Watervliet Historical Society

12/13/2019

Canal Boats on the Hudson River waiting to enter the Canal at the 23rd Street Side-cut. Note the days wash on boats. Circa early1900's

12/12/2019

Weigh Lock Park--located accross from dollar store & auto parts store on Route 32 in Maplewood. Moved from 23rd Street sidcut when the Canal was enlarged through West Troy in 1853. Note: railroad bridge in foreground. for more informaion on the Canal visit us at the Museum.

12/11/2019

Watervliet 23rd Street side-cut Looking North (Entrance to the Canal from the Hudson River on right) circa 1920's. Three Bridges over the Canal in view. The 1st (stages of being dismantled) and 2nd are on either side of the side-cut. The 2nd bridge is also a change bridge. Mules walking on the towpath on the West side of the Canal climb the ramp and cross over to the East side of the Canal where the towpath continues. The 3rd Bridge in the foreground crosses the Canal at 25th Street

12/05/2019

Congress Street Bridges

Congress Street Bridges

12/04/2019

Congress Street Bridges

Congress Street Bridges

12/04/2019

Watervliet Historical Society
Our Pot Luck Christmas Party is being held at the Watervliet Senior Center on Monday, December 9, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. Following will be a presentation by former Watervliet Arsenal Curator "Robert Pfeil" titled, "History of the Arsenal in Pictures". All area residents are welcome.

12/02/2019

Shaker Heritage Society

Saturday Morning Shaker Recipe: Watervliet Potato Griddle Cakes
Grate 6 raw potatoes, add 3 eggs, 5 tablespoons flour, 3 tablespoons cream, 2 teaspoons salt, and mix well.
Fry cakes in a greased pan or on a hot greased griddle until light brown on both sides. A nice variation is to use 2 teaspoons caraway seeds or dillweed to flavor.
Adapted from The Best of Shaker Cooking
Amy Bess Miller & Persis Fuller
Photo by Jan Kolar / VUI Designer on Unsplash

11/28/2019

How many of you went bowling here? Thorns Colony Recreation
Photo appears to be when the lanes were being installed. Anyone with other photos, please share.
Ads were submitted by Ken Ray and Richard Collier

11/28/2019

Congress Street Bridges

Congress Street Bridges

11/22/2019

The Cohoes Music Hall

Come celebrate with us this weekend with the 'The Cohoes Music Hall 145 Birthday Celebration'! The Hall opened in 1874 and for her 145th birthday, we're throwing a party!

This two-day FREE event starts on November 22 at 6:00 pm at the Cohoes Visitor Center. This will be fun for the whole family! Visit http://bit.ly/145birthdayCMH for details!

#CohoesMusicHall

11/21/2019

Pier holding center of Congress Street Bridge.The open field in the middle is now hudson Shore Park.

11/20/2019

Congress Street Bridges

Congress Street Bridges

11/20/2019

23rd st upper side cut

11/19/2019

The Watervliet Arsenal

05/11/2019

New York State Library

To celebrate National Nurses Week, we chose a recruiting poster for nurses: "Five Thousand by June / Graduate Nurses / Your Country Needs You." The poster is from one of our a favorite collections - and a fantastic source of commercial art from the early 20th century - the World War I poster collection. View the World War I Posters Collection finding aid at our website: http://ow.ly/wbxQ30oGIpH

04/27/2019

Hudson River Lightkeeper

City Of Watervliet ferry to Troy

04/24/2019

Historic Albany Rural Cemetery

April is National Volunteer Month and, as we continue to plan tours and other events for 2019, we'd welcome you as a volunteer. From assisting with registration at events to cleaning monuments (training provided), there's much that you can do to help. If you're interested, please send us an email to [email protected] or stop by the office during our regular hours for a volunteer form.

04/08/2019

Hudson River Lightkeeper

Hudson River Lightkeeper

A Glorious Hudson River Steamboat Called the Alexander Hamilton
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmK8HrCtg6k

04/04/2019

The Watervliet Historical Society will have a meeting Tuesday, April 9, 2019, at 6:30 PM at the Watervliet Senior Center, 1501 Broadway, following the Meeting will be a video presentation @ 7:15 PM “Steamboats on the Hudson “. Refreshments will be served.

04/03/2019

Historic Albany Rural Cemetery

On May 18, Albany Rural Cemetery will be presenting our second annual Historic Walking Tour.

Last year's tour was a great success and feature actors in period attire as various notable figures interred at the Cemetery, including Charles Fort, Louis Menand, Emily Weed Barnes, Mary McPherson, Adolph Von Steinwehr, and Stephen Van Rensselaer III.

This year's tour will feature several returning cast members and a new set of historic figures who will share their stories (hint: one of them is a character in Hamilton at Proctors).

Last year's event sold out very quickly and we expect a great deal of interest in this year's tour.

Tickets will go on sale on April 11 to members of the Friends of Albany Rural Cemetery and the Historical Society Town Of Colonie, New York. Remaining tickets will go on sale to non-members on April 18. Ticket sales will be online only this year due to demand and there will be no advance registration or waiting list.

If you are not yet a member of the Friends of Albany Rural Cemetery and would like to join in time for the advance sale, please stop in the office and fill out a membership form. Membership starts at $35 and includes our quarterly newsletter.

04/01/2019

Lansingburgh Historical Society

TROY IN THE CIVIL WAR
AN ILLUSTRATED LECTURE
NOT TO BE MISSED!

Whether you’re a Civil War buff, a fan of local history, or just enjoy spending an evening with your friends and neighbors learning something new, you won’t want to miss this unique event sponsored by the Lansingburgh Historical Society.

On Thursday April 11, 2019, Historian Michael Barrett, will present Troy in the Civil War, an illustrated lecture, at the Van Schaick County Club, at 201 Continental Ave., Cohoes, NY 12047

Make a night of it and enjoy dinner at your own expense from a select menu beginning at 5:30 PM, and look forward to Michael's presentation starting at 7 PM. Of course, you're welcome to arrive for the lecture only at 7 PM.

The $10 donation for the lecture, benefits the work of the Lansingburgh Historical Society.

Reservations encouraged but not required should you choose to enjoy your dinner at Van Schaick (518) 237-0145.

Please share this post! We're looking forward to a large crowd for this unique and entertaining lecture!

03/24/2019

Hudson River Lightkeeper

Old Postcards Of The Hudson River – A Visual History
Towing on the Hudson

03/12/2019

Hudson River Lightkeeper

Old Postcards Of The Hudson River - A Visual History
Albany & Troy Line Steamers at Albany

03/10/2019

Hudson River Lightkeeper

Old Postcards Of The Hudson River - A Visual History
Tug on the Hudson in Winter

03/02/2019

Lansingburgh Historical Society

OUR FIRST
OPEN HOUSE
OF 2019

Will be held one week from today, on Saturday March 9th, 2019. In honor of the 200th Birthday Anniversary of Herman Melville, all of our open houses in 2019, will feature a local artist.

On Saturday, March 9, from 10A to 2 pm, Photographer Fred Coffey's art will be displayed in the first floor parlor of the 1786 Melville House, at 2 - 114th Street, Troy New York 12182.

All three floors of the Melville House will be open for touring from 10A to 2p, refreshments will be served, and Fred's work, framed/unframed, post cards, and greeting cards will be available for viewing and purchase.

Your $5 donation to the Melville house tour, enables us to continue our work in preserving and promoting local history.

02/15/2019

The Watervliet Historical Society will have a meeting on Tuesday, February 19, 2019 at 6:30 pm at The Watervliet Senior Center, 1501 Broadway, Watervliet, NY. Following the meeting will be a 1 hour video dealing the History of Trolleys. Refreshments will be served.

01/25/2019

Iced over: Crossing the Hudson in winter before the bridges were built

Iced over: Crossing the Hudson in winter before the bridges were built

In the days before technology and engineering began to remove barriers posed by a frozen river, the predominant form of transportation once ice closed the river to shipping was the horsedrawn sleigh.

01/06/2019

Official Trailer | Erie: The Canal That Made America

https://www.pbs.org/video/preview-fjiyho/?fbclid=IwAR1B1-usg07cX7xvInYsZHogbB4PV-D8f7ijDAC6k74B3qhYHlol0wmn4QY

This documentary marks the bicentennial of the start of construction of the Erie Canal.

12/21/2018

The Watervliet Historical Society Museum will be closed from Saturday 12/22/2018 until Wednesday, January 9, 2019. We can open by appointment during this period if so desired by calling 518-428-2605. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

12/16/2018

The Watervliet Historical Society will have their Annual Pot Luck Christmas Party on Monday, December 17, 2018 at the Waterviet Senior Center at 6:30 P.M. Bring something to share.

12/15/2018

Historian's Open House • Blog | Albany Diocesan Cemeteries

Historian's Open House • Blog | Albany Diocesan Cemeteries

Albany Diocesan Cemeteries' Historian’s Open House at Historic St. Agnes Cemetery, Menands. Copy fees for requested records will be waved during open house.

12/13/2018

Friends of Albany History

Friends of Albany History

Albany Cakes for Christmas? So Many Kinds -So Little Time

‘Tis the season for baking and what better than an Albany Cake? But which Albany Cake? The pudding? The cookies? Or an actual cake?

From the early 1800s to the early 1900s Albany Cake was a thing. Well, actually, many things. English cookbooks equate Albany cakes to “Dutch Pudding” in 1810. In the 1840s-1860s it appears Albany Cake was really a large soft cookie.. more like tea cakes. We found Albany newspaper ads for bakeries in 1841 – Albany Cakes are sold alongside “Lafayette Jumbles” – jam filled small sponge cakes and “Jackson Snaps” – crisp, thin lemon cookies, Plum Pudding and Dutch New Year’s Cake - caraway seed cookies.

As we looked through old books and newspapers from the 19th and early 20th century for Albany Cake we found at least a dozen different recipes for pudding, cookies and cakes.

Here are four – from 1810 to 1922

“Dutch Pudding, or Albany Cake”
Mix 2 lbs. or less of good flour with a lb. of butter melted in ½ pint of milk. Add to this 6 eggs, separately well beaten, ½ lb. of fine sifted sugar, 1 lb. of cleaned currants and a few chopped almonds, or a little candied orange peel, chopped fine. Put into it 4 spoonfuls of yeast. Cover it up for an hour or two, and bake for an hour in a wide flattish dish. When cold it eats well as cake (“New London Cookery”, Esther Copley, London 1810)

Albany Cake
½ lb. of sugar and ¼ lb. of butter beaten to a cream; 1 tsp. of cream of tartar, ¾ lb. sifted flour, 1/2 tsp. of soda dissolved in a cup milk. Mix well, roll out and cut into small cakes. Bake immediately. (“Mrs. Goodfellows Cookery as it Should be”, 1865)

Albany Cake
1 ½ lbs. of flour, ½ lb. of powdered sugar, ½ lb. butter, ½ pint black molasses, ¼ pint sweet milk, ½ teacup brandy, ½ yeast cake, cinnamon, cloves, ½ lb. of raisins, ½ lb. currants. This cake demands rather a long baking in a moderate oven. If iced it will keep for weeks. (“Harper’s Bazaar” 1905)

Albany Cakes
1 lb. sugar, ½ lb. butter and lard mixed, 1 egg, ½ pint sour cream. ½ tsp. soda and 1 ¼ lb. flour. Let stand in ice box overnight. In the morning roll in long pieces and twist around to form a cookie. Sprinkle top with granulated sugar. (“The All-American Cookbook”, 1922)

Luckily, a young food blogger recently converted an 1840 recipe (from a Canadian author) for Albany Cake to a contemporary form so you can try it out for the Holidays - icing and sprinkles would be very festive. (The Canadian author lived just west of Buffalo in Ontario.)

Julie O'Connor

12/01/2018

Hart Cluett Museum

🌲Welcome to the 2018 Greens Show! 🌲

We are *officially* open for business. 😁

Our schedule for this year's show is as follows...

Today we're here from noon - 5 pm (regular admission), then from 5 pm - 8 pm is our Free Community Night, sponsored by Duncan & Cahill, and Stewart's!

We will have crafts for kids, a visit from Santa, 🎅 and other special things you won't want to miss out on! Bring the kids, bring the whole family..!

Tomorrow we're here from noon - 5 pm, then we'll be staying open late, from 5 pm - 8 pm for Troy Night Out.

Tomorrow is also Sage Colleges half-price 💲 admission day! Students and Faculty receive a discount with proper ID!

*NEW* for this year, we're also having very special 🔦Lamp Light Tours during TNO only, (Friday night), by reservation, at 6 pm & 7 pm. There are still a few slots left!!

Saturday and Sunday we're here from noon - 5 pm.

Will you be out and about in Troy for the Victorian Stroll on Sunday? Make sure to come to RCHS to see our incredibly beautiful and magical show, the show that started it all for the Victorian Stroll!

There's really too much to list here that's going on, just come on down!

Hope to see you soon 🤩🤩🤩

For more info and to purchase tickets to the show or for the Lamp Light Tours, please visit our website:

https://www.rchsonline.org/calendar/62nd-annual-holiday-greens-show

P.S. The Holiday gift shop will be open during the entire run of the show!

RCHS members receive a 10% discount in the shop.

11/13/2018

I believe these were West Troy Meneely bells

Brant Caird has posted a video, so you can hear the bells. Here are some photos. Mount Ida Celebrated the 100th Anniversary of the armistice that ended WWI- it was effective 100 years ago Sunday, at 11 minutes past 11 AM on the 11th day of the eleventh month of 1918. Technically it took place in France, so they would have been 6 hours ahead of us, but 11:11 AM was better. I have included some pictures, showing Jean O’Hara, Ned Pratt, and Brant Caird tolling our bells [Ned and Brant just posed for the picture, Jean did the work. Patti Varner also participated

11/10/2018

11/05/2018

Troy Irish Genealogy Society

BROUGHT TO LIGHT
On November 5th at 6pm, the COHOES PUBLIC LIBRARY will have a showing of the local documentary "BROUGHT TO LIGHT" This program will start with a brief introduction by filmmaker Barbara Reina with the movie (60m) following. Afterwards there will be a Q and A session.
This documentary explores Black History and the efforts of some Hudson Valley residents to restore respect to the Persons of Color Cemetery. Unearthing the History of an African-American Cemetery in Kinderhook, NY is a story of rediscovery, respect and change. In rural Upstate New York, the cleanup efforts by a few villagers of some stone markers in an overgrown field lead to the rediscovery of a forgotten, “slaves’ cemetery” in which hundreds of African Americans were buried during the 1800s.

10/26/2018

Hudson Mohawk Industrial Gateway

Next Saturday, Nov. 3, is our annual "Origins of the Modern Horseshoe" tour. The event begins at 1 pm in the Burden Iron Works Museum where Gateway Senior Scholar Tom Carroll will relate the story of Henry Burden, his development of machines to make horseshoes and the building of the world's most powerful vertical water wheel to power the machines. Former Watervliet Arsenal senior machinist Bob Rawling will demonstrate his working models of Burden's machines. The tour finishes with an optional hike through the woods to the water wheel site. The tour costs $15. To sign up or for more information, email [email protected] or call 518-274-0846. This is a popular tour, so sign up soon! If you plan to hike to the wheel site, dress appropriately.

10/05/2018

Photos: Volunteers help restore veterans' gravesites

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Photos-Volunteers-help-restore-veterans-13283714.php?utm_campaign=fb-desktop&utm_source=CMS+Sharing+Button&utm_medium=social

Watervliet Volunteers this week helped restore the St. Patrick's Cemetery as part of the Veterans Memorial Restoration Program.

10/03/2018

Volunteers clean up veterans' gravestones at Watervliet cemetery

https://wnyt.com/news/volunteers-clean-up-veterans-gravestones-st-patricks-cemetery-watervliet-albany-county/5095063/?cat=10114

10/01/2018

Albany Diocesan Cemeteries

Two volunteer days, October 3 & 4, 2018 are planned (weather permitting) for the Veterans Memorial Restoration Project at St. Patrick’s Cemetery, Watervliet and we could use your help!

https://blog.capitaldistrictcemeteries.org/restoration-project-st-patricks-cemetery-watervliet/

09/21/2018

Troy Irish Genealogy Society

Family Tree Lookup Day - Sunday September 23, 12:30-3:30 at the Waterford Public Library

09/18/2018

Troy Irish Genealogy Society

Troy Irish Genealogy Society

The September 2018 meeting of TIGS will be a tour of the Albany County Hall of Records in lieu of a business meeting. The tour will be held on Thursday September 20th at 3:00PM at their facility located at 95 Tivoli Street. We are LIMITED to 15 people so the first 15 reservations will be honored. Please RSVP to [email protected] by Tues 9/18/18. http://albanycounty.com/Government/Departments/AlbanyCountyHallofRecords.aspx