Burnt Hills is a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

within the town of Ballston, in

Saratoga County Saratoga County is a county in the U.S. state of New York, and is the fastest-growing county in Upstate New York. As of the 2020 United States census, the county's population was enumerated at 235,509, its highest decennial count ever and a ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, United States. Its ZIP code is 12027. It is situated along

NY 50 New York State Route 50 (NY 50) is a state highway in the Capital District of New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an intersection with NY 5 in Scotia. Its northern terminus is at a junction wi ...

, approximately 14 miles south of downtown

Saratoga Springs Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over ...

, and 8.5 miles north of downtown

Schenectady Schenectady ( ) is a City (New York), city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-most populo ...

. The hamlet and its surrounding areas send their children to schools in the

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Central School District Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Central School District is a suburban school district headquartered in the Hostetter Leadership Center in Burnt Hills, a hamlet in Ballston, New York. In addition to the Town of Ballston (including the hamlets of Burnt ...

, affectionately referred to as "BH-BL". The school district's offices are on Lakehill Road within the Burnt Hills hamlet.

History

The hamlet derives its name from the fact that the area was burned over at the time the first settlers arrived. The records of the Burnt Hills Baptist Church extend back to 1791. The father of the notorious

Tory A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...

spy in the

Revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...

, Joseph Bettys, was an early settler, and "Bettys Tavern" is located just north. Bettys Tavern burned down in 1998.

Notable people

Jeff Blatnick Jeffrey Carl "Jeff" Blatnick (July 26, 1957 – October 24, 2012) was an American super heavyweight Greco-Roman wrestler and sports commentator. He won NCAA Division II heavyweight wrestling championships in 1978 and 1979 and won the Olympic go ...

(1957–2012), Olympic wrestler, coached wrestling in Burnt Hills * Alice Mary Dowd (1855–1943), author, poet, and teacher, taught in Burnt Hills *

Brian Emrich Brian Emrich (born April 14, 1961) is a sound designer, composer, and musician. His sound design credits include the films ''π'', ''Requiem for a Dream'', ''One Hour Photo'' and ''Phone Booth''. He records music under the moniker Psilonaut, ...

(born 1961), musician and composer * Thomas Lown (1904–1977), boxer, died in Burnt Hills *

Craig Peterson Craig Peterson (born July 18, 1985) is an American football placekicker for the Bay Area Panthers of the Indoor Football League (IFL). Peterson won the IFL championship with the Panthers in 2023. Professional career On March 23, 2015, Peterson ...

(born 1985), American Football placekicker * Florence Purington (1862–1950), first dean of

Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States. It is the oldest member of the h ...

* Gilbert T. Seelye (1877–1962), politician * Eric Torkelson (born 1952), American football running back, BH-BL graduate *Ethan Owen (born 2009), BH-BL distance runner, placed 37th overall for distance races in NY state

Notes

Hamlets in Saratoga County, New York Hamlets in New York (state) {{SaratogaCountyNY-geo-stub