USA > New York > Rensselaer County > Landmarks of Rensselaer county, New York, pt 1 > Part 38
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The Troy Orphan asylum is the outgrowth of an organization that was established in 1833 under the name of the Troy Association for Destitute Children. April 15, 1835, it was incorporated under the name of the Troy Orphan asylum. The original trustees were David Buel, jr., Thomas L. Ostrom, Gurdon Grant, Griffith P. Griffith, Thaddeus B. Bigelow, Ashael Gilbert, jr., William W. Whipple, Amos Allen, Richard P. Hart, John Thomas, Stephen Warren, P. 11. Buek- ley, Elias Lasell, Jacob D. Lansing, Gardner Landon, Elias Pattison, George Vail, Jacob Merritt, John T. MeCoun, Day Otis Kellogg and
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John Paine. For a long time the home was located on Grand Division street, near the church of the Holy Cross. This building was de- stroyed by the great fire of 1862. Soon after this buildings on Eighth street were erected, but these were soon found inadequate and a move- ment for better accommodations was successful. A tract of 100 acres of land, located on the south side of Spring avenue in the south- eastern part of the city, was secured in 1891 and work upon the build- ings was begun in the following spring. Mrs. William Howard Hart, in addition to her other gifts, assumed the cost of building and furnishing the infirmary. The corner stone of the asylum was laid on the after- noon of May 10, 1892. During the ceremonies addresses were made by C. W. Tillinghast, president of the board of trustees of the asylum, Rev. Dr. J. W. Thompson and Rev. Dr. L. M. S. Haynes. The new building was occupied the following year.
In November, 1834, the citizens of Troy who favored the estab lishment of a circulating library were requested to meet in the mayor's office. A large number of representative Trojans attended and an organization was formed. Giles B. Kellogg, Thomas Coleman, Martin I. Townsend, Ralph Hawley and Thaddens Bigelow were ap- pointed a committee to draft a constitution and by-laws for the Troy Young Men's association. Four hundred and twenty-six persons im- mediately signed as members of the association, rooms were seenred and the Troy Young Men's association began active existence Febru- ary 10, 1835. April 20, 1835, the-association was incorporated under its present title. The library contained at the date above written about one thousand volumes, many of them being gifts from the old "Troy library." The reading room was well supplied with newspa- pers and periodicals, and a vigorous and successful debating society held frequent meetings in the Y. M A. rooms. Among the speakers at the debating society were men of the rank of Abraham Olin, Wil- liam L. Marey, William A. Beach, David L. Seymour, Martin I. Town- send and others of recognized ability.
The first annual meeting was held February 16, 1835, inaugurating the long series of " annual meetings" which up to the year 1822 were productive of more interest and excitement among citizens of Troy than the greatest municipal politieal events. Men who could not be induced to accept the nomination for mayor of Troy would gladly head one of the tickets of the Y. M. A., and would labor hard for election, often disbursing and spending large sums of money in efforts to over- come opposition from rival candidates.
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In 1839 George M. Tibbits offered the association a gift of ground on which to build a home, conditional on the association erecting a building thereon costing not less than $2,500. The offer was refused on the ground that the association could not proeure funds to pay for a building costing the amount stated. For several years following 1840 the financial eondition of the association was not good, and subserip- tions were requested of citizens with varying success. February 14, 1841, William Hagen, the first librarian, resigned, and N. B. Milliman was appointed librarian; but he remained only a few months, when he was succeeded by George H. Ball, who in turn gave place to John R. IFarris in the following year. John R. White became librarian in 1844, William Robertson in 1845 and then came Henry P. Filer, June 4, 1846. He remained in charge until 1864, when he retired on account of fail- ing health, having served for eighteen years and given his whole time and service to affairs of the association. T. B. Heimstreet (now Dr. Heimstreet) served for one year and was in turn succeeded by Fitz II. Stevens, who resigned in 1874. De Witt Clinton, the present libra- rian, was appointed librarian in 1874 and continues as such officer to- day, having served the longest term as librarian of the association, twenty-two years.
In the year 1853 at the annual eleetion for officers George B. War- ren, jr., and J. B. Tibbits were opposing candidates for the presidency. The canvass was very exciting. Money was freely used to purchase tickets for voters, and the strife grew so great at the polls that a riot was feared. Three thousand votes were cast amid scenes of great ex- citement and Mr. Warren was elected. The immediate effect of this contest was productive of evil. While the large sale of membership tickets made a decided improvement in the financial condition of the association, yet the strife had been so bitter and the animosity engen- dered between rival candidates so strong, that many persons withdrew from the affairs of the association. Finances remained at a low point for many years and the officers of the association were foreed to make frequent appeals for funds. In 1862 William R. Yourt bequeathed the association $5,000, designing, originally, to cause the income from that sum invested to be expended on books relating to Ireland. Dissuaded from this idea he made it conditional on the association accepting the gift that all books purchased from the "Yourt fund" should be "chiefly historical in character," The Yourt Library now contains several thousand volumes. In the same year George M. Selden pre-
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sented the association with railroad stock valued at $2,000, " One-half the dividend to be expended in works of art, the other half to go to the purchase of a life membership for such students at the Troy High Schools as shall be designated by the Board of Education or their ap- propriate committee." This fund has not been available for many years. In 1866 a committee appointed to solicit funds for the purpose of erecting a building reported that they had met with no success.
In 1870-71 another remarkable contest for the offices of president and manager of the association occurred. Edward G. Gilbert headed one ticket and Walter P. Warren the opposition. Every legitimate means to gain their end was used by both sides. Money was used to purchase tickets of membership for voters and the rival factions brought voters to the polls in wagon loads. Scenes of violence were frequent, and many persons were roughly used while endeavoring to vote. Near the time for elosing the polls an attack was made on the ballot clerks and an attempt to steal the ballot boxes was made. Police were summoned and the clerks and ballot boxes were escorted to the station house and there guarded. As the election was not completed a claim for the right to assume control of the association's affairs was put in by both contesting parties and also by the retiring board of officers.
After attempts to settle it otherwise the ease was taken into the eourts and a decision in favor of the officers holding over was rendered, thus depriving both contestants of any benefits. The feeling between the " Warren " party and the "Gilbert" party was so strong that the association was greatly damaged by the results.
From this date on the affairs of the association became worse and worse, and various expedients to raise funds failed.
A proposition to bestow the library on the eity was entertained in 1874, but friends of the association defeated the adoption of such a measure, Fitz HI. Stevens resigned as librarian, owing to a large re- duction in his salary, and in 1874 De Witt Clinton was appointed to the office. In 1879 friends of the association, realizing that the future of the institution was imperilled and that something must be done to place it above continual want of funds, met and formed a plan for mak- ing the library a free institution with contributions sufficient to meet its necessities. An act incorporating the Troy Free Library association was prepared and passed by the Legislature, but was vetoed by Gov- ernor Robinson. For a time thereafter the affairs of the association
NELSON DAVENPORT.
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PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS OF TROY.
remained in bad form. Justin Kellogg had been strenuously advocat- ing a plan for making the library free and on a basis which would secure it from all further danger. A meeting of persons interested was called and a number of wealthy and influential citizens attended. A subscription was opened for the purpose of obtaining money sufficient to purchase the Athenaeum building, in which the association had rooms, and which the owners, the Troy Savings bank, wished to sell. The subscription was successful and Fred P. Allen was authorized to buy the building. At publie auction the building was bid in by Mr. Allen for $24, 500, and became the property of the association.
In 1880 a bill was passed incorporating the Troy Young Men's asso- ciation and naming a board of trustees who were to serve during life (if residents of Troy) and who were empowered to fill vacancies in the board. The following named were made trustees under the act of in- corporation : E. Thompson Gale, William Howard Hart, William E. Gilbert, Joseph M. Warren, Thomas Coleman, Joseph W. Fuller, Wil- liam H. Young, William Gurley, Benjamin Il. Hall, William S. Earl, Nelson Davenport, Charles L. Alden, Dudley Tibbits, William A. Thompson, Fred P. Allen, Justin Kellogg, J. Spencer Garnsey, Charles R. De Freest, John T. Birge, La Mott W. Rhodes, William 11. Doughty, Francis N. Mann and Joseph Knight. E. Thompson Gale was chosen president, J. Spencer Garnsey secretary and Fred P. Allen treasurer. On the death of Mr. Gale William Gurley was made presi- dent; he in turn was succeeded by Thomas Coleman and he by Will- iam II. Young, who is now president.
In 1885 the library was opened as a free circulating library and has become a recognized educational feature of Troy. In the year 1891 Mrs. William Howard Hart sent the following communication to the trustees of the association :
Tkov, January 27, 1894.
Thomas Coleman, Esq., President Troy Young Men's Association :
DEAR SIR-Permit me to convey, through you, to the board of trustees my desire to erect on the lots at the northeast corner of Second and Ferry streets, in our city, a building for the library of the association. Said building to Le a memorial to my late husband, William Howard Hart, to be strictly fire proof and sufficiently large to contain the presem library, together with such additions thereto as the generosity of our citizens may provide in the coming years.
If this proposition shall meet the approval of the board, I will name Messrs. Will- iam Howard Doughty, C. E. Dudley Tibbits, Charles W. Tillinghast and John HI. Peck as my trustees to carry out my wishes and to convey said lots and the building, when finished, to the association.
Yours respectfully, MARY E. JIART.
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The building is nearing completion and is beautiful in design and construction, and will be a model of both beauty and convenience when finished. Mrs. Hart added $10,000 to the sum originally set aside for the building, $100,000, and has also caused to be made a stained glass window costing $6,000, and said by the makers to be the finest example of stained glass work now in America.
'The formal opening of the handsome building of the Troy Young Women's association on the west side of Second street, just north of State street, occurred on the evening of Tuesday, March 15, 1892, George B. Cluett, the president, having charge of the exercises. Ad- dresses were made by Mr. Cluett and the Rev. Thaddeus A. Snively. The association was founded ten years before by a number of women who wanted to see in Troy a homelike place for the use of the young working women employed in the collar factories and other industries. The first president was Mrs. Charles E. Patterson. In May, 1883, when the association was a year old, it moved into quarters over the Manufacturers' bank. Four years later it purchased the property No. 43 Fourth street, but soon outgrew these quarters. Money was sub- scribed for the erection of a new building, which was completed in the spring of 1892. The members of the association are expected to pay their way, but the rate is so reasonable that any woman earning living wages can secure all its comforts and advantages.
January 19, 1895, William H. Rowe, a wealthy and public-spirited citizen of Troy, wrote to the directors of the Mohawk and Hudson River Humane society offering to build at a cost of not less than $25, - 000 a building suitable to the needs of that society, where children might find a temporary shelter and be taught to lead honest, industrious lives, as a memorial to his daughter, Lucy A. Wood Rowe. January 29 the executive committee of the society passed resolutions recon- mending that the board of directors accept the offer, which was subse- quently done. The site selected for the new building was on the west side of Fourth street, between Broadway and State street. August 14 plans for the building were completed by M. F. Cummings & Son. They called for a building fifty by fifty-five feet in dimensions, four stories high, besides a basement. The style of architecture is of the Italian renaissance, and the building is constructed of brick and iron, making it fire proof. Roman gray brick was used, with terra cotta trimmings, for the third and fourth floors, while the front of the first and second floors is of light gray stone. The building was nearly com- pleted by the close of the summer of 1896.
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FIRE DEPARTMENT OF TROY.
In June, 1896, a movement was started for the construction of a new hospital to be known as the Samaritan hospital. The site of the old orphan asylum on Eighth street was purchased at a cost of $22,500, the Troy Orphan asylum having moved to its new home on Spring avenue, and the work of raising a fund of $100,000 for remodeling and equip- ping the building was begun at once. The first trustees of the hospital organization were elected as follows:
Stephen W. Barker, Joseph Bolton, Thomas Breslin, James A. Burden. James II. Caldwell, John T. Christie, George B. Cluett, John Don, William II. Doughty, Will- iam S. Earl, Dr. E. D. Ferguson, E. Courtland Gale, Dr. H. C. Gordinier, John Wool Griswold, John Knickerbacker, Charles B. Knight, George T. Lane, Dr. James P. Marsh, James K. P. Pine, Justus Miller, Alfred HI. Renshaw, Adam Ross, Dr. William W. Seymour, John I. Thompson, Charles W. Tillinghast, Walter P. War- ren, Tom S. Wotkyns, Thomas Vail, William H. Van Schoonhoven and Seymour Van Santvoord.
In May, 1896, William II. Rowe and his family purchased the lot on the west side of King street north of the Manufacturers' National bank, for $6,900, on which a building for the use of the Salvation Army in Troy is to be built at the expense of the Rowe family The structure will be of brick, three stories high, and will cost about $22, 000.
The House of the Good Shepherd on People's avenue was dedicated April 24, 1882, the corner stone having been laid May 9, 1886, by Rt. Rev. Francis MeNierney, bishop of Albany. The institution was established in 1884, and first occupied its new headquarters January 21, 1887.
'The house of the Little Sisters of the Poor, now located on Ninth street, was first established in Troy in 1824.
FIRE DEPARTMENT.
The earliest known measures for the establishment of a fire depart- ment in Troy were taken before it had become a city. An act of the Legislature was passed March 25, 1794, authorizing the trustees of the village to compel the housekeepers to provide themselves with a suth- eient number of fire buckets and the necessary implements to extin- guish fires. The trustees were anthorized to elect a number of firemen, not to exceed fifteen, to manage the fire engines. In 1798 the village fire department was regularly organized with Benjamin Covel, Moses Vail, David Buel, George Tibbits, Daniel Merritt and Ebenezer Jones as fire wardens. In the same year the Premier Fire Engine company
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was organized and a second-hand engine was purchased in New York. The first engine house was a small board structure on the south side of the court house on Second street. Afterward the engine house was at No. 21 State street. The last engine owned by the company was a third-class one built by A. Van Ness in 1850. The company was dis- banded September 5, 1861.
The second fire company was the Neptune Engine company No. 2, which was organized June 20, 1803. Its last engine was built by S. Davis & Son of Troy in 1850. The house was at No. 23 State street. The company was disbanded September 5, 1861. Then followed the Washington Volunteer Fire company, which was incorporated as an independent organization May 26, 1812. Engine company No. 3, which was organized February 1, 1821, resolved itself in December, 1831. into the Franklin Hose company.
Engine company No. 4 was organized January 6, 1825, and was changed to the Eagle Hose company No. 10, October 2, 1834. In 1845 it was the Eagle Engine company, and September 16, 1847, all the members resigned.
Torrent Engine company No. I was organized August 2, 1838; dis- banded May 20, 1841; reorganized September 1, 1812 ; again disbanded August 3, 1843, and reorganized November 3, 1843. It went out of existence September 5, 1861. Its engine house was on Congress street.
The Empire State Engine company No. 5 was organized March 1, 1821, and its last engine was built in 1851 by John Rogers of Albany. The engine house was at the Iron Works. It was finally resolved into the Edmond Stanton Steamer company.
The other organizations were the Niagara Engine company No. 1, organized May 2;, 1828; Cataract Engine company No. 8, organized August 2, 1832; Rough and Ready Engine company, organized Sep- tember 21, 1832, now the Eddy Steamer company; La Fayette Engine company No. 10, organized Angust 15, 1839, now the Farnam Steamer company : Eagle Engine company No. 10, organized July 13, 1845, now the Ranken Steamer company; Etna Engine company No. 12, organ- ized in 1846, afterwards in 1857, the Hibernia Engine company; Good Intent Engine company No. 13, organized in 1850; Phoenix Hose com- pany, organized in 1840; General Wool Hose company No. 2, organ- ized February 1, 1859; Union Hose company No. 3, organized Febru- ary 1, 1859; Hall Hose company organized in 1839; J. C. Taylor Hose company No. 3, organized in 1860; Hook and Ladder company No. 1,
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FIRE DEPARTMENT OF TROY.
organized February 16, 1826; and Union Hook and Ladder company No. 2, organized April 5, 1832.
In 1831 the apparatus consisted of eight fire engines, five hose carts, 2,200 feet of hose, one hook and ladder truck, five ladders, six hooks, eight axes and thirty-one fire buckets. The membership of the de- partment was 275 men.
April 13, 1861, the State Legislature passed an act organizing a fire department and board of fire commissioners in the city of Troy. The law provides that the board shall consist of seven commissioners, of whom the mayor shall be one, ex officio. The first commissioners named were the mayor of the city, George B. Warren, jr., and Jason C. Osgood, Jonas C. Heartt, Isaac W. Crissey, Otis G. Clark, William Gurley and Hugh Ranken.
The companies composing the fire department in 1896, under the reorganization effected in 1861, were as follows:
The Washington Volunteer Fire Engine company was organized May 26, 1812. An engine was obtained in New York for $550, similar to the goose neck engine of that period. The house was located on the west side of Fourth street north of Fulton street. After April, 1820, the engine was housed on the site occupied by the Arba Read Steamer com- pany in 1896. In 1823 the engine was kept in a house on the site of Ful- ton market. In 1824 it was at the northwest corner of Third and State streets again. In December, 1843, the company removed to a new brick .engine house on the site of the second precinct station house on State street. A year later the engine was sold to Union village and the appara- tusof Company No. 7 of Albany was purchased. That was sold in 1851 and a new engine made by Silas Davis & Co. of Troy was bought in No- vember of that year. That in turn was sold to the city of Fon du Lac, Wis., in October, 1854. In 1855 a new engine made by L. Button & Co. of Waterford was purchased, and April 19, 1864, a steam fire en- gine was purchased of Button & Blake of Waterford for $2, 150. The okl engine was sold to the village of Trumansburgh for $1,000. The first engineer was William Bailey, who held the position until April 15, 1867, when he was appointed engineer of the Ranken steamer. Ile was succeeded by Jerome E. De Freest. August 2, 1865, the engine house on State street was transferred to the use of the Capital police and the company removed to the old Franklin Hose company's house in the rear of the court house. March 22, 1868, the fire commissioners agreed to pay the company annually, from May 1, 1865, the sum of
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$650 to enable it to meet its current expenses. October 20, 1867, the engineer of the company was placed under full pay by the city fire de- partment. December 31, 1872, the company occupied its two-story briek house at the northeast corner of Third and Division streets. In December, 1874, the engine was equipped with horses.
Hope Steam Fire Engine company No. 7 was organized May 20, 1826, and received its first steamer in May, 1882. The engine had been in use by the Stanton Steamer company for a number of years, having been furnished by Clapp & Jones. The first engineer was Ly- man Rysdorph. The engine house is located on Pawling avenue at the west end of Albia.
Trojan Hook and Ladder company No. 3 was organized February 5, 1835. The company's first truck was a primitive affair, which was re- placed in 1854 by one constructed by W. HL Tarboss of Orleans. The company occupied its house on Franklin square for the first time in April, 1865. In 1884 a modern Hayes truck was furnished the company
The constitution and by laws of Arba Read Steam Fire Engine com- pany No. 1 were adopted December 19, 1859. The first steamer used by the company arrived in Troy March 28, 1860, having been purchased of the Amoskeag Manufacturing company of Manchester, N. H. In the same year the building occupied in 1896 by the chief engineer was built and there the steamer was located. The three story brick build- ing occupied by the company was erected in 1875, on the northwest cor -. ner of State and Third streets, just south of and adjoining the old engine house. In 1876 a new engine was purchased. The first engi- neer was James Kuibbs, who was succeeded in 1863 by William H. Bradt.
Hugh Ranken Steam Fire Engine company No. ? is the outgrowth of Eagle Hand Engine company No. 10. In the spring of 1858 several members of the latter organization, desiring to have a steam fire en- gine, asked the Common Council to appropriate $1, 500 for the purchase of one. The request was not granted, but a number of citizens sub- scribed $2, 750, and an Amoskeag engine was purchased and placed in the engine house on Federal street September 28, 1860. In December of that year the Common Council changed the name of Eagle Engine company No. 10 to Steam Fire Engine company No. 2, and April 1, 1861, changed that of the latter to Hugh Ranken Steam Fire Engine company No. 1. Subsequently the city reimbursed the individuals
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JOHN J. FARRELL.
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FIRE DEPARTMENT OF TROY.
who had purchased the engine and it became the property of the eity. The first engineer was Roswell R. Morgan. He was succeeded in 1862 by Thomas H. Bailey, who was succeeded in 1867 by his brother, Will- iam Bailey. The engine house on Federal street was burned May 10, 1862, and the steamer was located temporarily at Cozzen's Northern hotel and subsequently in the house of the Niagara Engine company on Second street. The briek building now occupied by the company was constructed on the site of the old house in 1885.
The first steam fire engine used by the Jason C. Osgood Steam Fire Engine company No. 3 reached Troy January 14, 1862, and was perma- nently quartered in the building occupied by the Niagara Engine com- pany at No. 130 Second street. The Niagaras were disbanded January 23 of that year, its members forming the nucleus for the Osgood company, of which Andrew D. Collins was the first engineer. In 1862 an engine house was erected on the south side of Adams street, between First and Second streets. Three years later it was appropriated by the eity as a police station house and another engine house was built at the cor- ner of Adams and Second streets. There the company remained until it moved into the building at the corner of Canal avenue and Third street.
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