Clifton Park buys land to grow Garnsey Park

CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. (NEWS10) - The town of Clifton Park has purchased a 1.91-acre plot of land as a method of investing in its history. The town has purchased the vacant property at 1503 and 1505 State Route 146 - right next door to a park and trail in need of extension.

The land is adjacent to Garnsey Park, a more than 248-acre area of green land at the western end of Clifton Park. It's home to the Garnsey yellow trail, which is now set to be extended using the new parcels of land. The property also allows the park to grow closer to the historic Garnsey family cemetery.

The Garnsey name is significant to the history of Clifton Park. Nathan Garnsey is remembered as an early settler of Clifton Park, and his son, Nathan Garnsey Jr., served as the community's second town supervisor in 1829. Another family member, Mercy Harris Garnsey, was a witness to the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, as a guest in Lincoln's box at Ford's Theatre. Mercy's brother, Ira Harris served as a lawyer in Albany, who eventually served as a state Supreme Court Justice and a United States Senator during the Civil War. Many members of the family are buried at the nearby Garnsey cemetery.

The new property was purchased for $130,000 from Christopher Hyde. It joins an original two parcels of property spanning nearly 150 acres, as well as 97 acres of woodland that connects the park area with Waite Road. With the new addition, Garnsey Park will span over 250 acres. The project has been handled by the town's Historic Preservation Commission and Town Historian John Scherer.