Keith Herkalo was born in Plattsburgh in 1948 and raised in Philadelphia and Plattsburgh (the family moved to Plattsburgh every summer). After more than a decade in the military and an additional decade working for military equipment development firms in the Washington, D.C. area, he returned with his family to Plattsburgh (the proverbial return to Woebegon). It was then that he became more interested in Plattsburgh's history and specifically Plattsburgh's involvement in the War of 1812.
In speaking of Mr. Herkalo's book, the War of 1812 Magazine stated, "The 1814 British campaign against Plattsburgh is to this day, one of the more misunderstood episodes of the War of 1812. Author Keith Herkalo, a founding member and enthusiastic president of the Battle of Plattsburgh Association, now offers a revised and upgraded edition of an earlier edition of his work on this subject that readers of this magazine will certainly enjoy."
Keith is the retired City Clerk of Plattsburgh, the organizer of Plattsburgh's City Hall Auditorium restoration project, and holds a master's degree in archaeology and heritage.
He is a theater buff and musician; a diver, woodworker, plaster restorer, sailor, and a builder and member of the boat crew of the award-winning bateau "Rooster" (the 37-foot replica of an 1812-era work boat).
A founding member and current president of the Battle of Plattsburgh Association, Keith is an 1812-era re-enactor and historian who is the research catalyst behind the archaeological re-discovery and preservation of the 1812 camp site known as "Pike's Cantonment"; now a National Register site.
He and his wife, Joy, have completed a four-year odyssey in designing and building an energy-efficient, one-floor "retirement home" which features five and a half kilowatts of photovoltaic solar cells, super insulation, and under-floor heat provided by six roof-mounted solar-heated liquid panels.
In addition to his current work,"The Battles at Plattsburgh", he is the editor of "The Journal of H.K. Averill, Sr: An Account of the Battle of Plattsburgh and Early North Country Community", a primary source for information relating to early 1800's life in northern New York's Lake Champlain communities available from the Battle of Plattsburgh Association: www.battleofplattsburgh.org
He is a frequent contributor to various history publications and a speaker in historically-related venues in Canada and the United States for many years.
