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Map Week: Albany Rural Cemetery
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From another 1891 Watson map, the Albany Rural Cemetery. I had no real idea that the lakes had names, though I’m sure it’s featured in all the books. Note that there was no road to the south gate at the time. Nice to see the estate of Louis Menand, a remarkable character you really…
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Map Week: RPI Hill
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In 1891, there was a whole lot less RPI than there is today. And more College Pond, apparently. This map shows the western edge of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at Eighth Street in Troy, when the venerable technical academy was still neighbored to the north by the Troy Hospital, and to the south by…
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Map Week: Troy Factories
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Hoxsie’s busy with storm duty this week. (I suppose if one is into history, one must be into historic storms.) So, it’s Map Week. Look at pretty pictures. These are from an 1891 map by Watson & Co., which made maps with such detail that in the areas out of the cities individual homes…
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C.M. Hawley Book & Job Printers
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The “C.M.” in C.M. Hawley, successor to Taylor & Hawley Book & Job Printers, was “Clara M.” Parker’s “Landmarks of Albany County” in 1897 said, “Among the numerous printing establishments in Albany it would be hard to find one where prompt service and fair dealing more abound than in that owned by Mrs. C.M.…
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Mix’s Diamonds, Jewelry and Silverware
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“Any watch you want can be found here, with price and guarantee always satisfactory. Diamonds, jewelry and silverware at Mix’s.” When this ad appeared in 1898, James Cadwell Mix was getting on in years. Kollock’s “State of New York” from 1882 said: “Many advantages contribute toward making Albany agreat purchasing centre, and to…
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Sieg Illch, Tailor
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“Sieg Illch, Tailor, No. 130 South Pearl Street. – In a review of the commercial enterprises of Albany it will be observable that some houses possess advantages over others in the same line of business, the result in some cases of longer experience and in others of a greater natural aptitude for the particular…
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Recollections of Albany, II
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The destruction of Albany’s structural heritage is not a new topic. William Kent, in addressing the changes that had overcome Albany in the early decades of the 19th century, lamented the march of modernity. In 1854, he was complaining: “The architecture of Holland and ancient Albany was not that of Virtuvius [sic] or Palladio;…
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Recollections of Albany, I
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On a February evening in 1854, a gentleman by the name of William Kent stood before the Young Men’s Association of Albany and delivered his recollections of Albany, which he had left 30 years before, and to which he returned, in his estimation, a stranger. As he described it, “Albany, in the first decade of…
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4 Hisgen Brothers
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I don’t know much about 4 Hisgen Brothers, other than there were at least four of them, and they manufactured axle grease right here in Albany. This ad from 1898 represents that their axle grease was the best in the world for wagons, buggies, and all kinds of journals. That usage of journal (“the…
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In pleasant juxtaposition to the State House
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In 1912, the journal “Educational Foundations” carried this account of the dedication of New York’s grand new State Education Building: “Without Scandal” We dedicate a building which has been carried to an admirable and complete fruition, without scandal, and within the first appropriation that was provided for it.” These words were uttered by Dr.…