CLARKSVILLE — It is the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, but do you know what our state did during this war, which was fought largely within the borders of New York?  This war is now a “huh?” event but it had impact in almost every region of the state. 

On Wednesday, April 2, historian Robert Mulligan will present an interesting and fast-moving program on this topic at the Clarksville Community Church on the Delaware Turnpike in Clarksville, beginning at 7 p.m. His talk kicks off the spring programs for the Clarksville Historical Society.

Even though New York was opposed to the war, the state was the unwilling site of several of its most ruinous battles.  In 1814, the Americans won what may have been the most important battle of the entire war near Plattsburg.

About one-fifth of the men in the United States Army were New Yorkers.  The war affected life in New York, from Buffalo to the New York harbor.

The program will include a display of artifacts from the time period.

Mulligan, a member of Clarksville Historical Society, is a native of the area and was, for 25 years, the associate curator of military history at the New York State Museum.  He is a graduate of New York State College for Teachers at Albany and the Cooperstown Program in Museum Studies.

The program is open to the public.  Refreshments will be served following the presentation.  Join us for the evening.  For more information, call 768-2870.

Editor’s note: Marilyn Miles is a member of the Clarksville Historical Society.