The Otselic Valley Fishing and Heritage Association will be sponsoring a field trip on Saturday, September 14 to Nichols Pond, Fort Stanwix, the Oneida Carry, and the Oriskany Battlefield. (Submitted photo)

MADISON COUNTY - The Otselic Valley Fishing and Heritage Association (OVFHA) will be sponsoring a field trip on Saturday, September 14 of important historic sites that will supplement our Follett Foundation Reading Program, featuring Daniel Koch’s “Land of the Oneidas” and Walter Edmonds’ “Drums Along the Mohawk.”

Our journey back into history will begin at Nichols Pond, then proceed to Fort Stanwix, the Oneida Carry, and conclude at the Oriskany Battlefield. Nichols Pond, in Madison County, will be our first stop, the site of an ancient Oneida Village. Please meet there at 9:30 a.m. at the park, located at 5797 Nichols Pond Road in the Town of Fenner.

At 10:15 a.m. we will leave and travel to Fort Stanwix, located at 112 East Park Street in Rome, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Oneida Nation will be offering a variety of programs that will celebrate the Nation as the “first allies” of the Americans in the Revolutionary War.

Lunch will be on your own; bring a picnic lunch or purchase food at a variety of places in Rome.

The third stop will be a few blocks away from the Fort at the Oneida Carry, one of the most sought-after pieces of real estate on the entire frontier, because of its strategic water passage from the Hudson River to Lake Ontario and beyond. Lots of blood was spilled over this critical portage. The address is 519 West Liberty Street in Rome. Please plan to arrive at 2:10 p.m.

At 2:30 p.m. we will head for our last stop at the Oriskany Battlefield, one of the bloodiest and most significant battles of the Revolutionary War, where Oneidas and Americans fought as allies against the British, Tories, and Senecas. We will stay until 3:45 p.m. The address is 7801 State Route 69 in Oriskany.

This program is open to anyone who would like to explore this important history. You don’t have to be registered for the reading program/book study to attend. A few more sets of free books are available for folks who still wish to join our discussion on Saturday, October 12 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Chenango County Historical Society and Museum in Norwich.

- Information provided by OVFHA