Hudson Mohawk Industrial Gateway

08/29/2026

Matt and Nicole from local PBS station WMHT recently visited the Burden Iron Works Museum and produced a short episode for their series "Field Trip." Watch it here (scroll down):

Field Trip is a digital series where WMHT's producers explore the local community, from pets and hikes to cheesecake and drinks!

08/24/2026

We apologize for not mentioning the bicentennial of the chartering of the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad, in April 2026. The line opened for traffic between Schenectady and Albany in 1831. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was chartered a year later, but opened earlier, in 1830.

08/20/2026

Troy’s Kate Mullany. No authenticated image of her exists.

08/15/2026

At the Burden Iron Works Museum, we are all about horseshoes. This pile of horseshoes at an exhibit at the Southern Vermont Art Center, however, bear little resemblance to the wrought iron horseshoes cranked out by Henry Burden's famous machine. Rather they are racing horseshoes, apparently called plates, and they are made out of aluminum. They are still attached to the hoof with nails, anyway.

08/10/2026

Troy was the "Collar City," and numerous companies made collars and cuffs, and later shirts. It is perhaps not surprising that a laundry machinery company also developed in Troy. The Troy Laundry Machinery Co. produced a wide range of machines in wood and copper, including specialized models for collars and cuffs.

08/01/2026

Gateway Executive Director Susan Ouellette will give a presentation at the Troy Public Library on August 6 at 3:30 pm on Henry Burden. According the the library announcement, "Learn about Henry Burden, a prominent figure in Troy’s golden age. How did this Scottish-born engineer come to be a Trojan Titan? Join us to find out!"

07/21/2026

Here's another elaborately decorated stove. You can find it at the Augustus Saint-Gaudens National Historic Park in Cornish, NH. It was cast by a Massachusetts foundry. The site features his home, studio and examples of his sculpture.

07/18/2026

Local inventor David N. Haas of Poestenkill, NY, recently passed away. After graduating from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1986, he established Haas Manufacturing Co. The company makes advanced computer-controlled valves that are used by many firms in the food processing and other industries.

David Hass made bread, invented an industry tool and served Poestenkill without accepting a paycheck.