Albany
Albany

Author: John J. McEneny

Publisher:

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781892724533

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Beginning with its founding by the Dutch West India Company, all the intriguing details of its evolution are here'the fur trade, railroads and brewing industry as well as the political leaders that helped shape this great capital city. Written by beloved Albanian Assemblyman John McEneny and filled with hundreds of black and white and color images, a complete index, and an illustrated chronology of significant events in the state's history.

Southern Life, Northern City
Southern Life, Northern City

Author: Jennifer A. Lemak

Publisher: SUNY Press

Published: 2008-10-02

Total Pages: 211

ISBN-13: 0791475816

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The inspirational story of an African American community that migrated from the Deep South to Albany, New York, in the 1930s.

Helderberg Hilltowns
Helderberg Hilltowns

Author: John K. Elberfeld

Publisher: Arcadia Publishing

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 130

ISBN-13: 0738592684

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The early Dutch settlers in Albany called the hills to the west "Hellebergh," or "Clear Mountain." Little did they know of the rugged terrain that lay above the Helderberg Escarpment or of the hardy men and women who would one day tame that wilderness. Faced with thin soil and a harsh climate, the resourceful people of the Helderbergs established four towns: Berne, Knox, Rensselaerville, and Westerlo. The Hilltown farmers declared their independence from the feudal landlord system during the renowned anti-rent wars of the mid-1800s. As the agrarian economy faded, the enterprising Hilltowners used local resources in new ways to earn their livelihood. Landowners capitalized on the natural beauty of the region to attract tourists. Knox's cottage industry of wooden pillbox production brought it fame as the "Pillbox Capital of the World." Rensselaerville's Huyck Preserve created opportunities for the long-term study of biological systems. Helderberg Hilltowns takes the reader back to 1880 through 1950, a time of one-room schoolhouses, church socials, barn raisings, haying with draft horses, bobsledding parties, family reunions, and rocking chairs on the veranda.

Hidden History of the Lower Hudson Valley
Hidden History of the Lower Hudson Valley

Author: Carney Rhinevault

Publisher: Arcadia Publishing

Published: 2012-05-15

Total Pages: 223

ISBN-13: 1614238227

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Today's travelers between New York City and Albany are more familiar with the Thruway than with the old Albany Post Road. But for centuries, this was the main highway between the Big Apple and the capital, and many exciting events occurred along its path in the Lower Hudson Valley. The Dutch Philipse family of Sleepy Hollow engaged in piracy, and tales of such misdeeds from the region inspired Washington Irving to write some of his most beloved stories. Later, prisoners used the road as an escape route from the original Sing Sing prison. During Prohibition, a "beer hose" ran through Yonkers, allegedly placed along the route by beer baron Dutch Schultz. With illustrations by Tatiana Rhinevault, local historian Carney Rhinevault uncovers the stories hidden behind the old mile markers of the Albany Post Road.

Railroads of New York's Capital District
Railroads of New York's Capital District

Author: Timothy Starr

Publisher: Arcadia Publishing

Published: 2021-03-22

Total Pages: 128

ISBN-13: 1467105600

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New York's Capital District was ideally situated to become one of the nation's earliest and most important transportation crossroads. The Mohawk River was the only water level gap in the Appalachian range to the west, which led to the construction of the Erie Canal. Soon after its completion, the state's first railroad began operating between Albany and Schenectady in 1831. Other pioneer railroads followed, heading north to Canada, south to New York City, west to Chicago, and east to Boston. Over the next century, railroads like the New York Central, Boston & Albany, Boston & Maine, and Delaware & Hudson built extensive passenger stations, freight and classification yards, and repair shops in the tri-city region. Passenger operations continue today at the Schenectady and Albany-Rensselaer Amtrak stations, while the Selkirk Yard is still an important classification point for CSX Transportation.