August 1, 2026, 10:00am – 4:00pm, Rogers Island Visitors Center.
Would you like to own a piece of local history? The Rogers Island Visitors Center will have 20 bricks from Old Fort Edward available for sale at our 25th Anniversary Event on August 1st! The bricks have been donated by Neal Orsini and all proceeds from the sale will go to support the Rogers Island Visitors Center.
The story of the bricks:
Thirty some odd years ago Neal bought a property on Edward street on the site of the Old Fort. In its dirt floor basement was/is a huge pile of old bricks. The Fort Edward Town Historian, Paul McCarty, alerted him to the historical importance of the bricks.
Neal asked Dave McDougall, the gentleman who created The Anvil and whose family goes back generations in this neighborhood, what he knew about them. Dave has long passed, but he told Neal that his grandfather told him that they would dig a pit to a depth under the frost line and cover it. When the frost settled in, they would uncover the pit and burrow it out, reclaiming anything they would find. The bricks were one of the finds, but there were many others. Native American artifacts, pottery, musket balls, and other things.
The Edward Street property was also the site of many of Dr. Starbucks digs with the Adirondack Community College Archaeological Field School. Many of the artifacts on display at RIVC came from those digs.
How to purchase a brick:
When: August 1, 2026, 10am-4pm
Where: Rogers Island Visitors Center
Price: $40 (Cash or Credit Cards accepted)
In-person sales only on August 1st-no phone or emailed orders. If there are any bricks remaining at the end of the event, they will be available at the Visitors Center Gift Shop during normal open hours.