Author: Carl Johnson

The official book on the Albany Bicentennial – Anthony Bleecker Banks’s “Albany Bi-centennial: historical memoirs” – provides a very detailed recitation of the events that celebrated the bicentennial of the city’s charter in 1886, including all the speeches and a description of the fireworks, as well as the textual account of the many historical…

One reason (among many) that this project now takes so long and so much time passes between posts is that here in the later markers, there’s just so little to say – we keep digging, thinking we’ll find some relevant little tidbit or finally discover the meaning behind a naming, but more often than…

Bicentennial Tablet No. 41 was a simple commemoration of Clinton Avenue – and an unhelpful one at that, as it didn’t even bother to indicate which Clinton the avenue was named for: Bronze tablet, 7×16 inches, corner North Pearl street. Inscription: “Clinton Avenue, formerly Patroon Street—North of this Street was the ‘Old Colonie.’” This was…

We have another minor commemorative tablet placed during Albany’s celebration of the bicentennial of its charter, in 1886 – this one for Franklin Street, which was a bit more of a complete street then than it is now. Although the building this marker was placed on is still there, which is pretty remarkable, the…

The 39th in our series of Albany Bicentennial tablets was one that simply provided the name and former name of Norton Street: Tablet No. 39—Norton StreetBronze tablet, 7×16 inches, north side of Beaver block. Inscription“ Norton Street, formerly Store Lane.” Despite the Bicentennial Committee’s intent to place this on the Beaver Block, The Argus…

Here’s another Albany Bicentennial marker that commemorated a street that today we barely know exists. The extent of the copy was always very limited, as described by the Bicentennial Committee back in 1886: Bronze tablet, 7×16 inches, north side of Government building. Inscription: “Exchange Street, formerly Mark Lane.” We’ve found no source that explains…

For the 37th Bicentennial tablet, it’s rather remarkable that it still exists – given that much of the street it commemorates was annihilated for the construction of the Empire State Plaza. Tablet No. 37—Eagle Street. Bronze tablet, 7×16 inches, on corner building State and Eagle streets. Inscription:“Eagle Street, formerly Duke Street.” In Albany’s earliest…

Here we are at number 36 in our series of tablets placed in honor of Albany’s charter bicentennial in 1886. Tablet No. 36—James Street. Bronze tablet, 7×16 inches, on Mechanics and Farmers’ Bank. Inscription“James Street, formerly Middle Lane.” Similar to Dean Street, we’re a little mystified as to why the Albany Bicentennial Committee chose…

The 35th tablet placed in honor of the bicentennial of Albany’s charter, in 1886, was another of the handful that simply commemorated a street: State Street. Unfortunately, this is another tablet that is long gone, but then again – we kinda know about State Street, tablet or not. Tablet No. 35—State StreetBronze tablet, 7×16…

The 34th in our series of Albany Bicentennial tablets is a bit of a mystery – and perhaps it was never installed at all. And if you’ve lived in Albany all your life and have still never heard of Dean Street, you’re probably not alone. It was never more than a stub – today you’d…