Landmarks of Albany County, New York, Part 30

Author: Parker, Amasa Junius, 1843-1938, ed
Publication date: 1897
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason
Number of Pages: 1374

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There are five creeks, or kills, as they were called by the Dutch, flowing wholly or partially across the territory which was incorporated in the city of Albany. These are the Normanskill, Beaverkill, Rutten- kill, Foxenkill, and Patroon's or Mill Creek, some of which have become parts of the city sewer system. The Normanskill is one of the largest streams in the county and is represented in city territory only by the headwaters of the Krumkill, one of its smaller branches, though the creek itself empties into the Hudson at Kenwood, but a quarter of a mile south of the city limits. Beaverkill (sometimes called Buttermilk Creek) rises in the westerly part of the city and empties into the Hud- son a little below the steamboat landing. This was formerly a con- siderable mill stream, and a part of it is now incorporated in the sewer system. The Ruttenkill had its source above Lark street and flowed wholly within the old city walls. Ordinarily a small stream, it was periodically swollen into a torrent by rains and melting snows and poured its waters down through a deep ravine, where Hudson avenue now is, crossed Pearl street at the site of the Beaver block and emptied into the Hudson a little below State street. It was bridged at South Pearl street and Broadway. Clay was found on its banks from which were made bricks for some of the old buildings, and, in early years, fish abounded in its waters. The ravine of the Ruttenkill was about 350 feet broad and fifty feet deep through most of its length and was a neglected, filthy place. Here was erected the gallows for public executions, which was last used for the hanging of Strang in 1827 for

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the murder of Whipple. Between 1845 and 1850 the ravine was filled and the hills lowered by contract which was given to Charles Stanford, a brother of Gov. Leland Stanford. The Foxenkill flowed outside of the city before the extension of the boundaries, being a stream of con- siderable size, and affording excellent fishing. It was bridged on North Pearl street near Canal. Patroon's Creek once supplied power to the Patroon's mills and discharged its waters into the Hudson near the old manor house.

The names given to this city have been : Pem-po-tu-wuth-ut (place of the council-fire), by the Mohegans; Sche-negh-ta-da (through the pine woods), by the Iroquois; Ga-ish-tin-ic, by the Minci; Fuyck (fouk), a hoop-net, otherwise Beversfuyck, supposed to refer to a bend in the river where fish were caught, probably first Dutch name; Beverwyck, a place for beavers, retained from about 1634 to 1664 (sometimes writ- ten Beverswyck); Fort Orange, in honor of William, Prince of Orange and Nassau; Rensselaerwyck, in honor of the Patroons, the Van Rens- selaers; Aurania, another name for Orange; Williamstadt, in honor of William, the Stadtholder; New Orange, in honor of the Duke of Orange probably (a designation seldom used); Oranjeburgh, city or fortress of Orange (a name spoken of by Mrs. Grant); Albany, in honor of James, Duke of York, Albany and Ulster, brother of King Charles II, who made him proprietor of the New Netherlands. He afterward ascended the English throne, from which he was driven soon after because of his odious character.

The boundaries of Albany as given in the charter of 1686 were as follows :

East, the Hudson at low water mark; south, a line drawn from the southernmost end of the pasture at the north end of Martin Gerritsen's Island, and running back due northwest sixteen miles into the woods, to a certain creek called Sandkill; north, a line parallel to the former, about a mile distant; and west, a straight line drawn from the western extremities of the north and south line.

The charter included ferry rights, all waste land, rights to certain fields and public buildings, the right of fishing in the vicinity of the Hudson within the limits of the county, and of purchasing from the Indians 500 acres of meadow land at Schaahtecogue on the north, and 1,000 acres at Tiononderoga (Fort Hunter) on the west, whereon to establish colonies for frontier protection. After the organization of counties from the western district of Rensselaerwyck, that part which was west of the Hudson, the city boundaries were:

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Westerly, Rotterdam and Niskayuna in Schenectady county ; easterly, a line run- ning through the center of the Hudson River channel; southerly, Bethlehem and Guilderland; northerly, Colonie and Watervliet.

The first territorial change was made February 25, 1815, when a part of old Colonie was annexed, the line of which adjoining Albany ex- tended from the river westerly along Patroon street, where are now Quackenbush street and Clinton avenue. This constituted the old Fifth ward. The remainder of Colonie was annexed to Watervliet at the same time. The changes which gave the city its present bound- aries were made April 6, 1870, and April 26, 1871.

The islands constituting a part of Albany are Kasteel (or Castle) Island, as it was called in early years, and which has had various other titles, but is now known as Van Rensselaer Island, and which has been referred to in earlier chapters as the probable site of Elkins's trading post, established about 1614, and as where Corstiaensen landed, and another island, lying between the city and Greenbush, and belonging to the Boston and Albany Railroad.

The granting of the charter of 1686 makes Albany one of the oldest existing cities of the original thirteen colonies. It was for that reason, as well as for others, that the issue of that document was a most im- portant historical event. Dongan was known as a just man, one of large views for his time, of good judgment and clear foresight, with the result that the charter was drawn upon broad lines. It sought in no way to interfere with the then existing privileges of the people nor to abridge their rights and liberties. While he may not have foreseen the future importance of the place in times of war, he evidently clearly understood its commercial advantages, which were even then attracting notice. These facts are indicated by some of the provisions of the charter. It provided that "the said town should forever thereafter be called by the name of the Mayor, Aldermen, and Commonalty of the City of Albany." It granted "to the city of Albany, all the waste, vacant, unappropriated land lying and being in the City and the pre- cincts and liberties thereof, extending and reaching to the low-water mark in, by and through all parts of the said City, together with all rivers, coves, creeks, ponds, water courses in the said City not hereto- fore granted." It gave the city corporation its power to purchase and hold land in its corporate name-a most important provision - as follows:

GEN. ROBERT SHAW OLIVER.

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I do, by these presents, give and grant unto the said Mayor, Aldermen and Com- monalty, full power and license at their pleasure, likewise to purchase from the In- dians the quantity of 1,000 acres of low or meadow land lying at a certain place called or known by the name of Tionondoroge, which quantity of 1,000 acres of low or meadow land shall and may be in what part of Tionondoroge, or the land adjacent on both sides of the river, as they, the said Mayor, Aldermen and Commonalty of the said City of Albany shall think most convenient; which said several parcels of low or meadow land I do hereby, in behalf of his said Majesty, his heirs and successors, give, grant and confirm unto the said Mayor, Aldermen and Commonalty of the City of Albany aforesaid, to be and remain to the use and behoof of them and their successors for- ever. To have and to hold all and singular, the premises to the said Mayor, Alder- men and Commonalty of the said City of Albany and their successors forever, ren- dering and paying therefor unto his most sacred Majesty, his heirs, successors and as- signs, or to such officer or receiver as shall be appointed to receive the same, year- ly, forever hereafter, the annual quit rent or acknowledgement of one beaver skin, in Albany, on the five and twentieth day of March, yearly forever.

The charter designates the officers of the city as follows:

There shall be forever hereafter, within the said City, a Mayor, Recorder, Town Clerk, and six Aldermen and six Assistants, to be appointed, nominated, elected, chosen and sworn, as hereinafter is particularly and respectively mentioned, who shall be forever hereafter called the Mayor, Aldermen and Commonalty of the City of Albany, and that there shall be forever, one Chamberlain, or Treasurer, one Sheriff, one Coroner, one Clerk of the Market, one High Constable, three sub-Con- stables, one Marshall or Sergeant-at-Mace to be appointed, chosen and sworn in manner hereinafter mentioned.

It provided further :

The Mayor, Aldermen and Recorder shall be Justices and Keepers of the Peace, and Justices to hear and determine matters and causes within the said City and pre- cincts thereof, to hear, determine and punish all petty larcenies and all other petty offences.

The mayor was made ex-officio coroner and clerk of the market, and he with the aldermen and recorder of the city were to be justices of the peace of the county, and as such, "shall and may sit in the Court of Sessions or County Courts and Courts of Oyer and Terminer, that from time to time shall be held in said County; and that the Mayor, Re- corder, and some one of the Aldermen shall preside at such County Courts and Courts of Sessions. The town Clerk of the said city shall always be the Clerk of the Peace, and Clerk of the Sessions or Court of the County."

Early in July of 1686 Peter Schuyler and Robert Livingston were appointed commissioners to go to New York and receive the charter. On the 22d of July they returned with the important document and

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were given a public reception "with all the joy and acclamations im- aginable, and received the thanks of the magistrates, burgesses and other dignitaries of the city, for their diligence and care."

By the terms of the charter the following persons were appointed the first officers of the city :

Peter Schuyler, mayor; Jan Bleecker, chamberlain; Isaac Swinton, recorder ; Richard Pretty, sheriff; Robert Livingston, clerk; James Parker, marshal.

Aldermen .- Dirk Wessels, Jan Jans Bleecker, David Schuyler, Johannis Wendell, Lavinus Van Schaack, Adrian Gerritse.

Assistant Aldermen .- Joachim Staats, John Lansing, Isaac Verplanck, Law- rence Van Ale, Albert Ruyckman, Melgert Winantse.

The first meeting of the "Justices of ye peace for ye County of Al- bany," was held on the 26th of July, and the previously named officers took their oaths of office. From the judicial powers conferred upon the mayor and aldermen, those of the justices of the peace, all the court proceedings of minor character came before them, which had previous to the charter been brought before justices of the peace, whose limited powers were conferred by the governor-general. The first meeting of the Mayor's Court, which was also a meeting of the mayor and alder- men for transaction of municipal business, was held in the city hall August 31, 1686. On that occasion, it is recorded, a negro with the classical name of Hercules, was charged by Myndert Frederickse with stealing wampum out of his house. The prisoner confessed and was sentenced "to be whipped through ye towne at ye carte tale by ye hangman, for an example to others." The sense of justice of this court apparently exceeded its ability to spell correctly.

In those days city officials were placed under penalties to attend to their duties which at the present day would impoverish some alderinen. The following ordinance was adopted at that meeting :

Whoever of the members of the Common Council shall be absent att ye second ringing of ye bell, being in towne, at any common council day, shall forfeit six shil- lings, toties quoties.

Upon the expulsion of King James II of England in 1689, and the accession of William and Mary, the event was celebrated in Albany. The news reached the city on the 1st of July and a meeting of the Com- mon Council was promptly called. A procession was formed in which marched the mayor, council, other officials and citizens. Proceeding to the fort the mayor there proclaimed, in English and Dutch, that William and Mary were their lawful sovereigns. Then guns of the fort

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were fired and bells were rung. The imagination may picture the peculiar scene. Compare it with a modern political procession follow- ing a presidential election. The little concourse of probably less than a hundred stolid Dutchmen tramping up the hill, destitute of ban- ners and band, to hear the mayor announce that a new king was their master on the other side of the broad ocean. The Dutchmen were evidently happy over the change, as well they might be.

It was as difficult, probably, in those days to collect taxes as it is at the present time. It was found in 1695 that the city was a number of thousand pounds in arrears, and at a meeting of the Council October 14, 1695, when Evert Bancker was mayor, the following report was made :

Whereas, the Arriears of ye £2,000 and {1,500 tax having been directed to ye constables of each warde by an warrant from Dirk Wessells, Justice, which consta- bles give in their report, that all who are indebted to ye said arriears gives them an answer that they have paid it, and setts them aft from time to time.

At the same meeting the accounts of the treasurer were examined and a warrant was directed to be issued to "fetch up all the lycenses." The justices were also directed to appear before the board on Decem- ber 9, following, "to correct all affairs between the Citty and County." The licenses mentioned were those granted for the sale of various kinds of merchandise.

A case that would have been summarily disposed of in these days, but which seems to have puzzled the city dignitaries at that time, for they never adjusted it as far as the record shows, is described in the fol- lowing :

Cornelia Vanderheyden appears here at ye barr, and gives in the oath of her suster Ariaantje, who is brought to child-bed, that Lieft. Symon Young is ye father thereof, ye only father, and none but he'; and deseres that ye Mayor and aldermen would use some methodd or anoyr with ye sd Young for the maintenance of the child.

" Ye only father" is decidedly quaint. Lieutenant Young was subse- quently appointed sheriff and offered to take and support the child, but the mother refused; and there the matter probably ended.

The old line of stockades which enclosed the city gave the inhabitants considerable trouble. On December 17, 1695, an order was made for re- pairing "the City Stockadoes, which were out of repair toward the river side, and that four hundred and fifty new Stockadoes should be provided, to be thirteen feet long and a foot over, and that a warrant may be directed to the assessors, to make an equal assessment thereof

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upon the inhabitants, and then deliver the same to the Mayor." The line of this stockade was on what is now Steuben street on the north, Hudson avenue on the south, the river on the east, and Lodge street on the west. Later the boundaries of the stockade were much ex- tended.

The year of 1696 witnessed a great deal of suffering from a scarcity of grain, particularly wheat. The crop was poor and prices became very high so that the poor people were utterly unable to obtain it. The thrifty Dutch merchants saw their opportunity and bought up all that was available, for shipment to New York, where the price was about double what they were compelled to pay in Albany, whereupon the Common Council took a hand in the matter, as indicated in the follow- ing :

Whereas Several persons of ye citty and county has given in a complaint to ye Mayor and justices of the citty and county, yt there is severall persons doe goe with money in thare hands to buy wheat, and can not have it, by reason of ye marchants has engrossed in there hands, being resolved to ship it to New York; the Mayor, aldermen, and ye justices of ye peace have resolved and agreed upon yt no merchts or any other persons whatsoever shall ship any corn aboard any sloop, vessel, boat whatsoever untill such time wee have his Excell. directions in it, as they will answer upon there utmost perill.

On July 17, 1697, the following was adopted, showing that the Dutch city officials, in spite of their general stolidity, were not wholly in- sensible to flattery :

Whereas, Mr. Lieft. Oliver doth make his addresse to the Court for bedding, since he complains that he is in great necessity for want thereof, ye gent'n of ye Court cannot fynde that they are obliged to furnish such supplies but, in considera- tion of his Civility, doe give as a gift ye summe of five pieces of eight.

There was an officer with the title of city porter, whose chief duty it was to open and close the city gates. On November 23, 1697, the fol- lowing order relative to this office was adopted:

Whereas, It is by the Mayor, Aldermen and Commonalty concluded, who have appointed John Ratecliffe as Citty Porter, instead of Hend. Marselis, Deceased, that he is upon all occasionable times to open and shutt ye gates of this Citty, especially in ye mornings and in ye evenings at ye appointed time, as also to attend ye Church Ringing of ye bell on all occasions, for which he is to receive yearly eight and twenty Pieces of Eight at six shillings, and to be paid quarterly ; moreover, he, ye sd John Ratecliff, is to attend ye Burger Guards, to keep them clain, and to make every eveing a fyre, wherefore he is to receive Three pence per Diem. Who hath made oath to be true.

It is well known that the Dutch set a good example to the other

WILLIAM C. VAN ALSTYNE.

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colonists in their treatment of the Indians, the city of Albany, for instance, being obliged, if it required more land, to purchase it in a fair and open trade. The same policy was pursued in nearly all of their relations with the natives, for which the settlers in after years had much cause for thankfulness. A resolution was adopted by the Com- mon Council May 9, 1698, providing for building an Indian House on the hill, for the accommodation of the Indians, and on the 1st of Feb- ruary, 1699, the Council resolved as follows :

Resolved, That one other Indian house, besides ye two heretofore resolved on in January last, shall be built just upon ye hill going up from ye Pearl street geat northwesterly, in or about ye middle part of said hill, where ye whole Common Council forthwith shall appoynt ye Place, and yt ye Building and Charges thereof shall bee in ye lyke manner as ye two houses aforesaid.

These brief records of the more important proceedings of the city authorities down to the year 1700, quaint and primitive as some of them are, indicate nevertheless much wisdom and a determination to govern the little settlement in the interests of morality and for the com- mon good. It may here be remarked that a similar intelligent, prudent and conservative administration of municipal affairs continued to the close of the colonial period in 1776.

In 1700 Albany was still but a small village, two years earlier (1698) the number of inhabitants being only 803, of which five families were English, one was Scotch, and the remainder were Dutch. Many years were to pass before there would be much change, except in gradual growth, and when it did come it was through the introduction of new elements into the population, and not through any desire for in- novations on the part of the Dutch settlers, who were, as a general rule, contented with the existing order of things, they being slow, stolid, industrious, and usually thrifty. They cared more for the profit of the trade they were pursuing, than for the amenities of life, so that what are now known by the general name of public im- provements possessed little attraction for them. What if it required a week to make the journey down the river to New York, were there not more weeks coming and was it not a pleasant trip? So slow was the process or change in those early times that in 1718 the place was de- scribed by a traveler as little else than a fortified village, with unpaved, dirty and irregular streets. Most of the residences were situated on the margin of the river, the lower end of State street, and on Court street (now Broadway). A few stores were on the present Chapel

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street. In the middle of State street and in Broadway were all the public buildings-the town house, two churches, the guard house, and the market. On the river were three docks-lower or King's dock, middle and upper docks. The docks must have been of the most prim- itive character and of recent construction, for the records show no mention of them until some years later. The Common Council took the initiatory steps towards providing suitable wharves in October, 1721, when an ordinance was adopted requiring that the "freeholders of the city who held lands or ground fronting on the east near or to the Hudson river, be directed to produce their titles to the same, in order that the Common Council may be better enabled to consider of finding out the proper ways and means for docking and regulating of streets on the east thereof, along the Hudson river, and that such titles be produced in Common Council at the city Hall on the 10th day of November next." As against this, Kalm, the Swedish traveler, from whose writings we shall have further occasion to quote, visited Albany in 1749, and said: "The Hudson river at Albany is from twelve to twenty feet deep; that there is as yet no quay made for the landing of yachts, because the people feared it would be swept away in the spring ; that the vessels come pretty near the shore and receive their cargoes from two canoes lashed together."

The scarcity of water or its impure character occupied the attention of the authorities at an early date, about which Kalm, from whose writings we have already quoted, said :

The water of several wells in this town was very cool about this time, but had a kind of acid taste which was not very agreeable. On a nearer examination I found an abundance of little insects in it, which were probably monoculi.

After a description of these insects he continues:

I think this water is not very wholesome for people who are not used to it, though the inhabitants of Albany who drink it every day say they do not feel the least incon- venience from it. I have several times been obliged to drink water here, in which I have plainly seen monoculi swimming; but I generally felt the next day something like a pea in my throat, or as if I had a swelling there.

The water question was under discussion in 1760, and on April 3d of that year a petition was presented to the mayor and council, praying for the right to bring water in pipes from the hills, collect it in reser- voirs and establish pumps. After a hearing the board adopted the fol- lowing resolution :

Resolved, That the petitioners have an instrument drawn, including their petition ;

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that the Mayor will sign the same and cause the Seal of the City to be thereupon fixed by virtue of this resolution.

It was many years later before an adequate supply of wholesome water was provided for Albany. Wells were long used and doubtless with evil results. Morse's Geography, published in 1796, has the fol- lowing on the subject :

The well water in this city is extremely bad, scarcely drinkable by those not accus- tomed to it. It oozes through a stiff blue clay and it imbibes in its passage the fine particles common to that kind of soil. This discolors it, and when exposed any length of time to the air it acquires a disagreeable taste. Indeed all the water for cooking is brought from the river, and many families use it to drink. The water in the wells is unwholesome, being full of little insects, except in size, like those which are frequently seen in stagnated water.

The city ultimately obtained a satisfactory water supply, which is described in later pages.

The inhabitants of the city in 1800 were obtaining their drinking water from wells, though something must have been accomplished prior to that time towards a water supply for the extinguishment of fire. In the year in which the charter was granted (1686) there was a fire, concerning which the records have the following:

It has been found by experience that the bringing of water of the fountains from the hill has not only been of great use to the inhabitants for water, but the only means of quenching the late fire, which otherwise, by all probability, would have destroyed the whole town.

A well was sunk in Jonker (now State) street in 1695, though whether there were others prior to 1712 is not known, but in that year (1712) one was constructed in the First ward, about twelve yards from the east side of the market house, and another on the north side of Cross street. Two years later three more were added, one in each of the three wards. In the mean time something had been accomplished towards providing apparatus for use in extinguishing fires. An old record of October 15, 1694, names certain fire officials called "" Brant- masters," and continues : .

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Landmarks of Albany County, New York, Part 30

Author: Parker, Amasa Junius, 1843-1938, ed Publication date: 1897 Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason Number of Pages: 1374

Author: Parker, Amasa Junius, 1843-1938, ed
Publication date: 1897
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason
Number of Pages: 1374