albany County, New York.