Ruins of Uncle Sam's House

Sam Wilson was a Troy native and a supplier of meat to the Army in the War of 1812. His barrels were stamped with the initials "U.S.," which the soldiers claimed stood for a mythical benefactor, "Uncle Sam." Thus the national personification of America was born, although Sam Wilson looked nothing like the billy-goat-whiskered, top-hat-wearing cartoon character that would be created long after he was dead.