FINE F 129 .A3 N27 1918a CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY FINE ARTS LIBRARY In compliance with current Copjnright law, Cornell University Library produced this replacement volume on paper that meets the ANSI Standard Z39.48-1992 to replace the irreparably deteriorated original. 2007 hi Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924104780568 CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY GIFT OF JAY CaPUN -^^GHITECT'JRE ALBANY'S HISTORIC ^ us> ' ! 2 i ro /W ; >-^ I/S^ I r1. ' w ALBANY'S HISTORIC STREET P A L B A NY'S Hisitorit Street A Collection of some of the Historic Facts and Interesting Traditions relating to STATE STREET & Its Neighborhood Published In Commemoration of its Fiftieth Anniversary by The NATIONAL SAV^"^^ BANK %i tfje Citp of ^Itianp 1918 Copyright 1918 THE NATIONAL SAVINGS BANK OF THE CITY OF ALBANY o o ^'^■^'^wy % 3: ^■%., ^-^P A/ $.0 ENTRANCE TO OFFICES FIRST OCCUPIED BY THE BANK June 18b9 -MayJSrS Are ^v ^{^-^loi Compiled, arranged and printed by direction of ff'alton Advertising y Printing Company Boston, Mass. jfore=l^orb A FIFTY years' survey of the banking history of America does not /\ talie the reader into the early and most interesting era of institu- r % tions for savings. Yet a period even as brief as fifty years may I. *. assume significance and dignity when measured by historic events and by decades of growth. Advances in the history of banking during this time have been rapid; and especially is this true of The National Savings Bank of the City of Albany, now passing its half- century mark. Because this bank took its place fifty years ago in the commercial history of Albany and because its home has these fifty years been in State Street, — the subject of this brochure, — a brief review of its growth and present condition may be of interest to those who wish to follow the story of one of the oldest of our American historic streets. The National Savings Bank of the City of Albany was incorporated May 6, 1868. The following year, on April 27, a meeting of the incorporators was held in the office of Erastus Corning. Mr. Corning was elected president at this meeting; and Daniel Manning was chosen a trustee to succeed James Edwards, who had died a short time after the bank was incorporated. The first trustees were Adam Van Allen, John Reynolds, John Tweddle, Rufus W. Peckham, Matthew H. Read, William H. Taylor, Erastus Corning, William A. Rice, Robert L. Banks, Albion Ransom, John H. Van Antwerp, Joseph Packard, Edwin W. Corning, Isaac Edwards, Benjamin A. Towner, John J. Conroy, and Daniel Manning. Under the auspices of these men, trusted,, respected, prominent in business and in the professions, the bank opened its modest rooms at S7 State Street, nearly opposite the present banking house. The Argus of Monday morning, June 28, 1869, contains the following announcement: — "The National Savings Bank. — This bank, as will be seen by reference to our advertising columns, will go into operation to-day. The officers are: Hon. Erastus Corning, President; Adam Van Allen, Vice President; Albion Ransom, Second Vice President, and Albert P. Stevens, Secretary and Treasurer. These are names that guar- antee the financial soundness of the institution, and the tact and fidelity with which its affairs will be managed. All of the trustees are gentlemen of the highest character in this community. Among the many financial institutions of Albany, it is safe to predict that none stands higher in the estimation of our citizens than will the National Savings Bank. " The object of this bank is to pay to the depositors the entire earn- ings, after deducting necessary expense and, when practicable, a small surplus each year, to form a fund for additional security. The trustees FORE-WORD expect, by strict economy and skilful management, to be_ able to pay the depositors six per cent per annum. Such interest is earned in similar institutions in other cities, and there is no reason why e- positors may not derive equal advantages in Albany. Such an a tion to the interest receivable here will prove a vast benefit to t e class of small depositors; and we therefore wish the new institution ~a long and prosperous career, and to promote that desirable end we unreservedly and cordially commend it to the confidence of our readers." Erastus Corning, who served the bank as president from 1869 to 1872, and whose former home (now occupied by the Albany Club) still stands in State Street, was prominent in the public life of Albany. He served on the board of aldermen and also as mayor of the city. He was a member of the Peace Convention at Wash- ington in 1861. At the time of his death, in 1872, he wa5.a regent of the University of the State of New York. John Henry Van Antwerp, one of the original incorporators and the last of this notable group of men to survive, succeeded Mr. Corning in office. Mr. Van Antwerp was a lineal descendant of that Daniel Janse Van Antwerp who came from Holland and settled in Beverwyck in 1661, and who became a prosperous fur-trader. Mr. Van Antwerp served his city and State in various capacities. He was influential in the creation of Wash- ington Park. For nearly thirty years he was President of the National Savings Bank, receiving in that time no remuneration for his services save, as his biographer states, "that priceless reward of a consciousness of duty well performed." Simon W. Rosendale, formerly Attorney- General of the State of New York, was the third president in office, predecessor of the present and fourth president, James Hilton Man- ning, a former mayor of Albany. The past history and the present history of the National Savings Bank are very closely associated. Albert Parsons Stevens, of New England birth, who had been instrumental in securing the charter for the bank, resigned the office of teller at the First National Bank, and was elected May 19, 1869, secretary and treasurer of the National Savings Bank. He served the bank in this capacity and as a trustee for forty-two years. His son, Frederic B. Stevens, entered the bank in 1888, and is at present_ treasurer and a member of the board of trustees, his period of service covering thirty years. Daniel Manning, one of the original incorporators and a member of the board of trustees, served on this board until other affairs claimed his undivided attention. Mr. Manning was Secretary of the Treasury during President Cleveland's first administration. A touching tribute was paid to Albany by Mr. Manning when, knowing that he had but a short time to live, he asked to be brought back to his birthplace, the city on the Hudson,— the river known by him so well m youth. His son, James Hilton Manning, has been connected with the bank for thirty-seven years. He has been president since 1904 FORE- WORD A singularly interesting honor-roll of long service is possesse 7 the National Savings Bank: — 1 42 years *Albert p. Stetons, secretar>-, treasurer, and trustee . ■ ^q ^" Simon W. Rosendale, president and trustee .■•■■,_« James H. Manning, president, vice-president, and trustee . J _, •John H. Van Antwerp, president and trustee ■ ■ ' ' in " Frederic B. Stevens, treasurer, secretary, and trustee . ' 26 " •Harry C. Cushman, trustee • ,g ler. The Sexagenary, or Reminiscences of the American Revolution, John P. Becker. Edited by S. De Witt Bloodgood. The Centennial Celebration of the State of New York, prepared pursuant to a Concur- rent Resolution of the Legislature, 1878, and Chapter 391 of the Laws of 1879, Allen C. Beach. BIBLIOGRAPHY New Amsterdam and ks People, J. H. Innes. Colonial Days in Old New York, Alice Morse Earle. Historic Towns of the Middle States. Edited by Lyman P. Powell. The chapter on Albany is by Walton W. Battershall. The Picturesque Hudson, Clifton Johnson. The Hudson River from Ocean to Source, Historical, Legendary, Picturesque, Edgar Mayhew Bacon. Memoirs of an American Lady, with Sketches of Manners and Scenes in America as they existed Previous to the Revolution, Mrs. Anne Grant. A Godchild of Ifashington: A Picture of the Past, Katharine Schuyler Baxter. A Legacy of Historical Gleanings. Compiled and arranged by Mrs. Catharina V. R. Bonney. Memoirs of Aaron Burr, with Miscellaneous Selections from his Correspondence, Matthew L, Davis. The Life and Times of Aaron Burr, Lieutenant-Colonel in the Army of the Revolu- tion, United States Senator, Vice-President of the United States, etc., James Parton. American Statesmen: Martin fan Buren, Edward M. Shepard. Personal Memoirs of P. H. Sheridan. ~ Life, of U. S. Grant, Hon. Ben. Perley Poore and Rev. 0. H. Tiffany, D.D. Century of American Savings Banks, James Hilton Manning. History of the Savings Banks Association of tfie State of New York, 18Q4-IQ14, Frederic B. Stevens. Proceedings of the New York State Historical Association. The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, the Argus, the Albany Evening Journal, the Knickerbocker Press, the Times-Union, Harper's .Magazine, Niles' Weekly Register, the N ew-England Historical and Genealogical Register. THE OLD ELM TREE Berore its Demolition In 1877 Collection of James H. Manning m S ■ c "J is o "■ o j; «^ g i:< V 3 J - = ^ Pea uildi epr, - XI -c OUti his an t w OO *-' 60 e CO TO -^ *j' o _2 z i^ s e ° i-B ci z §£ O -J= .- Z '° «i S. u. E c w aj TO -^ s c i " H S ^-"^ '-' u O ■5 S W u H td < D O K S n O z OJ 2 3 Pi O O O ■£ n :2; Holding the scales reproduced on this page in her left hand, Justice for many years presided over the Old Capitol at Albany. So far as is known, this section of the scales is the only part of the historic symbol now in existence. The vignette on the title-page is a reproduction of what is probably the oldest weathercock in America. Since the early days this chanticleer pierced by Indian bullets has witnessed the growth of Albany. It formerly stood on the early Dutch Church on State Street, and it now ornaments the tower of the Dutch Reformed Church on Madison Avenue ^Ibanp's J|j5tor(c Street ROM wigwams bordering the Indian trail that in a few decades was to be quaint Yonkers Street of the early days and State Street of to-day, on a 'calm afternoon in September, 1609, curled blue-gray smoke that mingled with the fragrance of the forest. Autumn with master strokes had already painted brown, red, and yellow the foliage of oak and maple, and a certain crispness in the air fore- casted winter. Silence reigned along , the borders of the primitive- highway, until suddenly a signal was given that a strange vessel was sailing up the great stream skirting the forest. With swift tread the moccasined dwellers of the forest hastened to the river-bank, where they watched the approach of the Half-Moon that bore Henry Hudson. As it drew nearer, the Indians clambered into some threescore canoes, and pushed off in the direction of the strange craft. It was mostly food — beans and oysters — they gave their guests, and in exchange the redmen eagerly accepted the trinkets given them by the crew and master of the Half-Moon. Such was Master Henry Hudson's visit to the river that bears his name, and such was his greeting by the In- dians, — forerunner maybe of the bond of brotherhood that perpetually kept for Albany the friendship of the Five Nations, and preserved it from Indian attacks. On an island below Albany a stockaded trading-post was estab- lished, five years after Hudson's memorable voyage and two years after the noted discoverer was buried beneath the waters of Hudson Bay. A prosperous trade in furs was begun and carried on for more than a century, until the canny beaver, unmindful of the many Ameri- can fortunes founded by him, forsook his native haunts and led his vanishing race to other streams and forests. The gods of the beavers may have interceded on their behalf when, at the breaking up of the ice one spring, the temporary trading-post, like that of the French established late in the sixteenth century, was swept away. But the persistence of the traders eventually won; for the Dutch West India Company, impressed by the reports brought back of the riches of the country, sent in 1623 a few men of Holland to collect pelts and furs from the Indians. They built huts and a crude fort, about fifty feet east of the bend in Broadway, at Steamboat Square. Primitive State Street in. the autumn of i6og The ■ coming of Master Henry Ihidson Trade in furs ALBANY'S HISTORIC STREET Jii early scene in State Street irhat a pearl- merchant of Amsterdam bought Building of the Dutch church and the dominie's house Arrival of the third patroon Increase in the fur- trade The coming of Peter Stuyvesant The Dutch church oi 1 6^6 Undoubtedly among the earliest scenes witnessed by State Street, when it was a narrow path, was that of an Indian, If^en witti :urs threading his way to the trading-post. Five years after the commg of the traders, an Amsterdam authority says, "There are no families at Fort Orange: . . . they keep five and six and twenty persons traders, there." This was Albany's first census, and State btreet, which was to play such an important part in this second charterea city in America, was still an Indian trail, bordered on either side by a deep forest, through which maybe the Indian, as he came to the tort with furs, might with his keen eye discern eastward the sparkle of the waters of the Hudson River. Maybe, as he caught the gleam, he hastened toward the huts of the white man, where for a bottle of rum or a handful of trinkets he bartered his valuable load. The colonists sent out in 1630 by Patroon Herr Killian Van Rens- selaer, pearl-merchant of Amsterdam, whose representative was his nephew, Wouter Van Twiller, built their houses near the fort, and named the village Rensselaerwyck. The grant made to the patroon was forty-eight miles broad and twenty-four miles long on both sides of the Hudson River. Thus passed the forest of the Indians, and the trail leading to the trading-post and the fort. The claim to the latter made by the patroon brought about a sharp controversy between Van Twiller and the West India Company. Thirteen years after the grant to Patroon Van Rensselaer, the first Dutch church, under the direc- tion of Dominie Johannes Megapolensis, was built near the fort. The dominie's house was erected south of the church. Jan Baptiste Van Rensselaer, the first of the family to reach Amer- ica, arrived in 165 1, and the following year became patroon of the manor. He eventually returned to Holland. When the third of the patroons arrived, the people of the colony found it a decided novelty to have the lord of the manor permanently among them. In the mean time the trade in furs was constantly increasing, the number exported shortly after the arrival of the third patroon of Rensselaerwyck being 57,640 beaver and 300 otter. Director-General Peter Stuyvesant, who had previously visited the settlement, came to it in 1652 as a representative of the Dutch West India Company, and in, honor of the immortal beaver named the colony Beverwyck. With his usual decision and keenness for reform, he stamped about on his wooden leg, and, after condemning the houses around the old fort, granted on April 23 lots on the south side of State Street between Pearl Street and Broadway. It is said that, after thus summarily bidding the inhabitants depart from the vicinity of the fort and pronouncing their houses not fit for pigs to root in, Stuyve- sant planted a cannon at Fort Orange, from which he fired a ball north and another south, and declared the territory included within the space covered by the balls the bounds of future Albany. Four years later, in 1656, the Dutch church was built on what was then Yonkers and Handlers Streets, now State Street and Broadway. Many times Collection of James H . Manning A VIEW OF THE LATE PROTESTANT DUTCH CHURCH IN THE CITY OF ALBANY This venerable edifice was situated at the junction of State, Marltet, and Court Streets. It was erected a.d. 1715 and pulled down a.d. 1806. It included within its walls the site of a church the corner-stone whereof was laid by Rutger Jacobsen a.d. 1656 have this ancient edifice and its worthy successor of 1715 been pic- tured. The early Dutch church had the advantage of protection from the guns of Fort Orange; but this State Street edifice was some distance north of the old site, and so had to devise its own means of preservation in case of attack. Its windows were built high from the ground, and the men who came to worship went armed to service. The next Dutch church was built in 1715 around the old edifice, and was of stone. So cleverly was the plan of construction carried out that only for three Sabbaths was worship discontinued. It is an interesting fact that the oldest relic of these early days of the Dutch in Albany is a weathercock of beaten brass, pierced by three bullets. This bold chanticleer formerly stood on the little old Dutch church in State Street, and to-day he presides over the destinies of the city from the tower of the Dutch Reformed Church on Madison Ave- nue. Save for the fifty years spent by the weathercock in the Van Rensselaer vault, he has braved the storms that have swept over the city, and from his elevated perch has watched the little Dutch settle- ment grow from a primitive colony in the wilderness to the bustling city of to-day. His history is fully as interesting as that of the vicissi- A bold chanticUer ALBANY'S HISTORIC STREET The leu: tudes he has weathered and the expansion he has witnessed. It was the rdicol year when the Dutch church was built that a company of burghers ae the Dutch ^j jgj ^j^^j. ^ weather-vane was needed to ornament the tower ot their '°- new edifice. Undoubtedly, the Rev. Gideon Schaats, who came trom Amsterdam as clergyman for the colony, was mstrumental m procur- ing the chanticleer; and the bird arrived probably with the pulpit and the bell, and each lent its share of romance to the church m btate Street. , , , ^ A queer In the early Dutch church (1715) was a queer old stove on a plat- stove and form so high that the sexton had to climb into the gallery to build hres. anold Q^ ^j^g ^jj p^jpj^ ^jjgj.g ^^g g gjjgif Qj^ which the minister solemnly iww-giass ^j^^^^ ^^^ hour-glass. There was a bell-rope that gave no end of CorneVms trouble to poor old Cornelius Van Schaack. Many a tale is told of this ^'«" ancient sexton, who was frequently summoned at most uncertain hours Schaack, j-|.Qj^ j^jg j^Qj^g jj^ North Pearl Street, above Maiden Lane. On one ■'"'''"' occasion in particular the bell rang furiously. "More boys' pranks!" grumbled the sexton, as he angrily seized his lantern and hat and hur- ried to the church. He passed the burial-ground that surrounded the A ghost edifice — in safety. It is said that, when he opened the church-door, a story strange sepulchral sound greeted him, and that, whenr he gathered enough courage to step forward a bit, he caught sight of a monstrous figure in white. Another awe-inspiring sound echoed through the church. The sexton fled. On the following morning, "old aunty some- body's cow" was missing, and was eventually found tied to the bell- rope of the church. About her were wisps of hay, remnants of a feast she had consumed the preceding night while restlessly shaking her head and ringing the bell, to the consternation of Cornelius Van Schaack and the delight of the boys who planned the joke. The story, though old, has a decidedly modern and very college-like flavor. Still, it may be true, and the natural parent of similar stories in the annals of many a school. Removal The Old Dutch Church was removed in 1806. During its existence it °^ ^Dutci ^^'^ witnessed stirring scenes between the Dutch and the Indians, wherein binding treaties were made; and some of the treaties were agreed on within the very walls of this historic edifice. It watched the fervor that attended the Congress of 1756 and the assemblies that pre- ceded the Revolution. It witnessed the camping in September, 1775, of two thousand troops, when they took up their winter quartefs in Albany. It felt the shock of war. It gazed upon the scenes that fol- lowed the war, when the soldiers came home and peace was declared. Nobly, it played its part in the history of the city, and lent to the early days a picturesque touch that can never be forgotten. 'fhe first _ In the same ship that brought the church bell and pulpit there ar- ,/, A,...,. j.j^gj ^ j^^j ^^ bricks intended for the use of the parsonage of the Rev. Gideon Schaats, pastor of the Dutch church. His house — said to be the first brick edifice erected in America — was built, in 1657, on what is now the northeast corner of State and North Pearl Streets. The Church brick house built A men ALBANY'S HISTORIC STREET ■'Bait." Lydins retreats to the mansion house stood untiM832, and was longest occupied by Balthazar Lydius an eccentric bachelor of Dutch extraction, who, after playing for some years the part of lion about town, retreated to the solitude of his mansion; and, after having securely wedded himself to a pipe and a bottle, he purchased, it is said, for a pint of gin a squaw, whom 'of his he ensconced m the Lydius residence. Scarcely anything has been recorded concerning the interior of the house, which in its heyday must have rivalled in dignity the famous Vanderhuyden Palace, so much^ admired by Washington Irving. It has been said that 'the partitions in the house were of mahogany, highly ornamented with carvings representing the vine and fruit of the grape. Mr. Lydius, whose paternal ancestor, the Rev. John Lydius, came to Albany in 1703, was the last of his family. He was a tall, thin, unapproachable man, but of such considerable property that he had to be reckoned with in the financial census of the city. In speaking of the mansion and its eccentric occupant, one who remembers him says : " Inde- "Independ- pendent, honest and gruff as a bear, he occupied at the commence- ent, honest ment of the present century the old and somewhat mysterious- and gruff ^^ looking mansion, then standing at the northeast corner of North "-^ " ^''"'' Pearl and State Streets; and was of course next-door neighbor m a westerly line to the old elm-tree.* The house exhibited in its style and order the taste, if not the pride, of its proprietor. Its position admitted of two front gables, and tzvo front gables it had, thus rival- ling, if not excelling, in architectural beauty the celebrated mansion of the Vanderhuyden family. One front rested on Pearl, and the other on State. Each had its full complement of outside decorative adjuncts — namely, long spouts from the eaves, little benches at the doors, iron figures on the wall, and a rooster on the gable head. How the inside was contrived, nobody knew. The only inhabitants, or at least the only ones my curiosity could ever discover, were the dark and indomi- table proprietor, and an old, unmutilated, pale-faced, melancholy- looking cat. Nor were these visible to any human eye except at par- ticular hours, or under peculiar circumstances. "At the dusky hour of eve, or in the misty gray of the morning, the head, or what was taken to be the head of the old man, was sometimes seen peering out of the narrow window in the southern front; while the low, complaining voice of the other inhabitant, when darkness fell, might be distinctly heard from the turret of the western wing. No door was ever seen to open — the Pearl Street door having been reserved for the egress of the dead — no twinkling light gave sign of life within." It may have been through the Pearl Street door in 1815 that the re- The last mains of Balthazar Lydius, the last of an old family, were borne to the journey oj burial-ground of the Old Dutch Church, probably the longest journey he had made in years. A decade before the building of the Old Dutch Church and the Lydius house in State Street, Anneke Janse Bogardus (her husband, * See opposite Page One. Balthazar Lydius ALBANY'S HISTORIC STREET The Bogardus house '■The Duke's Farm" to-day zoorth millions The Staats house and the Lewis Tavern Birthplace of Philip Schuyler the Rev. Evardus Bogardus, having died) returned to Albany, and resided at the northeast corner of State and James Streets,_where now is located the Mechanics and Farmers Bank. It is not definitely known when the Bogardus home was built on this site. Anneke has been a prominent figure in New York history. She was among the hrst ot the Dutch to settle in the manor of Rensselaerwyck, arrivmg in IbiU with her husband, Roelofi' Jansen Van Maesterlandt, who was in the employ of Patroon Van Rensselaer at the yearly salary of seventy- two dollars. Later the family moved to New Amsterdam, where in 1636 for 31 morgens a grant of sixty-two acres along the North River was given them. Anneke after the death of her first husband married the Rev. Evardus Bogardus. To her children she deeded " the Duke's Farm," as the New York property now owned by Trinity Church was then called. The will was made in the Bogardus house, State Street, Albany, on January 29, 1663. Considerable litigation concerning the property followed. The controversy lasted many years, and was the subject of more than a hundred books. The heirs of Anneke deeded "The Duke's Farm" in 1671 to Lieutenant-Governor Lovelace. The property to-day is said to be worth millions; and it has been estimated that, if it were recovered by the descendants of Anneke Bogardus and evenly distributed among them, each would receive about four dollars. Another interesting historic house in early State Street was the Staats house, and the famous Lewis Tavern adjoining it. The building was really a double house, built in 1667, a little more than a decade after the erection of the Old Dutch Church. Historically, the site is one of the most important in the city. Originally, this lot, now occupied by the Albany County Savings Bank, at the southeast corner of State and South Pearl Streets, was granted to one Cornells Steenwyck, who, it is claimed, transferred the property to Colonel Philip Pieterse Schuyler, the ancestor of the Schuylers in America. The double house erected on the site was built of bricks brought from Holland, and an interesting feature of the building was the "Anno Domini 1667" that extended across the gable end. After the demolition of the western half in order to widen Pearl Street, the eastern half still retained the "Anno " and in fact the date, until the owner, fancying that the ancient year so boldly carved on his property was detrimental to its rental, had the figures removed. Colonel Schuyler left his property to his youngest son, Johannes, who used the double house as a residence. This son was a rich fur-trader in the city, and eventually became mayor of Albany. On his death his son, Johannes, Jr., took up his residence there; and his son, Gen- eral Philip Schuyler, was born in the house on November 11, 173 S. This was Madam Schuyler's city residence, and here she lived while her house at the Flats was being ebuilt. Madam Schuyler will be remembered as the "American La " of Mrs. Grant's Memoirs The house during the time of her occupancy is said to have been elaborately furnished The property came into the possession of the Staats family about 1777. ' Colleclion oj James E. Manning MADAM SCHUYLER'S CITY RESIDENCE In this old house was born General Philip Schuyler. It stood until its demolition in 1887 at the southeast corner of State and South Pearl Streets, and was originally a part of a double house built of bricks brought from Holland The site is now occupied by the Albany County Savings Bank Robert Lewis, who was one of the Yankees who came to New York Opening after the Revolution, opened a tavern in half of this double house; and his hostelry was the best-known and most generally patronized until the opening of the Tontine Coffee House. Here were received the pub- lic guests of the day. A dinner was given here in July, 1786, in com- memoration of the hundredth anniversary of the signing of the charter of the city. The Bank of Albany, which existed until 1861, was in- corporated in February, 1792, at Lewis's Tavern. Here in 1784 a great dinner was given to Governor George Clinton and Heere P. J. Van Berkel, the Dutch ambassador. It was at this tavern in 1784 that " a likely negro wench," owned by Mrs. Margaret Schuyler, was offered for sale. The hum of life around the famous hostelry was in- creased by the coming and going of stage-coaches that had their start- ing-point at the tavern. Robert Lewis, the original proprietor of the tavern, continued his business until his death in 1798, when his son, Stewart Lewis, succeeded him. The tavern was kept by him until plans were made to widen South Pearl Street, which up to this time had been known as Washington Street, and was a lane twelve feet wide, entered by a gate. The building was torn down, and Lewis re- ofthe Lewis Tavern CoUeclion of James E. Manning ELM TREE CORNER ABOUT 1848 On this northwest corner of State and North Pearl Streets stood the Livingston House and the famous elm-tree planted near it by Philip Livingston, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. On this corner the Websters printed their famous spelling- book and almanac. Old Twaddle Hall at one time occupied the corner Hotel Ten Eyck is now on the site Demolition of Staats house The Livingston house moved to 76 State Street, then described as being " opposite the State Bank." He died in 1829, and was buried from 76 State Street. His successors were the Misses Lewis, who opened a boarding-house. The last of his descendants was his daughter, Juliet, who died in September, 18S4, at the age of seventy-five. In December, 1887, the Albany County Bank bought the old Staats house, and the work of demolition was at once begun. The house was probably the oldest building in Albany. Crowds came to watch the landmark disappear, and it is said that every family in the city carried home one of the historic bricks of which the old Staats house had been built. The Livingston house, once on a nearby corner, is fully as interest- ing from an historic point of view as the Staats house. Robert Liv- ingston, a Scotchman, in the fall of 1674 came to Albany, and bought a lot at the northwest corner of Pearl and Yonkers (now State) Streets. There he lived until he removed to his manor-house, some forty miles down the river. For some time Mr. Livingston acted as clerk of the Al- bany court. His son, Philip Livingston, one of the signers of the Decla- ration of Independence, planted in 1735 an elm-tree, from which for ALBANY'S HISTORIC STREET many years the corner received its name. For nearly a century the old tree remained, a loved object, the memory of which many Albanians hold dear. It was the rendezvous for lovers, the chatting-place for those who met casually while on shopping and business trips. Its friendly shade was sought by all. It had its darker history as well; for in the early days slaves were tied to a ring driven into the trunk, and whipped. It has a happier and more interesting history, for it was a witness of the set- ting-up of the first printing-press in Albany, when the Websters be- gan business on this corner and issued their famous spelling-book and almanac. Here also was the Albany Gazette, the first newspaper published in the city. • Old Tweddle Hall was built in 1860 on the site of the Livingston house, near the old elm-tree; and here many of the leading singers and speakers of the day were heard, among them Parepa Rosa, who sang, in the hall, June IS, 1870. The old elm-tree succumbed to the march of progress, for on account of repaving the streets it had to be removed. On the night of June IS, 1877, it was cut down. During the process of demolition, when many by the light of lanterns gathered to watch the work, the ring to which the slaves were tied for whipping was found embedded in the heart of the old tree. Tweddle Hall was burned in 1883, and shortly afterward a new Tweddle Hall was erected, which stood on the site now occupied by the Hotel Ten Eyck. This corner, so famous in the history of Albany, has been celebrated in verse by a local writer, who, mindful of the many facts concerning the famous Livingston house and the equally famous elm-tree, has given his verses a humorous slant. It must be remembered that State Street at this particular point is quite steep. It don't appear that the Old Elm Tree Is a slippery elm, you know; But nevertheless it will doubtless be Set down in the records so. When the snow congeals on the slanting grade, Where the Elm Tree went to rot, And scores of broken heads have made Their mark on the sacred spot, That place of broken skulls will be, By many a frantic mourner, Set down in the town geography ^^ As the "Slippery Elm Tree Corner.' fkilip Livingston, a signer of the Declaration Independen plants the old elm- tree Tiveddle Hall Old elm-tree cut down In the possession of Mr. James H. Manninl LOGS FROM THE OLD ELM TREE ALBANY'S HISTORIC STREET Erection A year after the erection of the Livingston house, State Street (then otFort Yonkers) was further laid out by the erection of a fort, from which an Frederic ^^^^^^^^ ^jg^ ^^s obtained of the rapidly growing settlement. Fort Frederic, supposed to have been named in honor of the house of Han- over, or, as it was sometimes called, " the fortress of the crown," was built in State Street, south of and occupying a part of the position now held by St. Peter's Church. It was built by order of Goveriior Andros, to protect the settlement from invasion by any roving tribes. Each of the four bastions held six guns, and Ensign Silvester Salisbury was placed in command. The old fort stood until the city authorities or- dered its demolition in the spring of 1784. The stone was used for various improvements, some of it being appropriated for building pur- poses by the officers of various churches. Schenectady Fifteen years after the erection of Fort Frederic in State Street maisacre occurred the Schenectady massacre. Probably the fort was the desti- nation of Symon Schermerhorn, who, wounded and blood-smeared, Symon dashed through the northeast gate of the city on a bitter morning in Schermer- pgbj-uary, 1690, in order to arouse the people and announce to the guard that the French and Indians had murdered " ye people of Skin- nechtady ! " On learning of the disastrous event, the number of soldiers at the fort was doubled, and every precaution taken to defend Albany. Troops were also despatched to aid the stricken inhabitants of the Albany Mohawk Valley. Albany in this year 1690 had been a city for four chartered yg^rs, the charter having been granted by Governor Dongan in 1686, j'fygfj when, in addition to a number of other petitions, the people of Albany asked that the governor set apart for the use of the inhabitants the Stadt Huys, or City Hall, the Dutch Reformed Church, the graveyard near the palisades in the southern part of the settlement, and also the Early watch-house. The early plans of Albany give a very good idea of the ^'mln P'^*^^ ^ \\n\e. more than a decade before and also a decade after the ""^ town became a city. The earliest of these plans was made about 1670, and shows the city gates and the streets that are now Broadway, State, and Maiden Lane. The plan of Albany made by the Rev. John Miller in 1695 gives an excellent idea of State Street, and shows the fort, the Dutch church, the Stadt Huys, also the stockades and city gates. Out- side of the palisades encamped the Indians who brought furs, as they were not permitted to remain in the city for any length of time after they had sold their loads. ■^Jd!'H?,ii o Historically, the most important building of Albany was the Old stadtHuys g^^^^ ^^y^^ ^^ City Hall, built in 1705, and located at the northeast corner of Broadway and Hudson Avenue, one block from State Street This building was the successor of the first Stadt Huys, located near Fort Orange, where were held many of the Indian conventions the most notable of these being the gathering of 1683, when delegates ■"l ^^^ u "" ^"^V",?' ^""^ representatives from the white settlements m the Mohawk Valley assembled designated Albany as their capital and decreed that the Covenant House " was " always to be kept open and clean. ^ ^ 10 ALBANY'S HISTORIC STREET The Old Stadt Huys was on June 19, 1754, the scene of a notable assembly, when delegates from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Con- necticut, Rhode Island, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York, met, and uttered the first sentiments concerning a declaration of Indepen- dence. Benjamin Franklin presided at this meeting, and urged the conveiition to adopt the very measures to which twenty years later he subscribed his name. Other delegates were Theodore Atkinson of New Hampshire, Thomas Hutchinson of Alassachusetts, and Colonel Tasker of Maryland, who afterward wrote a very interesting account of the convention. Representatives from the Indian nations had come very solemnly to receive the chain-belt of wampum, on which the king was represented holding in close embrace both the colonies and the tribes of the Five Nations. " The treaty with the Indians," states Munsell, " was conducted with great solemnity. Presents of great value were made to them by the several governments, with which they ap- peared to be well pleased. The Indians being dismissed, the congress remained in session until early in July. The commissioners were, for abilities and fortune, among the first men of North America. The speak- ers, however, we are told, were few in number; but among them were those who spoke with singular energy and eloquence. All were in- flamed with patriotic spirit, and the debates were moving and heart- stirring. Before adjournment, a plan was adopted for a general union of the British colonies in North America, and for creating a common fund to defray all military expenses." Munsell says that at the time of the congress in Albany the city had only 300 or 400 houses, and that the population was from 1,500 to 2,000. Bancroft, in mentioning this convention, says that "America had never seen an assembly so vener- able for the states represented or for the great and able men that com- posed it. ... _ Every voice declared that a reunion of all the colonies was absolutely necessary." The plan for political union was doomed to wait for more than twenty years, as, in the year 1754 when it was evolved, the provincial assemblies rejected it because it gave too much power to the crown, and the crown rejected it because it gave too much power to the people. The Indians seem to have been the only subjects that profited by the eloquence of Franklin in the early days. They heeded what he said, kept their covenant, and Albany won for itself the honor of being the place where were taken the first steps toward the formation of a Federal Union. When the news of Concord and Lexington was brought, either by a packet or by relays of fleet horses, more than twenty years after this eventful convention, it was Lucas Cassidy, a patriotic Irishman, who, accompanied by John Ostrander, awoke quiet State Street by the ringing of an enormous bell, thus calling together the people, who quickly rallied to the cause of the Patriots and raised companies. From the Stadt Huys, exactly twenty-two years after the eventful convention, the bell called the people who assembled to hear read, on July 19, 1776, the Declaration of Independence. 11 Coiivnition o( 1754 Benjamin Franklin presides Indians receive valuable gifts Bancroft writes of the convention News of Lexington and (Umcord- brought to Albajiy ALBANY'S HISTORIC STREET Prisoners in the Stadt Huys "Give me an I rishmatt' s gun, and I will go first .' " Prisoners in white marched up State Street to the gallows The Stadt Huys was the scene in 1778 of considerable trouble with several prisoners who had been confined in the building. When the ; sheriff appeared to remove the offenders, they had so firmly barricaded the door of the room in which they were confined that ingress was impossible. On being ordered to open the door, the prisoners said' that, if they were not left alone, they would set fire to a train of powder they had laid in, and blow up, not only themselves, but their assailants as well. It was found on investigation by officers and the crowd gath- ered outside the building that the prisoners did have powder.- After much delay, somebody suggested that an entrance be made through the roof; but nobody seemed anxious to undertake to do this, until an Irishman by the name of McDole called out, " Give me ap Irish- man's gun, and I will go first! " A huge cudgel was handed him; and he made his entrance from the roof, and beat off the prisoners, who in the mean time, with their train of powder, had been drenched with the hose from the fire department. Men came to the rescue of the daring McDole, who had done considerable damage with his club; and the prisoners were captured, and marched in solemn procession up State Street to the present Capitol Hill, where, on the spot reserved for the gallows, they were executed. An angry mob attended them ail the way, and remained to see that justice was meted out to the of- fenders. As was the custom when men were then executed, the victims marched up State Street, each garbed in a robe of white. Such processions were not uncommon in the eighteenth century. Located form- erly at the north- east corner of Broadway and Hudson Avenue, one block from State Street, on a spot now marked by a bronze tablet near the Dela- ware IS Hudson Building. In this Old City Hall there as- sembled in 1 754 the notable con- gress of the colo- nies, and here were uttered sen- timents that twenty yeats later were incor- porated in the Declaration of Independence From a print in the New York Stale Library THE OLD STADT HlTi'S Collection of James H. Manning HISTORIC ST. PETER'S CHURCH IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY — Beneath the tower of this church rest the remains of Lord Howe, and in the tower is the t Queen Anne bell that first announced in Albany the news of independence ailed The whipping-post, stocks, and pillory stood near the Old Stadt Huys. In this historic building, on Albany's being made the capital in 1797, the first session of legislature in the city was held. Burr, Emmet, Henry, and Hamilton were familiar-figures at the City Hall. The Stadt Huys was vacated in November, 1808, and the offices were . ' ! removed to the State Capitol. Three years after the Stadt Huys was built, the Rev. Thomas The Rev. Barclay, who was then chaplain at the fort, preached also in Dutch Thomas to the people. Though belonging to the English Church, he wason Barclay friendly terms with the Dutch, freely taught their children English, and there even' had been sent to him for catechizing the children of Dominie Lydius, for whom he entertained a warm friendship. Matters went along so for seven years, during which Mr. Barclay was allowed to use the chapel of the Lutherans. In 1714 Mr. Barclay applied to Governor Hunter for a grant of land on which an English church Biiildingof might be built, and he was given a lot on Yonkers (now State) Street, the English near Pearl. In the fall of the same year, Mr. Barclay, preferrmg to """" have his church located near the fort in a wider part of State Street, asked that the lot might be changed; and his petition was granted. No sooner had the stone and lime been gathered for the church than the aldermen of Albany, unwilling to have the church buih in the middle of the street, forbade its erection. Workmen, m spite of this order, were told by Mr. Barclay to proceed, and the aldermen, in- censed at this, arrested two of them, and after that sent a fast ex- press " in the shape of a canoe to New York, with an appeal to the 13 ALBANY'S HISTORIC STREET governor, who ordered the imprisoned workmen to be hberated and work on the church edifice to be resumed. First The church was opened for service in November, 1716. rossibly serz'ice at ^jjg new Stone building, towerless as it was, assumed magnificent pro- St. Peter's potions to the Dutch ; for they at once began to build about their small church, at the foot of State Street, another and larger church of stone, which they completed before the English finished theirs. This church the Dutch occupied for ninety years; and it is said that the first person baptized in it was Elizabeth Vinhagen, who became the wife of Jonas Oathout, and that the church-bell was last tolled when she was buried at the age of ninety-two. Albany's A tower was added to the English church in 1751, and in that year indepnidnite ^ bell was Sent from England. This old bell, hanging in the centre of the chime in the tower of the present St. Peter's, and used now only to usher in the New Year, was the first bell to ring in independence at Albany. In earlier days it " summoned to divine service the garrison of the fort, the people of the little frontier city, and the Indians en- camped outside the ' palisades,' who had come out of the forest for barter or to brighten the links of the ' covenant chain ' between the Province and the six tribes of the Iroquois confederacy." The bell has in raised letters the following inscription: — St. Peter's Church, Albany, 1751. Minister, J. Ogilvie. J. Ste's'enson, E. Collins, Church Wardens. Queen Anne A communion service given by Queen Anne for a chapel that was to commtimon have been erected among the Ononddgas, and was never built, was service gjygj^ j-q g,.^ Peter's, and has ever since been used. The set of seven pieces Is quaintly inscribed, and bears the royal arms. Resting- Beneath the tower of the present St. Peter's rest the remains of - $'w'' °^ George Augustus Scrope, Lord Viscount Howe, who was killed in the or owe gyjjjjjjg]- Qf 1758^ while fighting to wrest the fortress of Ticonderoga The night from the French. On the night of July 6, 1758, Howe, lying on a bear- beforethe gjj^jj^ j-^g jj^ camp, talked to Stark concerning the battle that was to take place the following day. There seemed to be about the young Englishman an anxiety and possibly a foreboding as to the out- come of the conflict. From the landing at Lake George the English ad- vanced in four columns. Howe led his own company, and shortly, in the mazes of the forest, came across a company of French and In- dians. It was after the skirmish was over that a chance shot killed Lord Howe. Mante, who was then in the service, savs, " With him the soul of the expedition seemed to expire." He was the brother of Ad- miral Lord Howe, who commanded the British fleet in the early part of the Revolution. Lord Howe was but thirty-four years old when he fell, and was greatly loved by his comrades. The first intimation of his death that reached Albany was received 14 ALBANY'S HISTORIC STREET from a hatless man who rode furiously past the Schuyler mansion from the north, crying, as he went on: "Lord Howe is killed! Lord Howe is killed!" A few days later a single barge arrived in Albany, and from it Philip Schuyler tenderly bore the remains of the young noble- man. Lord Howe was buried with military obsequies in St. Peter's Church. Years later, when the edifice was demolished to give place to the church that stood on the present site of St. Peter's, the double coffin containing Lord Howe was found. The inner coffin, of rich mahogany, was in a very good state of preservation. When it was opened, the remains were still wrapped in the costly damask covering, which crumbled to dust at the first breath of air. Lord Howe's re- mains were placed in the second St. Peter's, on the site of the present church. They now repose beneath the vestibule of the present St. Peter's. It was on Wednesday, November 20, 1804, from the famous Schuyler mansion, where Washington, Lafayette, Baron Steuben, Count de Rochambeau, Benjamin Franklin, and many other notable men of the day had been entertained, and where Alexander Hamilton wedded lovely Elizabeth Schuyler, that the long procession passed up State Street bearing the remains of General Philip Schuyler, frieni of Lord Howe. A contemporary writer describes the event: — ■ " The military under command of Major S. Lansing were drawn up in Washington Street; and on the appearance of the corpse it was re- ceived by the line with presented arms, saluted by the officers and by the standard, which was enshrouded in crape, and with melancholy music by the band. The military then preceded the bier in open col- umn and inverted order with arms reversed, the band playing a dead march. The pall was supported by Chancellor Lansing, Stephen Lush, Esq., Abraham Van Vechten, Esq., Peter W. Yates, Esq., Col. Van Vechten, John V. Henry, Esq., Mr. James Caldwell and Mr. Barent Bleecker. On the top of the coffin was the General's hat and sword, with boots and spurs reversed across the horse. His grey horse was led by two black servants dressed in black and white turbans. The streets were lined with people, doors and windows were filled, and even the housetops were not without spectators to behold the melancholy procession, and to pay their last offices of respect to the deceased. Dur- ing the procession's advance there was a- regular discharge of minute guns from Prospect Hill, by a detachment of the artillery." A tablet on St. Peter's Church in State Street gives the following his- torical data: "In the middle of State, formerly Yonkers Street, one block below stood the first English Church, built a. d. 1715 upon ground granted by letters patent from King George the First. It bore the name of St. Peter's Church. The parish was incorporated 1769. The second St. Peter's Church was built on this site a.d. 1802, and bore this inscription, ' Glory be to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy en- dureth forever.' The present edifice was built a.d.^^18S9. Upon this spot stood the northeast bastion of Fort Frederick." IS "Lord Howe is killed! " Burial at St. Peters Burial of General Philip Schuyler Tablet on St. Peter's ALBANY'S HISTORIC STREET Harmamis JFniddl, fur-trader Fur-trading in State Street Martin Van Buren resides in State Street Home of Robert Yates John Fan Xess Yates A year after the building of St. Peter's Church in the middle of State Street, Harmanus Wendell built on the south side of State Street a substantial dwelling, where he carried on an extensive fur-trade. It is surmised that the house was the scene of many a characteristic trans- action between the Dutch and the Indians; but this is only assump- tion, as nothing in the way of definite data survives. _ In 1841 the house was demolished to make way for a four-story brick store, built by John V. L. Pruyn and Henry H. Martin. As late as 1780 fur-trading was carried on in State Street; and the prince of merchants at that time, as well as the richest man in Albany, was John Stevenson, whose noted mansion in State Street was com- menced by him on the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, and fin- ished about 1780. For nearly half a century it was occupied by the Stevenson family. It was located at 92 State Street, on the present site of the Empire Theatre, near the Albany City Savings Institution. Although neither Worth nor Munsell mentions this fact, it is said that this house witnessed more or less trade in furs with the Indians. The house, which eventually was used as a hotel before its demolition in 1841, is best remembered as the home of Martin Van Buren when he was governor of New York. At that time and even later it was the rendezvous of the leading politicians of the day. Mr. Van Buren served a brief term as governor, having been inaugurated on January 1, 1829, and serving until March 12 of the same year. His inaugural address has been many times mentioned as one of the best executive messages delivered in the State. Mr. Hammond, a political historian of New York, though not friendly toward Governor Van Buren, acknowledged that it was " the best executive message ever delivered to the Legis- lature." Less than ten years after the delivery of this famous message, Martin Van Buren was elected President of the United States. Another well-known house in State Street at this time was that of Robert Yates, who in 1777 was appointed one of the justices of the Su- preme Court of New York, and who in 1790 became chief justice. Worth recalls this noted justice and his son, John V. Yates: "Old Judge Yates [Robert], one of the members that framed the constitu- tion, was a clear-headed, strong-minded man; straightforward, honest and patriotic. His son, John Van Ness Yates, was a man of talents, both natural and acquired. He was equal to the duties of any station, and to the difficulties of any task. He was a wit, a poet, a belles- lettres scholar, and a boon companion. He wanted nothing but in- dustry and self-respect to hav? made him an eminent lawyer. His as- sociations were beneath him. ... All that he had read, and he had a vast deal, was at his fingers* ends. He was often consulted by the youngest members of the bar, while walking in the streets; and with- out a moment's hesitation, would take out his pencil and write down what was the law in the case, and where it was to be found— volume, chapter and verse. From these frequent consultations he was called the Walking Library." 16 ALBANY'S HISTORIC STREET The Yates house was at 106 State Street, opposite Hotel Ten Eyck and after the death of Chief Justice Yates it was occupied by Tohr^ Van Ness Yates. After his death it was used for various purposes until Its demolition in 1855. The first stone house built in Albany was near State Street at the northwest corner of Green and Beaver Streets. In the days preceding the Revolution the house was known as the King's Arms Tavern- and from It in the early part of the conflict was taken a picture of Kin? George, which was, with another portrait of him from St. Peter's burned in the middle of State Street. Apparently, the tavern— possibly because of its name — declined in popularity for a season; for, when it next appears before the public, it bears the name of Hugh Dennitson's Tavern, and, from the very steps down which an angry delegation bore the portrait of a despised king, George Washington in 1782 was given the freedom of the city. Abraham Ten Broeck was then mayor of Albany, and he with the common council received with impressive formalities General Wash- ington, who, while on this tour of military inspection, was accompa- nied by Lafayette, Kosciuszko, Hamilton, Steuben, and Generals Knox and Greene. In the evening, Washington and his companions were entertained at the Schuyler mansion. On July 19, 1783, Washington again visited Albany. Again he was received at Dennitson's, and given the freedom of the city. A public dinner was tendered him, and the following sentiment presented: "Under the smiles of Providence, with a brave and victorious army, aided by a great and generous ally, you have saved America from bondage, restored to her the peaceful enjoyment of her civil rights, and laid a solid foundation for the free- dom and independence of the United States. Receive, Sir, our sincere wish that you may in the bosom of your country enjoy the tranquillity which your toils have purchased and look forward with patriotic pleas- ure to those ages of prosperity which we may reasonably hope will be confirmed in endless succession by the wisdom and harmony of her councils." General Washington said in reply: "To the Mayor, Aldermen and Commonalty of the City of Albany, — Gentlemen, I accept with heart- felt satisfaction your affectionate congratulations on the restoration of peace and the formal recognition of the Independence of the United States. We may indeed ascribe these most happy and glorious events to the smiles of Providence, and the virtue of our citizens and bravery of our troops, aided by the powerful interposition of our magnani- mous and illustrious ally. For the favorable sentiments you are pleased to express to my agency in this Revolution, and for your benevolent wishes for my personal felicity, I entreat you, gentlemen, to receive my warmest acknowledgments. While I contemplate with inexpressible pleasure the future tranquillity and glory of our common country, I cannot but take a particular interest in the anticipation of the increase in prosperity and greatness of this ancient and respect- 17 The Kings Arms S Dennitson^s IF as kin gt 011 given the freedom of the city Address by General Washington ALBANY'S HISTORIC STREET able city of Albany, from whose citizens I have received such dis- tinguished tokens of their approbation and esteem." Before the notable century that marked the beginning of the Ameri- can nation passed, several changes took place in State Street. The old State Hall, the first public building erected in the State of New York after the Revolution, was built in State Street, at the corner of Lodge. The building was commenced in 1797 and completed in 1799, and here several sessions of the legislature were held before the completion of the State Capitol in 1808. In 1797 the Caldwell house at 66 and 68 State Street, the seat of government having been placed in Albany in that year, became the executive mansion; and Governor John Jay took up his residence, as a contemporary paper announces, in the "elegant house." Most of the governors of New York have resided in State Street. Elkanah Watson, a Yankee, who came to Albany in the latter part of the eighteenth century, was instrumental in procuring several reforms that were made in the city. Mr. Watson may have been among those who provided a pound for the pigs, universal garbage-gatherers of the time, and thereby made himself unpopular. It was he who had a large part in the plans for paving State Street; and in connection with^ its accomplishment, which took place in 1789, Mr. Watson said that he happened to be passing down the street after a severe rain-storm, when the housewives were vigorously sweeping away the debris washed about their door-steps. On seeing him, they addressed him in adjec- tives not exactly complimentary; and their wrath gathering as they talked, in order to keep it warm maybe, they proceeded toward the helpless Elkanah with brooms uplifted for war. The only thing to do under the circumstances was to retreat, and this the hapless Yankee did as fast as his feet would take him. A notable event of the latter part of the century just mentioned was the coming to Albany of a brilliant and unhappy figure of American history. The Old City Hall at Broadway and Hudson Avenue was the scene of an interesting proceeding when, on the 19th of January, 1782, after a special permit being granted by the court that previously had not recognized for examination any law student who had pursued his studies for less than three years, Aaron Burr underwent a rigid ex- amination by eminent attorneys (some of whom were anxious that he be rejected), and was with honor licensed as an attorney. And it is further recorded that " at a supreme court of judicature, held for the State of New York, at the City Hall of the City of Albany, on the 17th day of April, 1782, Aaron Burr having on examination been found of competent ability and learning to practise as counsellor, it was or- dered that he be admitted to the bar." Colonel Burr came to Albany in the autumn of 1781, and there ap- plied himself to the study of law. Judge Yates, whowas always greatly esteemed by Burr, gave him considerable assistance in his pursuit. Burr wrote regularly to Mrs. Prevost, to whom he was betrothed; and some 19 The close of a notable century Executive maruion in State Street State Street paved fFatson attacked by brooms wielded by Albany h oiisezoives Aaron Burr examined for the bar at the Old City Hall ALBANY'S HISTORIC STREET of his spare hours were spent in reading Rousseau, for whom he seems to have had an admiration. The young law student was soon received by the leading men of the city, and Philip Van Rensselaer himselt_ un- dertook to procure for him more comfortable quarters. Burr, in a letter to Theodosia Prevost of December, 1781, speaks of Van Rens- selaer, and adds that his accommodations " are indeed far removed from elegance, and in some respects from convenience. ^He [Van Rensselaer] insists that I suffer him to procure me better." And in a letter dated the following day he tells Mrs. Prevost that " Van Rens- selaer has succeeded perfectly in my wish. I am with two maidens, aunts of his, obliging and (incredible!) good-natured. The very para- gon of neatness. Not an article of the furniture even to a tea-kettle, that would soil a muslin handkerchief. I have two upper rooms." Unfortunately, for the lover of detail, the young law-student does not say where these rooms were located. In July, 1782, Aaron Burr married Theodosia Prevost; and, during the eighteen months Burr practised law in Albany, they made their home a part of the time in Washington Avenue, in the house that formerly stood on a part of the site now occupied by the^ort Orange Club. The family lived also in James Street. Bun opens a Burr's law-office was on the north side of Norton Street, the second ■"ZTif". door east of South Pearl Street, on a part of the site now occupied by any ^^^ Bensen Building. It is not strange that, with the reputation as a soldier already possessed by Burr, with the excellent connections he had made in Albany, and with his engaging personality and shrewd- ness, the young attorney succeeded in establishing in Albany County a wealthy and distinguished clientele. In view of these facts it is not Rapid rise strange that he rose rapidly in his profession. Within a few months proksskn ^^^^^ ^^^ Norton Street office was opened, Aaron Burr had laid the foundation of a business so profitable that it was surpassed by that of few men in the State. He was sure of success and of being able to provide for his family when he married Mrs. Prevost. As his clients crowded in, he gave his attention more and more to business. What- ever time remained he devoted to his home. A tavern Occasionally, with various grumblings concerning the facilities for travel between Albany and New York, Burr visited the latter city. A story is told of a trip by stage once taken by him in winter. The stage stopped the second night at Poughkeepsie, and at the tavern there a juggler undertook to amuse the travellers. Colonel Burr was in the audience. Almost immediately after the performer appeared, he ap- proached Colonel Burr, gave him a silver dollar, and told him to hold it tightly, as his best trick of the evening would be performed with it. After the tricks were exhausted, the man came for his dollar. Colonel Burr handed it to him, saying, " I see no trick in this." " It was my best trick of the evening," said the juggler, earnestly. " I knew the moment I saw you that you would see through everything I did, and that is why I gave you the dollar to divert your attention." 20 ALBANY'S HISTORIC STREET Many who remember Aaron Burr have said that this power of pene- Burr New York tration was one of his best weapons in the practice of law. After the ''''"^o"" '° signing of the preliminary treaty of peace, Colonel Burr decided to re- move to New York City; and there, after the evacuation of the British, established an extensive practice. Another event which attracted much attention in Albany was the Death of death of General Washington. President John Adams conveyed the irashmston news to Congress by reading a letter he received from the private secretary of Washington, containing the following message: _ "On the 14th day of December, 1799, General George Washington breathed his last at Mount Vernon in the 69th year of his age." When the news reached Albany, a resolution was passed by the Com- mon Council. " Resolved," says the text of this document, " That the Bells of the City be tolled from three to five o'clock this afternoon (Dec. 23) and that the Members of this Board wear Crape round the left arm for the space of six weeks, as a testimony of respect to the memory of Lieut. Gen. Washington, deceased." A funeral procession formed in the streets on January 9, 1800, when the citizens solemnly honored the memory of their great leader. "A deep and mournful silence," says Mrs. Bonney, " hung over all Funeral ranks, and gave the most impressive testimony of a pervading heart- proeesswn felt grief at the irreparable loss of a character uniting such unexam- pled virtue and public worth. The artilleries of the United States began the solemnities at daybreak, by firing sixteen guns m quick succession, and continued firing a gun every half-hour untd the signal was given by three guns for the procession to form. At ten o clock the military paraded in Watervliet Street, under the command of Major Solomon Van Rensselaer of the army of the United States, as Mar- shal. Capt. McClallen as officer of the day, assisted by Adjutant Wen- dell and Lieutenant Treat, directed the procession. _ " The bier [containing its symbolic burden] was received on the left of the line, drawn up in open ranks with arnis presented the officers, colors, and music saluting. Minute guns firing at a distance during the procession. At 11 o'clock by a signal of two guns n immediate succession, the procession moved in the following order Cavalry with swords reversed, Drums muffled, colors reversed and in mourning. Band of Music, instruments draped m "ape. ... General's horse, led by 2 black men m mourning with ^hte turbans Law society of young gentlemen wearing crape with badges trimmed wfth black ribbon; their president in ^^11 mourning. Having arrived at the North Dutch Church, the procession hahed the troops formed in two lines, with operi ranks; the who e body o military leaning on arms reversed. The bier, preceded by the officers S the government, and the clergy, passed through to the f entre o h middle^isle of the church. The officers "V^^^y.^^X' ^^^^^^'f/Sr of the city and the respective corporations then Ml^^^^'^'^^^^^f^ fj^^ the several societies ... the citizens following. . . .The bier was 21 ALBANY'S HISTORIC STREET Observance of Ifashington's Birthday, 1800 Oration by Major Michael Houdin "Prepare to shed your tear! " New York State National Bank chartered Tontine Coffee House Notice from a Lansingburgh ■paper then removed to the front of the church where the last honors were paid to the memory of the deceased. While the procession was movmg the bells of the respective churches were tolled, they all had been pre- viously muffled. The military presented a splendid appearance. Washington's birthday— February 22, 1800— was appropriately ob- served at the various churches in Albany. A ceremony in his memory was observed at the City Hall. The procession, composed of both houses of the legislature and the executive and judicial officers of New York, formed in the morning at City Hall, and passed through State and Pearl Streets to the North Dutch Church. In the afternoon a me- morial oration by Major Michael Houdin was delivered in City Hall. Major Houdin was a Frenchman, the eccentricities of whom have been portrayed by various writers. He was a small man, and has been de- scribed as " very bandy-legged " and as wearing his hair " clubbed and powdered." On the afternoon he was to deliver the Washington me- morial oration the major paced the steps in front of the City Hall until the audience had gathered. " He held in his hand," an observer said, " a roll of large sized paper, tied round with black, and continued his walk till the house was well filled, when he came in and read his speech." Major Houdin's English was far from perfect, but his heart was warm with love for the great Washington. Unfortunately, he reached a climax that had an astonishing effect on the audience, when he paused, and then said, " Ladies and gentlemen, now I come to the pathetic part of my discourse, prepare to shed your tear!" and, after generously praising Washington, he sat down, weeping. State Street added another chapter to its history in 1803, when the New York State National Bank was chartered. It occupied a building erected for its use that year near the northwest corner of State and James Streets. This building, still occupied by the bank to-day, is the oldest edifice continuously used for banking purposes in the United States. This same year the Tontine Coffee House at 51-54 State Street, which had passed through varied and interesting changes, was the only public house in the city. As early as 1790 Ananias Piatt, who became proprietor of the Tontine, won local note by establishing a stage-line between Albany and Lansingburgh. Mr. Piatt's inn was at the latter place. By 1796 his stages were making two trips a day between these two points. The following note of his enterprise was made in a Lan- singburgh paper of 1796: "A few years ago there was but one Stage between this Place and Albany. It was established and maintained at great Expense by Mr. A. Piatt, and for a considerable Time had little Encouragement. He however persevered, and' at this Day, this Mode of Travelling has so increased, that twenty Stages pass and repass daily between the neighboring Towns of Lansingburgh, Troy, Waterford and Albany, averaging more than 150 Passengers a-Day; a Proof of our growth and Prosperity." Mr. Piatt, who in 1798 kept the Tontine, was succeeded in 1801 by 22 ALBANY'S HISTORIC STREET Matthew Gregory. In this same year Mr. Gregory announced his vent- ure: "Tontine Coffee House— Mat. Gregory, from the village of ^yaterford, has taken the Tontine Coffee House, State Street, in the city of Albany. He has also provided himself with a large yard, stable &c., for horses and carriages, for convenience of the gentleman traveler. The house has been kept for three years past by Mr. Ananias Plattj and will be open and ready to wait on those who may be pleased to call on him, the ISth inst. Every attention in his line of business shall be strictly attended to, by the public's humble servant, Mat. Gregory." All of the noted travellers of the day stayed at the Tontine, and quiet order prevailed throughout the estabHshment. De Witt Clinton, Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton, and Daniel D. Tompkins were there when- ever affairs called them to the city. Jerome Buonaparte, " the lightest twig of the Corsican tree," stayed for some time at the Tontine. Matthew Gregory, who had had some army experience, was proprie- tor of the Tontine until his retirement from business, in which he had acquired a small fortune. In 1814 he purchased Congress Hall on Capitol Hill, and there lived in quiet elegance, occasionally coming from his seclusion to greet a famous guest or to take part in some pub^ lie demonstration. He was one of the committee that received Lafay- ette in Albany, and a reception to the French general was held in Mr. Gregory's parlor. Matthew Gregory assumed a fashionable style of dress up to ripe old age. At eighty-seven he has been described as erect and very active, even though he spent his days in a somewhat limited circle. He was an early riser, and Mr. Worth asserts that his daily ambition was to get to the barber's before breakfast and before Dr. Peter Wendell. It was at the Tontine Coffee House that the wounds of General Solo- mon Van Rensselaer were dressed after the notorious affray in State Street that resulted in considerable litigation and the imposition of heavy fines. The hostility that caused this attack grew out of political rivalry between the Federalists and the Republicans. Newspapers and handbills added fuel to the fire. General Solomon Van Rensselaer had read the advertisements published by the rival party; and un- doubtedly when he walked down State Street on the 21st of April, 1807, he had already made up his mind just what he would do if he. met one Elisha Jenkins, secretary of the Republican party. Accord- ingly, when the meeting took place. General Van Rensselaer without' ceremony of any sort gave Mr. Jenkins a severe caning. Judge John Tayler, hearing of the assault, sallied out to meet General Van Rensselaer. "Assassin, rascal, scoundrel ! " he called, and pursued General Van Rensselaer down State Street, calling out a number of other names as he ran. A crowd gathered, and increased until it composed more than half of the male population of Albany. State Street from Pearl Street to Broadway was filled with men, and the windows above were crowded with curious gazers. 23 Air. Gregory': advertisemcn Some noted guests Mr. Gregory purchases Congress Hdl An a§ray in State Street .«-*'-&-«f|S<*'-<> *■ -- Collection of New York Stale Library STATE STREET IN 1842, FROM AN EARLY LITHOGRAPH, SHOWING THE CAPITOL AND THE MUSEUM Tk^ victim taken to the To'ituie Judge Tayler took his stand in front of his house; and his son-in- law, Dr. Charles D. Cooper, and Francis Bloodgood, another relative, came to his assistance, calling, as they pressed through the crowd: "Kill Van Rensselaer! Kill the damned rascal!" And with that they both kicked the general, who had already received several wounds from the cane. General Van Rensselaer was struck by his assailants several times from behind, and was severely beaten after he had fallen. The wounded man was rescued; and, after his wounds were dressed at the Tontine Coffee House, he was removed on a mattress in a boat to Cherry Hill. " His thick, beautiful hair," says Mrs. Bonney, " fortu- nately was braided and clubbed behind, and this had afforded some protection to his head; but his symptoms continued very alarming. The stroke from the heavy club on the back of his head, and the das- tardly kicking after he was prostrate, brought him to the verge of the grave; for many weeks he lay nearly unconscious, and the chance for life appeared but small." The trial of both cases for assault was in August, 1808. The case attracted wide attention, as no other occurrence of the kind had taken place. Simon De Witt, James Kane, and John Van Schaick were the Jieards arbitrators; and the awards were as follows: Jenkins against Van Rensselaer, $2,500; Van Rensselaer against Tayler, $300; Van Rens- selaer against Cooper, $500; Van Rensselaer against Bloodgood, $3,700. 24 ALBANY'S HISTORIC STREET Another noted landmark on State Street at the northwest corner of Broadway now the site o the Albany Trust Company, was the old Museum Bu.ldmg The site on which the building was located was •" 1 897 u ^ ^V"' ^"°^" o' " Robinson's Corner." It was purchased in 1827 by Thorpe and Sprague, who built there their stage-house. Fnor to this the famous Albany museum had been founded by Henry Trowbridge._ In 1809 he occupied the Old City Hall; and there he collected curiosities, including shells, minerals, and some insects Trow- bridge was something of a genius. He attracted wide attention in 1817 by installing 120 burners in his museum and in lighting the same with gas, the first illumination of the kind in Albany. He carefully demon- strated that It was cheaper to use gas-light than candles or oil, and he said that the expense of his new light was only 63 cents a night whereas oil and tallow had cost him from $1.87 to $2.25. ' The first of January, 1831, Trowbridge removed from his old quar- ters to the new building, belonging to Thorpe and Sprague, that had become a starting-place of their stage-coaches. Thereafter the edifice was known as the Museum Building. Several collections had been added to that of Trowbridge, including those of the New York State Museum and of the Troy Museum. J. Leslie painted a new drop-scene" for the Museum. Exhibitions were held daily. A yearly ticket sold for ten dollars, a single gentleman's yearly ticket for three dollars, and a quarterly ticket for a dollar and a quarter. Many notable men and women appeared at the old Museum after it became a theatre. Phelps in his History of the Albany Stage tells an excellent story concerning Herr Driesbach, who with his tiger per- formed at the Museum in a sensational play. " In order to win the lady," says Phelps, " the hero had to capture this tiger, who was sup- posed to be in a cave in the mountains, but who was really in a cage raised up to the top of the scene, and his master, going up a sort of run, the door is opened, the beast sticks his head out, is collared by Driesbach, who has a great struggle with him, making a very effective scene. Now the musician happened to have a very large red nose, and the boys laughing at him, had told him the day previous, that if he wasn't careful, the tiger would take his nose for beefsteak, and he'd get into trouble. He passed it off lightly, and at night was at his post as usual, and the old viol did special duty in accompanying the scenes. .of the drama. The climax was approaching; the door of the cage was about to open, and Driesbach prepared for his struggle with the beast whose grumbling and roaring was being imitated as closely as possible by the player on the double bass. The tiger appeared and sprang down the run to meet his tamer. The musician, who had all the time been a little nervous, was watching the stage, and as the door opened, it appeared to him the animal had his eyes fixed directly on that unfor- tunate nose. Down came the tiger; away went the bass viol; ' Mein Gott in Himmel!' exclaimed the frightened musician, as he started towards the audience. They saw him coming, and already much ex- 25 Old Museum Building First collection in Old City Hall Removal to northwest corner Broadway and State Street A tiger story ALBANY'S HISTORIC STREET Palmy days of the old Miufuin Booth aids in fighting fire Old Muscu III disco^itinucd SaU of the curiosities Erection of Albany Trust Company Building cited, thought the animal had really broken loose, and in less than a minute, there wasn't a soul in that part of the house. . . . The actors were about as scared as anybody. . . . They gave the tiger all the stage room he wanted." On the 1st of February, 1841, the Museum was reopened after it had been decorated by S'ignor Guidicini, who was then artist of the National Opera House of New York City. In 1848 the Museum was enlarged. In that year on July 10 the elder Booth played there. The great fire occurred on the 17th of that month; and, in gratitude to the firemen for having saved his wardrobe. Booth aided them in fighting the flames the entire day. When night came, he appeared at the Museum in his red flannel shirt, and asked where the lighting plant was. On being told, he disappeared; and, when it was time to turn on the light, the gas-pipes were found sadly battered. Booth did not play that night. It is said that on this trip he was accompanied by his son Edwin, who sat in a box, following the copy of the play in which his father acted. Young Booth kept a close watch on his father, but in spite of his vigilance the elder Booth often evaded the younger. Booth, the elder, was found one night very drunk in Trotter's Alley, and those interested in having him sober for the next night took him in a car- riage to the old Howard Street jail, where he was left to recover from his debauch. The following morning he was drunker than ever, — to the surprise of those who visited him. Some years afterward the mys- tery was cleared up, when a man bj' the name of Boardman, who did odd chores about the jail, said that he had been induced by Booth to procure a pint of brandy and a churchwarden's pipe. The brandy was placed outside the grating, and with the aid of the long pipe-stem Booth consumed its contents. Henry Trowbridge died in 1844, and the old Museum was discon- tinued April 21, 18SS. A Dr. Spaulding bought the collection of the Museum. The rhinoceros skin that had been stuffed in the building was so dry and stiff that none of the doors and windows was large enough to allow the specimen to pass, so the skin was sawed in two. The curiosities were taken by the purchaser — who, by the way, never paid for them — down the A'lississippi, and there shown in a moving theatre. Thorpe and Sprague, when the old Museum Building was badly damaged by fire, abandoned their stage ofiice in 1861. It was recon- structed after that, and has been known since both as the " Marble Pillar " and the " Western Union Building." In 1902 the Albany Trust Company purchased the site, and, having erected their banking house, occupied it in 1904. A near neighbor to State Street was the Vanderhuvden Palace, ad- mired by the stranger and immortalized by Irving! Dirk Vander- huyden, the progenitor of the Vanderhuyden family in Albany, achieved some prominence in 1687, when his'name first appears on the colonial records. It was in this year that he with others gave testi- 26 'i:^M WESTERN UNION BUILDING IN Collection oj James H. Manning 1878 The Old Museum Building, afterward converted into the Western Union Building, was for some years at the northwest corner of State Street and Broadway. In the early days the site was known as Robinson's Corner. After its purchase by Thorp and Sprague, it was made a starting-place for stage-coaches The site is now occupied by the Albany Trust Company mony, before Mayor Nicholas Bayard in New York City, concerning a trading expedition made into the land of the Ottawa Indians, where they were attacked by a party of French and Indians, who, after taking their arms and goods, barbarously treated the prisoners, and event- ually sent them to Quebec. Four of the company out of twenty-nine escaped, including Dirk Vanderhuyden, who came to Albany. Here Vanderhuyden seems to have established himself. Ten years after giv- ing an account of his expedition into the Indian country, his family is listed in Albany as composed of 1 man, 1 woman, 4 children. In Albany he pursued various callings, and about a year after taking an oath of allegiance to King William he was made assessor of the first ward in the city. Eventually, he became a city alderman, and one au- thority says he was an innkeeper. The city officials at their meeting of 27 I'ander- huyden Palace ALBANY'S HISTORIC STREET June 18, 1706, made the following record: "The City Hdl bemg now repairing, the Court is therefore resolved to adjourn at Dirk Vander- huyden's house, which is adjourned accordingly." On the purchase ot land in Rensselaerwyck (now Troy), Dirk paid a yearly rental ot three and three-quarters bushels of wheat and two fat hens or capons. This Dirk Vanderhuyden was the grandfather of Jacob Vander- huyden, who in 1778 for " 11S8£, lawful money of New York" pur- chased the house that has come down in history as the Vanderhuyden Palace. This edifice, which stood on the west side of Pearl Street, not "One of the far from State, had been built in 1725 by Johannes Beekman, "one of zvorthiest the worthiest burghers of the place." The bricks were imported from burghers Holland, and the house was considered one of the best specimens of of the place" putch architecture of the day. Mr. Beekman lived in his house until his death in 1756, after which his daughters lived there until their marriage, which occurred just prior to the Revolutionary War. The elder married an officer of the English army, and made her home in the West Indies; while the younger married John M'Crea, and con- tinued to live in her father's house. On the removal of the M'Crea family from Albany the house was rented for a number of years, and a part of the time it was used for school purposes. E^ven after the purchase of the house in 1778 by Jacob Vanderhuyden, it was not occupied by him until after the great fire of 1797, when the house where he was then living had burned. From this year until the time of his death in 1820 Mr. Vanderhuyden lived in the Vanderhuyden Palace, and it was during the period in which he was its master that it enjoyed its greatest prosperity. To it, won by its quaint and pict- Paiace uresque exterior, resorted Washington Irving; and in his story of admired by Dolph Heyliger in Bracebridge Hall it is described as the residence of Washington Herr Anthony Vanderhuyden. The weather-vane, representing a Irving j^Qj-gg going at a tremendous speed, was taken by Irving to adorn a turret of the doorway at Sunnyside, his home on the Hudson, where in all probability the quaint relic remains at the present time. Demolition The lovely old Vanderhuyden Palace was demolished in 1833 to of Vander- make way for the First Baptist Church. The site is now occupied by huyden the Albany Savings Bank. Jacob Vanderhuyden was for several years Pa ace ^ director of the Bank of Albany. He held many public offices, and was in 1783 an assessor of the city. One of his sons (David) served in the War of 1812, and another (Derrick) became a well-known attorney. Vanderhuyden Palace, like a number of the historic landmarks al- ready mentioned, stood not far from the present Capitol Hill at the head of State Street. The site of the present Capitol was once known Pinkster Hill ^^ Pinkster Hill. It was there in the eighteenth century that the famous Pinkster festivals were celebrated by the negroes of Albany. Though in other parts of the country these festivals were held, probably they were not so picturesque as those held at Albany, where, during the week in which they lasted, the negroes were given the freedom of the city and the right of spending days and nights in dancing, patronizing 28 VANDERHUYDEN PALACE From an old print A favorite resort of Washington Irving, who in\his story of Dolph Heyliger in Bracehridge Hall describes this old landmarl: as the residence of Herr Anthony Vanderhuyden. Irving toolc the weather-vane shown in this print to Sunnyside, his home on the Hudson. Vanderhuyden Palace stood until its demolition in 1833 on North Pearl Street The site i re- new occupied by the Albany Savings Bank the gingerbread, cider, and apple-toddy booths, and in sports. "I ,v- member," says a writer in Harper's Magazine in 18S9, "those gather- ings with delight, when old Charley, a darky of charcoal blackness, Old Colored dressed in his gold-laced scarlet coat and yellow breeches, used to amuse Charley and all the people with his antics. I was a light boy, and on one occasion «"''«f'" Charley took me on his shoulder and leaped a bar more than five feet in height. He was so generously ' treated ' because of his feat that he became gloriously drunk an hour afterward, and I led him home just at sunset. When I look into the State Capitol now, when the Legisla- ture is in session, and think of Congress Hall filled with lobbying poli- ticians, I sigh for the innocence at Pinkster Hill in the good old days of the Wooly Heads." Old Charley, whose uniform mentioned by the writer in Harper's had been inherited from a British officer, was king of the day; while Adam Blake, the personal body-servant of Patroon Van Rensselaer, was master of ceremonies. It is said that Charley lived to be one hun- dred and twenty-five years old, and that he, like all of the African-born negroes who became famous leaders among their people, was born in Guinea. Charley was once, it has been seriously affirmed, a kmg m his own country. At the festival the worthy burghers assembled to 29 ALBANY'S HISTORIC STREET Red Africa n dances End of Pinkster festivals Comer-stone of Old Capitol laid A show-place of Albany see the sports and African dances of the blacks. The musical instru- ments were evidently of home manufacture, consisting of a sort of tomtom on which the performers pounded with their bare hands. Real African songs were sung. King Charley always led the dance. As time went on, the dances given by the blacks became so barbarously realistic that the white visitors shunned them, and the celebration of the festival itself became a nuisance. The Common Council of Albany in 1811 prohibited not only the building of booths on the hill, but also the dancing, drinking, and gaming; and, with these important features of the Pinkster festival taken away, the blacks gradually abandoned the celebration. In the early days — even as late as the Revolution— Pinkster Hill was the hill of punishment in Albany. Many executions were held there, among them those of the prisoners already mentioned, taken from the old Stadt Huys. The hill was especially noted for its many fresh-water springs, bub- bling here and there to the surface. Pinkster Hill, then, of varied and picturesque associations, was chosen as the site of the Capitol. The corner-stone of this edifice that has come down in history as the Old Capitol, and that occupied a site at the head of State Street in front of the present Capitol, was laid April 23, 1806, by Philip Van Rensselaer, who was then mayor of the city. The Albany Daily Advertiser announces the event: " On Wednes- day, the 23 rd of April, the corner-stone of the State House was laid by Hon. Philip S. Van Rensselaer, in the presence of the Chancellor, Judges of the Supreme Court, members of the Corporation, State House Commissioners and other citizens. The site on which this edifice is to be erected is at the head of State Street, on the west side of the public square. It is to be built of stone, one hundred feet by eighty, on an approved plan, embracing much elegance with great convenience and durability." The Old Capitol on its completion in 1808 became one of the show- places of Albany, and travellers from Europe and America visited it, and invariably commented on its elegance. Famous men frequented it, and among those who have had their official homes there have been Daniel D. Tompkins, De Witt Clinton, Martin Van Buren, William L. Marcy, William H. Seward, Silas Wright, Hamilton Fish, Washington Hunt, and Horatio Seymour. In its Senate and Assembly Chambers were initiated notable constitutional changes, the Erie Canal project, and the abolition of slavery in the State of New York. Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry^ passing through Albany in November, 1812, on his way from Lake Erie, was received at the Old Capitol and there given the freedom of the city. In 1812, for the first time in the history of the United States, Governor Tompkins, because of alleged bribery in connection with the granting of a bank charter, prorogued the legis- lature for thirty days. The events that followed this " act of the rem- nant of royalty " were among the most tumultuous ever witnessed by the Old Capitol. 30 ^ Collection of James S. Manning CAPITOL, ALBANY The Old Capitol stood at the head of State Street in front of the site of the present Capitol. Un Its completion more than a century ago, it became one of the show-places of Albany. Here many notable guests were received and many notable events occurred It may not be generally known that about 1823 a sun-dial adorned the southeast corner of the Old Capitol. This was the production of a man by the name of Ferguson, who attempted to reproduce the sun- dial pictured by a noted Scotchman of the day. In spite of the fact that the work was somewhat crude and never completed, Simon De Witt, who in 1823 was surveyor-general and a commissioner of the Capitol, liked the dial, and consented to have it placed near the Capi- tol. "At a meeting," says a report, " of the Common Council at the Capitol in the city of Albany on the 22nd of July, 1822, the com- mittee to whom was referred the resolution to ascertain the expense of setting up a Dial belonging to the Board, upon the public Square, report, that the same may be attached to a corner of the Capitol build- ing and the expense will be $15." The dial was very much in evidence when Lafayette visited Albany, in September, 1824. The general had not been in the city since he had established his headquarters in the Pruyn house on South Pearl Street. Great preparations were made for the reception of the guest. General Solomon Van Rensselaer was chosen marshal of the day. Lafayette started from New York the morning of the 17th, and, after stopping at various points of interest on the trip up the Hudson, landed at six o'clock in the afternoon on the east side of the river, three miles below Albany. There he was met by the military, and escorted to his car- 31 Tlie SHii-dial Lafayette visits /llbanv ALBANY'S HISTORIC STREET riage by General Van Rensselaer. The chariot in which they rode was drawn by four white horses. With General Lafayette, besides General Van Rensselaer, was Stephen Lush, who had served in the Revolution. Lafayette was escorted up State Street to the Capitol, where he was presented to Ambrose Spencer, the mayor of the city, who, after addressing his guest, conducted him to the governor. A din- ner was afterward given at Congress Hall. While in Albany, Lafay- ette called at the home of General Stephen Van Rensselaer, where he spent some time with the widow of Colonel Philip Van Rensselaer. The lady asked General Lafayette if he remembered the time when he arrived at her home on his way to Schenectady, and what an excellent picture he made, although the day was one of the bitterest of the winter, of a dashing young officer, clad in regimental small-clothes with white stockings and shoes. Mrs. Van Rensselaer reminded Lafayette that she was then much concerned as to whether he would reach his destination without freezing, and that as a preventive she presented him with a pair of long, coarse woolen stockings, which she persuaded him to pull on over his shoes and white hose. The young officer did as he was bidden, and gayly rode away. Lafayette during his call acknowledged again his gratitude for the good lady's thought, and "fVarm confessed that the " warm woolen kousen " had been comfortable. woolen On the departure of Lafayette from Albany there was a great illumina- kousen ^j^j^^ Barrels of tar were consumed, and every house was ablaze with light. Albany had come forth to honor him and to escort him to his steamboat, — this great Frenchman, who twice more, ere he bade a final farewell to the city, was to visit it. Enrouteto Lafayette's next visit occurred in June, 1825, in his sixty-seventh Bunker Hill year, when, accompanied by his son and secretary, he came to Albany en route to Boston, where he was to lay the corner-stone of Bunker Hill monument. Lafayette had visited many parts of the country since last he was the city's guest. He had wept at the tomb of Wash- ington, and he had joined in celebrating memorable occasions of the GZ/fo/ past. Congress had presented him with ^200,000 and a township of Congress \^^^^ considering it a privilege to do this as a partial recompense for the loss of personal fortune. Again the badges and long kid gloves — called "Lafa)'ette kid-gloves" — were brought out and displayed, as they had been on the previous visit, when the grand ball had been given at the Capitol. At dawn the national salute rang over Albany, and bells pealed. Young and old came to wave farewell to Lafayette, who, escorted by the military with swords drawn, departed for the ferry. Lafayette- s The last visit of Lafayette occurred in July, 1825, when, on his last vtsit return from the Eastern States, he stopped here en route for New York. As before, Lafayette and his suite were lodged at Congress Hall. A Daniel dinner was given to him and his party in the hall of the Capitol at four JFebster's o'clock. Elias Kane presided. Among the guests was Daniel Webster toast ^vho proposed the following toast: "The ancient and hospitable city 32 ALBANY'S HISTORIC STREET Visit of President Millard Fillmore Visit of President Lincoln The first Northern soldier to die in the CivikPTar Death of President Lincoln Th e scales of Justice fall of Albany, — where General Lafayette found his headquarters in^l776, and where men of his principles find good quarters at all times." The toast given by General Lafayette was: "Albany as I have known it, and Albany as it is now, — a comparative standard between royal guar- dianship and the self-government of the people, — may this difference be more and more illustrated at home, and understood abroad." Later Lafayette attended the theatre, where he was the centre of attention; and at midnight he went aboard the steamboat Bolivar that took him down the Hudson as far as West Point. The remains of many noted men have lain in state at the Old Capi- tol. Colonel John Mills, who was in command of the volunteer regi- ment of 1812, and who died while leading his men in a charge at Sack- ett's Harbor the following year, was brought to Albany, and with full military rites buried in Capitol Park. Many noted guests have been received at the Old Capitol. President Millard Fillmore on May 22, 18S1, arrived at three o'clock in Albany. He was escorted, between throngs of citizens waving flags, up State Street to the Capitol; and there he was received in the gover- nor's room, and afterward escorted to Congress Hall. A great dinner, at which the mayor of Albany presided, was given to the President. President Lincoln, on his arrival February 18, 1861, was met by the military and a delegation of citizens that passed up State Street. He was received in the hall of the Capitol, where he was addressed by Governor Morgan. During this visit, Lincoln won much devotion; and among those who were willing to give their lives to the cause of the North was Colonel Ephraim Elmer Ellsworth, who, returning with Lincoln to Washington, and there becoming intensely interested in af- fairs, came back in April to Albany and raised a regiment. In May of the same year he was in Alexandria, Virginia, where, seeing a Con- federate flag waving over the Marshall House, he started to take the emblem down, and was shot by the proprietor of the hotel. He was the first Northern soldier to die in the Civil War. On the arrival of Colonel Ellsworth's body in Albany it is said that one of the most im- pressive processions in the history of the city was formed. This passed up State Street to the Capitol, where the remains lay in state. More than four years passed; and, just as the smoke of the Civil War cleared away, news of the assassination of President Lincoln shocked the world. The remains of the loved President lay in state at the Old , Capitol, April 26, 1865. Past his bier grief-stricken citizens filed. Nearly two decades were to pass before the demolition of the building. Through the entire period of its existence the statue of Justice, facing eastward on the dome, held in her right hand a sword and in her left a balance. Storms and winds had shaken her for many years, but it was not until just before she was finally removed from her lofty pin- nacle that a young newspaper man, going home on a rainy night in 1880, heard something clatter at his feet, and, groping around in the dark for the object, discovered that the scales of Justice had fallen. 34 ^#?Jg%;^:^^^^-s--^- . -f jr.-*"- ■<- CONGRESS HALL Co le on of James B Mann ng Old Congress Hall stood on a part of the site of the present Capitol. For more than half a cen- tury it was the famous rendezvous of noted men from America and Europe The sun-dial by the time the Old Capitol was demolished in 1883 had succumbed almost entirely to the elements, and was but a ragged rem- nant of its former design. So passed this great building, belonging to the first half of the last century. " Its historic value," it is said, " is hardly exceeded by the national edifice in Washington, and, as an emi- nent speaker says, perhaps the only infelicitous incident connected with the erection of the New Capitol is the fact that the old one must pass away." We stand on storied ground to-day. Judges and statesmen here have trod; And every foot of wall or sod Is fraught with memories of our lay. From verses composed just prior to the demolition of Congress Hall. For more than half a century, during a part of which Leverett Crut- tendon was "mine host on the hill," Congress Hall received noted guests from this country and Europe. Its history is very closely con- nected with that of the Old Capitol, its near neighbor. Congress Hall was built about 1814. Shortly after the erection of the row of buildmgs that eventually composed it on Capitol Hill, Matthew Gregory, former host of the Tontine Coffee House, retired from active life, and pur- chased as his home one of this row of new houses. The remammg 3£ Demolition of the Old Capitol Congress Hall "Mine host on the hill" ALBANY'S HISTORIC STREET John Quincy Adams a guest Social Ufe JFell-knozvn guests houses on the north, at the corner of Park Place and Washington Avenue, he leased to Mr. Cruttendon, who at once (in 1814) opened them as a hotel, and named it the Park Place House. Mr. Cruttendon was "mine host" until 1831, when he became proprietor of the Eagle Hotel. Many interesting events occurred during the years when Mr. Cruttendon was at the Park Place House. Mr. Gregory was a neigh- bor, and this fact lent spice to the intervals when the notable guests had departed. Mr. Gregory, as has been said already, made his name, fame, and fortune at the Tontine Coffee House; and from the time that he purchased these houses on Capitol Hill he became a gentleman of leisure. He was fifty-seven years old when he retired, and he spent nearly thirty-five years in the house of his choice. During the time when Cruttendon reigned as host in Congress Hall, Lafayette was guest there. Mr. Cruttendon's successor was William Landon, who gave notice to the public that he would receive guests at his hotel. Congress Hall; and as such it has come down in history. Mr. Landon was eventually proprietor of the City Hotel and afterward of the American Hotel on State Street. His successor in 1848 was James L. Mitchell, and the last proprietor was Adam Blake, who bought all of " Gregory's Row " for the use of Congress Hall, which he kept from 1865 until the demolition of the buildings in 1878. It is of interest that, after abandoning Congress Hall, Mr. Blake became the first proprietor of the Kenmore Hotel. It was in August of 1843 that the second man of national importance stood on the steps of Matthew Gregory's house and addressed the throng of men and women that had gathered to pay him homage. This was ex-President John Quincy Adams, who on that day vindicated the right of petition, and paid in such beauty of language and conception of thought his tribute to the State of New York. Old Congress Hall was the scene of many a social gathering; and an especially notable one occurred in the winter of 18S2, when eleven women who had come from beautiful homes in other parts of the State, and who wished to show to their Albany friends appreciation of the entertainment they had received in the city, gave a party. Of course the hostelry was a favorite stopping-place for travellers en route to Saratoga. Jenny Lind had rooms at Congress Hall in August, 18S1. Louis Kossuth, the Hungarian exile, was met and escorted to Congress Hall on his arrival in Albany, in May, 18S2; and there he was ad- dressed by Governor Washington Hunt. It was during this visit that Kossuth made an address in the Third Presbyterian Church. Before leaving Albany, two thousand dollars had been given him to aid his people. The Prince of Wales, on his arrival in Albany in October, 1860, was escorted to Congress Hall with great solemnity; and crowds waited to pay him respect. He had the southern portion of Congress Hall next to the Old Capitol allotted to him, and a dinner was given to him the night of his arrival. Nor, while remembering noted guests and their mission, should the 36 ALBANY'S HISTORIC STREET thrilling moments in legislative history that have occurred in old Con- gress Hall be forgotten. Men lived there who served the State and the Nation, and who served the best interests of both. Midnight was often a wide-awake time there, when New York flashed messages over Anxious wires to men waiting to receive them. Some statesmen as they waited moments for the outcome of important issues were white and anxious, others cool. In an especially exciting moment, as Hamilton Fish stood at the desk of the telegraph-ofRce, the operator said: " You take it very coolly, sir. When I told Mr. Greeley, he jumped over the stove-pipe." The space occupied by the old Hall was eventually needed for the -idam Blake new Capitol. The land was purchased; and Adam Blake, then the '^°-^" proprietor of the Hall, was given thirty days' notice to vacate. Al- //^//'^"^ though many had long known that this thing would come to pass, still a deep feeling of regret existed for the doom pronounced on the his- toric edifice. In May, 1878, at the time when the Congress Hall Bazaar was held, intended as a farewell party in honor of the old building, one who had known the Hall intimately for many years said: — "When the workmen come to tear down these walls, and remove farewell to these beams and take away these floors, it will be something else be- t,°n«''«j sides grain and fibre that they will obliterate. The mortar and the wood is saturated with wit and wisdom. . . . The New Capitol will lean over its white granite to the debris of Congress Hall, and insist on hearing only its pleasant truths, as the great future arena of the majesty of the law. From 1814 to 1878, what histories of grave questions in the intricacies of nicely balanced authorities have these rooms written! The argument was of the Capitol, but the decision had its birth in the personal research of which this was the scene." Near the site of Congress Hall stands the Albany Boys' Academy. Albany It was at the Old Capitol that a meeting of citizens was called by the ^°^^ Common Council, January 25, 1813, for the discussion of the question ' of erecting and endowing such an institution. Many years prior to the meeting Mayor Philip S. Van Rensselaer, for the nearly twenty con- secutive years that he had been in office, had advocated a boys' acad- emy, but without definite action being taken in the matter. _ Probably Albany could not have so early endowed the academy, had it not been for Mayor Van Rensselaer. Even after his plan was accepted and a charter granted by the regents of the State of New York, money was given slowly. The site occupied by the academy is to-day one of the most pictur- esque in the city. At the time, however, when the trustees chose it from the two sites offered them, it was very much oj a dump; and it was not until 1821, when the means were secured, that steps were taken to improve the property. The corner-stone was laid July Zb, 1815, and in the building above it, thirty years later, Joseph Henry demonstrated the practical use of the magnetic telegraph. Thomas C Taylor, who designed the New York State National Bank, the State House, and the Old Capitol, was the architect. The academy, during 37 ALBANY'S HISTORIC STREET the two years that its building was being constructed, made its home farther down State Street, at the southwest corner of Lodge. Dr. T. Romeyn Beck, much respected and universally loved, who had won for himself distinction in the medical world by the publication in 1823 of a work on medical jurisprudence, was the first master. Associated with him were Dr. Peter Bullion, Dr. Joseph Henry, and Dr. Philip Ten Eyck. Dr. Ten Eyck was a physician. He had charge of the department of mathematics and physics, and aided Dr. Henry in his scientific research work. He lived to a good old age, and knew every head-master of the academy. The most interesting event of the academy's history, and in fact an event of great importance in the history of Albany and in the world of science, was the discovery of the electric dynamo by Dr. Henry. Prob- ably nobody will ever know the number of days and nights of study that the discoverer devoted to his researches. From early years Joseph Henry was a student. He was an Albany boy, and was graduated from the academy when eighteen years old. After that he became a tutor in the family of the patroon; and, while acting in this capacity, he de- voted his nights to the study of mathematics and science, and by hajd work fitted himself to read the Mecanique analytique. When very young, he discovered the principles upon which depends the manu- facture of artificial ice. Henry's laboratory at the academy, where in 1826 he was made pro- fessor of mathematics, was a basement room on the northeast corner. " Here," said Dr. Henry Pitt Warren, the present head-master, in his address delivered on the one hundredth anniversary of the founding of the academy, " by day he experimented and taught, and on occa- sional evenings gave lectures freely to all interested in physics. He early became interested in the problem of electro-magnetism, and m the Academy building made the first rude dynamo. Faraday and Henry working on this problem, each independent of the other, made the same discovery at practically the same time. As Faraday made his announcement first, Henry, whose great soul was incapable ot jealousy, heartily congratulated him, and the world called him the father of the dynamo. The power of Henry's dynamo, shown by con- ducting a current through miles of wire, was first exhibited in the room in the southwest corner of the Academy in the third story, now oc- cupied by the first form. There the bell was rung which ushered in t-Vt p Pi ppT riC3.1 3.P"G • _ continued Dr. Warren, "made no effort to make practi- cal use cal use of his discoveries, although all the commercial uses o elec- tricity depended upon the dynamo._ He left that tothe P^^c ical man^ He carried into science the fine instincts of the physician, which makes him offer freely to the world his discoveries. He became professor of physics at Princeton, and later the secretary of the Smithsonian Insti- Sn, where he worked unceasingly .to make the g-at -stmmon purely a centre of scientific investigation. From Franklin to Henry was but half a century." Discovery the electric dynamo Henry, the student His laboratory Centennial address by Dr. Warre Faraday a Henry mai the same discovery ALBANY'S HISTORIC STREET Dr. Warren in his centennial address stated that twenty of the Long periods trustees of the Albany Boys' Academy had served more than twenty served by years and that ten had served more than thirty years. Thomas W. ''''"■"^'" Olcott was a trustee for forty-four years, and was succeeded by his grandson, who served nearly twenty years. Among other noted men who have served on the board of trustees are Peter Gansevoort, Gen- eral John F. Rathbone, Abraham Lansing, and Dr. Thomas Hun. Dr. Hun's son. Dr. Henry Hun, succeeded his father as president of the board. The academy has a long list of distinguished graduates. The old academy building, surrounded by graceful elm-trees, stands Neighbors of to-day, near the present Capitol and the new Education Building, the '''"' '"^"^"'^y former one of the most costly edifices devoted to purposes of state in this country, the latter unsurpassed by any building of its kind in America. The academy faces the Old State Hall across the park, a Historic bit of soil worthy of mention among the historic neighbors of State s''onnd Street. On the ground included in the park was ratified in 1788 the Constitution of the United States. The dedicatory exercises of the Dudley Observatory were held here in 1856, and on the same ground was held in 1864 the Grand Army Relief Bazaar. Unfortunately, Mayor Philip S. Van Rensselaer, who was influential Death of_ in the establishment of the academy, did not live to see the progress Mayor I an beyond the first stages made by the institution, nor did Henry's in- ^""'^^^'' vention come before Mayor Van Rensselaer's death, September 25, 1824, at his home on the northeast corner of State and Chapel Streets. . Mayor Van Rensselaer gave the larger part of his life to the service of the public. He was born at the Van Rensselaer manor-house, mar- ried Anne De Peyster Van Cortlandt, and was the grandson of Philip Livingston, the "signer." A'layor Van Rensselaer was for some years president of the Bank of Albany. Five years before the Boys' Academy was founded, Joel Munsell, JoelMunsell, the well-known printer of Albany, who, though pursuing a different ".fP^'^^'',°f vocation, gave the same impression of kindliness as Henry, was born ^"^ in Northfield, Massachusetts. " To begin with, time out of mind, the autobiographer's first period, 'I was born' on Monday, April 13, 1808," . . . humorously wrote Mr. Munsell. "To prevent all future dispute, and that the place of my birth may not be made the subject of contention, I deem it necessary to mention that this little village is entitled to all the honor of that event. The fate of Homer should forewarn all geniuses to leave the place of their nativity on record." On coming to Albany, Joel Munsell established his printing-office in an old building at 60 State Street. In 1779 it had been the resi- dence of Governor Jay of New York, and, as years passed, came to be known as " Old Gable Hall." Here, on the site of the National " Old GabU Commercial Bank, Joel Munsell began his work, gathering chapter Hail" by chapter, as time went on, interesting historic matter concerning Albany, and publishing his Annals and Collections and various notable books by other writers. He was at heart a lover of the storied past. 41 ALBANY'S HISTORIC STREET Cholera in Albany Tar-barrels a reminder of " old Sodom" Last years of Joel Munsell Corner-stone of new Capitol laid Probably no descendant of the first settlers of Albany more appre- ciated the ancient landmarks of the city than did he. It seems to have been his fate during his entire life to do things because he loved to do them, regardless of the expense of the proceedings or the remunera- tion received for the work done. When De Witt Clinton died sud- denly at the Old Capitol, Munsell sat up all night, that he might pub- lish the news simultaneously with the morning papers. It was no unusual undertaking for him, incited by his keen interest in the subject, to begin an entirely new study. In 1828 he was learning Latin and studying science. Other years he assiduously collected data on vari- ous subjects. He was a profound student and an indefatigable clip- per of newspapers and magazines. It seems almost certain that he must have compiled scores of scrap-books. Of course he kept a journal. In the summer of 1832, when cholera visited Albany, Munsell re- cords in his journal: — "Monday, July g. Arose at five and went to the office [of the Argus]. Few people seen stirring — all frightened by the cholera, if not out of the city, at least into their houses. The streets look like Sun- day, and persons passing one another seem to avert their heads and suspend respiration as though they feared inhaling contagion. . . . "Tuesday, July lo. Arose at half past five, very much debilitated. Determined not to let my fears magnify a little bodily pain into cholera. At work till breakfast. Attempted work after breakfast, and had to give it up. Citizens commenced to burn tar to purify the atmos- phere, as though a few barrels of pitch could clear a boundless ele- ment of noxious particles floating in it. The city was several hours wrapped in a dense, black smoke, and must have looked very much like old Sodom. But few country people venture into the city, and if any were in to-day and witnessed the conflagration of tar and rosin, it is reasonable to suppose that their sojourn was considerably abbre- viated thereby. They are so wary that the few whose avarice is tempted by the high price of produce to risk themselves amid the scene of death and terror, manifest great complacency in their deal- ings and conclude their bargains with commendable brevity, and push home again with all convenient expedition. 22 cases. 8 deaths." Joel Munsell, "the Albany printer," was small in stature; and he has been described as having always a cheerful demeanor. He was quiet, and generally loved by all. His publications, though of great value to the student of Albany history, brought him no fortune; and, as the years passed, his purse, it is said, became more slender and the usually cheerful countenance grew grave, and toward the end of his life wore a wan look that told of care and toil. After a brief illness, he died on January IS, 1880. Mr. Munsell saw the laying of the corner-stone of the new Capitol at the head of State Street on August 7, 1869. He said, quoting the r,-^^r ■ " The first stone in the foundation of the new Capitol was laid Times : with ceremony. Among the distinguished individuals present was His 42 ALBANY'S HISTORIC STREET Excellency Gov. John T. Hoffman, Hon. John V. L. Pruyn, several of the Capitol commissioners, John Bridgford, Esq., superintendent, and a large number of our prominent citizens. The stone was laid at the southeast corner of the grounds, by Hon. John V. L. Pruyn, who accompanied it with a few appropriate remarks. Haines, the pho- tographer, was present and took a photograph of the scene. Work- men are engaged in cutting and laying stone, and the most perfect machinery in the world for handling stone has been erected. . . . Upon laying the stone, Hon. John V. L. Pruyn, oiie of the Capi- Address of tol commissioners, made the following remarks: 'The occasion which JoknV.L. has brought us together, marks an important event in the history of Pruyn our State. The legislature has authorized the erection on this site of the new Capitol, for the accommodation of the executive, the legisla- tive and the judicial departments of the government, the arrangement of which shall be commensurate with the wants of our great com- monwealth, and mark its power and prosperity. The commissioners appointed by law will, at the proper time, make arrangements for laying the corner-stone of the building with the ceremonies appro- priate to an occasion of so much interest. . . . Under these cir- cumstances and in behalf of the board of commissioners, I have been requested to lay, as I now do, in their name, this, the first foundation stone of the new Capitol of the State of New York. Here may wise laws be enacted. Here may purity and integrity of purpose always mark the action of executive power. Here may justice, the attribute of deity, be inflexibly administered, and may Almighty God bless the State and prosper the undertaking.' " It was at the present Capitol that the remains of Ulysses S. Grant, Death of who had died at Mount McGregor, lay in state on August 4, 188S. General Between long lines of troops and escorted by four thousand men, the Grant body was borne up State Street to the Capitol. As the black car Procession to passed up the hill, a man waved from a window on State Street a tat- the Capitol tered flag that had been torn in the service of the dead leader. " It j j-g^n flag was twenty years ago," he said to the crowd that gathered around him, " on the Fourth of July that the great General paid his first visit to Albany, and with this same flag I waved a welcome to him. In the full flush of success he came as the guest of the city and the State, riding up that same street through long lines of applauding specta- tors. The long lines of people are here to-day, just as they were twenty years ago, but the applause has turned to mourning, and the <■ Twenty grave figure on horseback has given place to the silent one in the coffin." years ago " The body of General Grant was taken through the State Street entrance of the Capitol, and there the coffin rested on a bed of Ameri- can flags. The following day the funeral train moved out of the sta- tion at Albany, and on its way to New York passed through a great storm while skirting the Hudson, vivid flashes of lightning illummatmg the black-draped cars. . , , , To-day from Capitol Hill the statue of Phil Sheridan keeps watch 43 From a pJtotograph STATE STREET, LOOKING WEST FROM HUDSON RIVER, 1915 Down State Street, after appropriate ceremonies on Capitol Hill, are marching this year, 1918, soldier-sons of Albany, mobilized for the defence of world freedom ALBANY'S HISTORIC STREET over the historic street, the story of which has been briefly told in this brochure. Sheridan was born in Albany; and, contrary to the gen- /j/,,/ erally expressed opinion that his family was on the way to another Slu-ndan part of the country at the time of his birth, Sheridan himself says in his Memoirs that his father and mother came from Ireland to Albany at the suggestion of his uncle, Thomas Gainor, and there intended to remain. " The prospects of gaining a livelihood in Albany," writes Sheridan, " did not meet with the expectations which my parents had been led to entertain, so in 1832 they removed West, to establish themselves in Ohio." To-day, then, one of the greatest lives that Al- bany has given to the world, is commemorated in bronze on Capitol Hill, — a fitting statue for this historic ground and an inspiring adorn- ment to old State Street. Down this street, once an Indian trail, where later the good Dutch burghers smoked and dozed outside their quaint houses, where fortunes were made in furs, where treaties were solem- nized, where stirring events oceurred, where great men born in the substantial early houses have lived, have marched leaders of the nation. Down this street, past the statue of General Sheridan move in increas- Xribuu to t ing columns, on their way to make the world safe for Democracy, the memory of soldier-sons of Albany, paying tribute to the memory of Lafayette. Lafayette. This Bell first announced Independence in the City of Albany: It now hangs in the Tower of Saint Peter's Church on State Street, where its Voice is heard only on the New Year. In Memory of the stirring Scenes of which it has been a part, in Memory of the Devotion of Albany to Right and Liberty, in Memory of the echoing Footsteps of Leaders Invin- cible that have passed through State Street, in Memory of Lafayette — may the silvery tones of this Inde- pendence Bell again ring in a fuller Liberty DATE DUE SK/LOW PRINTED IN USA