John and Susannah Morrissey Return to Saratoga Springs 

 

Award-Winning Historical Trilogy Celebrates the Couple Who Helped Shape Saratoga’s Rise

 

 

Via News Release

This August, Saratoga Springs welcomes back two of its most influential and fascinating historical figures — John and Susannah Morrissey.

Award-winning author Frank Baillargeon will appear in Saratoga during the first week of August for book signings and community events celebrating his acclaimed historical fiction trilogy:

Ambitions: The Life and Love of John and Susannah Morrissey

The three-volume series traces the extraordinary rise of Irish immigrant John Morrissey — prizefighter, entrepreneur, Congressman, horseracing pioneer, and founder of Saratoga’s famous thoroughbred racetrack — alongside his brilliant and often overlooked wife, Susannah Smith Morrissey. The Morrisseys survived financial collapse, political warfare, violence, illness, and reinvention.

Set against the explosive backdrop of 19th-century America, the novels follow the couple through the worlds of immigration, politics, gambling empires, New York power struggles, Civil War-era tensions, and the couples adoption of Saratoga Springs as their summer residence and expanding enterprises.

“John Morrissey helped change Saratoga forever,” said Baillargeon. “But this story is also about Susannah — her intelligence, emotional strength, and partnership in one of the most ambitious American journeys of the era.”

The trilogy has earned recognition for combining deep historical research with cinematic storytelling and emotional realism. Readers have praised the books for bringing Saratoga’s formative years vividly back to life while exploring timeless themes of ambition, resilience, love, reinvention, and the cost of success.

The Saratoga appearances will feature:

●       Author meet-and-greet opportunities: Friday August 7, from 6:00-8:00 and Sunday August 9 10:00-1:00

●       Signed editions of the trilogy

●       Discussions about the real history behind the Life and Love of John and Susannah Morrissey

●       Celebration of the Morrisseys’ enduring connection to Saratoga racing and culture

The campaign theme — “Welcome Back John and Susannah Morrissey” — reflects the couple’s historic role in Saratoga’s transformation during the 1860s and 1870s, when Morrissey helped establish thoroughbred racing as a defining part of the city’s identity, while Susannah hosted salons for women to discuss literature and critical issues of the day.

Baillargeon, a graduate of the University of Rochester’s American History Honors Program, began the series as a deeply personal mission to follow his father’s passion for expanding awareness of the Morrisseys.

The Dark Horse Mercantile at 445 Broadway in Downtown Saratoga Springs is looking forward to hosting Baillargeon on Friday August 7, from 6:00-8:00 and Sunday August 9 10:00-1:00. Meet Bailargeion, learn more about John and Susannah Morrissey and pick up a signed copy of each of his three books. Books are already in stock at The Dark Horse Mercantile and pre-orders are encouraged. Stop in or call 518-587-0689.