Don Rittner
Twas The Night Before Christmas Began in Troy By Don Rittner on December 11, 2010 at 12:51 AM
Twas The Night Before Christmas Began in Troy
Perhaps the most famous holiday poem ever is
“Twas The Night Before Christmas” or as the author Clement Moore penned it,
“A Visit from St. Nicholas.” Many do not realize that there is a local connection to this poem.
Original publication of poem in Troy Sentinel, Dec. 23, 1823.
Clement C. Moore, (1779-1863) was the son of Benjamin Moore, the president of Columbia College (have seen him associated with King’s College as well) and second Protestant Episcopal Bishop of New York. Because of his financially secure background, he had donated 60 some acres of land in 1819 to establish the General Theological Seminary, where he taught several courses and authored the