Adam Helmer’s Run Legends & Lore Marker Dedication
The Route 20 Association of New York State will host a Legends & Lore marker dedication ceremony commemorating the story of Adam Helmer’s Run in Richfield Springs, N.Y. The dedication will begin at 11 a.m. and take place at the village’s Spring Park. The unveiling ceremony will coincide with the opening of the 2019 Richfield Springs Farmers’ Market.
Adam Helmer was a member of a scouting party that was ambushed on Sept. 16, 1777 by a raiding party led by Chief Joseph Brant near South Edmeston. Helmer escaped and began a meandering run of approximately 30 miles from there to Fort Dayton in the Mohawk Valley, warning homesteaders along the way. He’s been credited with saving the lives of over 200 settlers. While the ambush and his arrival at Fort Dayton were well documented at the time, few details were known of his actual run. Then in the 1930s a descendant named Mildred Staunton interviewed descendants of many of the early settlers, using the oral history to determine the path he likely took. Running alongside Canadarago Lake, he likely passed through present day Richfield Springs in the vicinity of Spring Park.
Marker Inscription
ADAM HELMER’S RUN
CROSSED RT 20 NEAR HERE
WARNING GERMAN FLATTS
OF PENDING ATTACK BY
JOSEPH BRANT’S LOYALIST AND
NATIVE FORCES SEPT 17, 1778
NEW YORK FOLKLORE
WILLIAM G. POMEROY FOUNDATION 2018