New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Transportation History

An American Literary Giant Takes A Hudson River Excursion By Sloop In 1801

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Lithograph by E. Whitefield of Tivoli, or Upper Red Hook, Landing, Hudson RiverThe following text about a sloop journey up the Hudson River in 1801 was originally published In The Life of Charles Brockden Brown by William Dunlap (Philadelphia 1815). It was transcribed by Hudson River Maritime Museum volunteer researcher George A. Thompson and additionally edited and annotated by John Warren.

Very suddenly conceived the design of voyaging up the Hudson River, as far as Albany. Had heard much of the grandeur of its shores, but never had gone above ten miles from New York. My friend C. having some leisure was willing to adventure for ten days or a fortnight, and I having still more, and being greatly in want of air and exercise, agreed to accompany him. We found a most spacious and well furnished vessel, captain R.—– in which we embarked at sunset this day. The wind propitious [favorable] and the air wonderfully bland [not foul, like the air in New York at this time]. [Read more…] about An American Literary Giant Takes A Hudson River Excursion By Sloop In 1801

New York State Canals Bicentennial: Some History & Plans For Celebrations

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Erie Canal BicentennialThe Champlain Canal turns 200 this year and the Erie Canal will celebrate its 200th anniversary in 2025.

The Champlain Canal between the Hudson River and Lake Champlain at Whitehall was the first to open. Worked started on the Champlain Canal in October, 1816. The first boats operated in November, 1819, and was fully completed in 1823, two years before the Erie Canal was finished. [Read more…] about New York State Canals Bicentennial: Some History & Plans For Celebrations

Hudson River Towing: Austin’s Albany & Canal Line

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Canal Boats on the North River, New York in Gleason's Pictorial Drawing-Room Companion, December 25, 1852Jeremiah J. Austin, Jr. was born in 1819, just 12 years after the first commercial steamboat trip on the Hudson River and two years after construction of the Erie Canal began at Rome, New York. His father Jeremiah J. Austin Sr. was a prominent Albany businessman involved in Hudson River commerce.

After the Erie Canal opened, freight could be transported all the way across the Great Lakes to the entrance to the canal at Buffalo and then along the canal to Albany where it was shipped down the Hudson River to New York Harbor. From there freight could be fairly easily transported to any port on the East Coast, Europe or the Caribbean. [Read more…] about Hudson River Towing: Austin’s Albany & Canal Line

1873 Schooner Barge Ironton Wreck Discovered in Lake Huron

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Ironton resting on the bottom of Lake Huron with its masts standing, rigging attached to the spars, and anchor still attached (courtesy NOAA- Undersea Vehicles Program UNCW)Researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the state of Michigan, and Ocean Exploration Trust have discovered an intact wreck of the Ironton resting hundreds of feet below the surface of Lake Huron. [Read more…] about 1873 Schooner Barge Ironton Wreck Discovered in Lake Huron

The Transcontinental Railroad & The Capital District

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OnJupiter locomotive May 10, 1869 the first United States Transcontinental Railroad was completed when a 17.6-karat gold ceremonial spike was driven into a railroad tie by Leland Stanford.

Begun in 1863, the “Pacific Railroad” or “Overland Route” was a joint, although competitive, endeavor between the Central Pacific Railroad (CPRR), moving east from San Francisco to meet the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) which headed west from Council Bluffs, Iowa. The two railroad lines finally met at Promontory Point, Utah, after workers laid 1,912 miles of contiguous track. [Read more…] about The Transcontinental Railroad & The Capital District

Black History: Capt. Samuel Schuyler & His Steam Towboat Company

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Captain Samuel Schuyler's towboat America ca 1852 painting by James BardAccording to his monument at Albany Rural Cemetery, Samuel Schuyler was born in 1781. Although part African-American, he may have also been a descendant of Philip Schuyler, one of Albany’s most prominent families.

In 1805 he received a manumission from Dirck Schuyler (who is thought to be his white father). [Read more…] about Black History: Capt. Samuel Schuyler & His Steam Towboat Company

Albany Waterway Canal Project Could Return Historic Hudson River Access

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a painting by Len Tantillo envisions the marina in front of the D&H Building in the eveningA transformative project with hopes to revitalize downtown Albany’s access to the Hudson River is being proposed. Unlike past projects and proposals, it would bring the river to Albany instead of bringing Albany to the river.

The plan includes a re-imagining of what was once the Albany Basin, once a bustling harbor at the foot of State Street. The Albany Basin was bounded by Quay Street on the west side and an earthen-filled pier, that extended over 4,000 feet in length, on the east. Thousands of vessels passed through the basin’s entry points during the city’s golden age.

The proposal calls for the creation of a short canal that would include an entrance from the Hudson River through the original Lock 1 of the historic Erie Canal located near the Central Warehouse and another just north of the USS Slater. It would include a wider basin in front of the Delaware & Hudson Building, which now serves as the SUNY Administration building. [Read more…] about Albany Waterway Canal Project Could Return Historic Hudson River Access

I-87 Northway Emergency Call Boxes Being Dismantled

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I-87 Northway emergency call boxes sign in Northern Warren CountyThe New York State Police has begun removing the I-87 Northway emergency call box system in the Adirondacks.

In 1986, the State Police completed installation of the emergency telephones every two miles along the highway northbound and southbound from Northern Warren County to Clinton County. [Read more…] about I-87 Northway Emergency Call Boxes Being Dismantled

Historian Don Rittner Launches New YouTube Series

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history on the roadDon Rittner, newly appointed Executive Director of the Warren County Historical Society and a filmmaker and author of more than 50 books, has launched a new Youtube series, History on the Road.

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Adirondack Logging History: Wood’s Lake & Beaver River Stations

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Northern section showing lumber company railroads branching off New York Central, from BillAfter Hudson River logging sharply declined by 1905, the Adirondack railroad line known as the Mohawk & Malone kept NYS lumber companies in business for at least another twelve years. A big part of this was due to logging north of Big Moose, shown on this New York Central & Hudson River railroad map, with eight station stops northward toward Tupper Lake (shown at left), three of them as junctions for logging railroads — Wood’s Lake, Brandreth, and Nehasane.

Beaver River Station was shifting from logging to tourism. Little Rapids was a flag stop, Keepawa unlisted in an 1895 train schedule. This article will describe the logging history of Wood’s Lake and Beaver River stations, beginning with a new lumbering operation just north of Big Moose. [Read more…] about Adirondack Logging History: Wood’s Lake & Beaver River Stations