Rensselaer County, New York

Adams-Myers-Bryan Farmstead Aiken House Albany Avenue Historic District Auclair-Button Farmstead Baum-Wallis Farmstead Bennington Battlefield Beverwyck Manor Blink Bonnie Breese-Reynolds House Brownell-Cornell-Gibbs Farmstead Burden Ironworks Office Building Bussey, Esek, Firehouse Cannon Building Cannon-Brownell-Herrington Farmstead Carner, John Jr., House Cartin-Snyder-Overacker Farmstead Central Troy Historic District Chapel and Cultural Center Chatham Street Row Church of the Holy Cross Church Street Historic District Clark-Dearstyne-Miller Inn Coletti-Rowland-Agan Farmstead Connors, William, Paint Manufacturing Company Building Cornell-Manchester Farmstead Craver Farmstead Defreest Homestead Delaney Hotel Dickinson Hill Fire Tower District No. 6 Schoolhouse District School No. 3 Earl, Gardner, Memorial Chapel and Crematorium East Nassau Central School Elmbrook Farm Estabrook Octagon House Fifth Avenue-Fulton Street Historic District Fire Alarm, Telegraph and Police Signaling Building Fort Crailo Fox, Albert R., House Garfield School Glenwood Grand Street Historic District Halford-Hayner Farmstead Harder Manufacturing Company-Albany Woolen Company Inc. Building Hart-Cluett Mansion Haskell School Hoosick Falls Armory Hoosick Falls Historic District Howard-Odmin-Sherman Farmstead Ilium Building International Shirt and Collar Company Irwin, W.P., Bank Building Knickerbocker Mansion Koon, Henry, House Lansingburgh Academy Lansingburgh Village Burial Ground Marsh-Link-Pollock Farm McCarthy Building Mechanicville Hydroelectric Plant Melville, Herman, House Methodist Episcopal Church of Lansingburgh Muitzes Kill Historic District Mullany, Kate, House National State Bank Building Newton-Taber-Martin Farm Northern River Street Historic District Oakwood Avenue Presbyterian Church Oakwood Cemetery Old Troy Hospital Osgood, J.C., Firehouse Patroon Agent's House and Office Patten, Jacob H., House Petersburgh United Methodist Church Powers Home Proctor's Theater Public School No. 1 Public School No. 10 Pumpkin House Rensselaer Society of Engineers House River Street Historic District Sand Lake Baptist Church Schodack Landing Historic District Searle, Gardner and Company Cuff and Collar Factory Second Street Historic District Sharpe Homestead and Cemetery Sherman Farm Smith, Henry Tunis, Farm St. Barnabas Epicopal Church St. Mark's Episcopal Church St. Paul's Episcopal Church Complex Staats, Joachim, House and Gerrit Staats Ruin Theta Xi Fraternity Chapter House Thomas-Wiley-Abbott Farmstead Tibbits House Tomhannock Methodist Episcopal Church Trinity Church Lansingburgh Troy Gas Light Company Troy Public Library Troy Savings Bank and Music Hall Troy Waste Manufacturing Company Building United Waste Manufacturing Company Building US Post Office-Hoosick Falls US Post Office-Troy Valley Falls Historic District Van Alen, John Evert, House Van Rensselaer High School Van Zandt, Jacobs and Company Collar and Cuff Factory W. & L. E. Gurley Building Washington Park Historic District Wilbur-Campbell-Stephens Company Cuff and Collar Factory Willard, Emma, School William Barnet & Son Shoddy Mill Winslow Chemical Laboratory

90 First Street 92 First Street A Gathering Storm A Panoramic View of American History A President with Poestenkill Connections Albert Pawling Amos Eaton Battle of Bennington Battle of Bennington Battle of Bennington Battle of Bennington First Engagement Battle of Bennington Second Engagement Bennington Battle Field Bennington Battlefield Bennington Battlefield Bennington Battlefield Berlin, New York War Memorials Bernard Uhlein Birthplace (1776) of Simon Fraser Blooming Grove Brainard Rural Brimmer Farm Burden Iron Works Came to America Chester A. Arthur Church of the Holy Cross Citizen Genet Col. Joseph Allen David Defreest Dist. 2 School District No. 6 E. & S. Wilson – Brick Manufactory Eagle Bridge Buskirk Veterans Memorial Early Cemetery Early Tavern Early Toll Road (Berlin, NY) Ebenezer Emmons Edith McCrea House Emma Hart Willard Emma Willard First Meeting House in Hoosick Falls First Reformed Church Former Church Fort Crailo Fort Crailo Fort Crailo Gardner Earl Memorial Chapel & Crematorium Gasholder House Gen. Henry Knox Trail Gen. Henry Knox Trail Gen. Henry Knox Trail George Henry Thomas Gilead Church Glass Lake Glen Douglas Farm Grafton Inn Grandma Moses Hans Van Buren Henderson E. Van Surdam Herman Melville Historic Oakwood Cemetery History of 1819 Fifth Avenue Hoags Corners Home of Big Thunder Home of Philip P. Dater Hoosick Falls Elks Lodge 178 B.P.O.E. Hoosick World War II Memorial Hoosick WW I & II Memorial In Honor of Those In Memoriam John Paine Julia Blanche S. Clum Julia Howard Bush Memorial Center Kate Mullany House Kinney Farm Lakes to Locks Passage Lansingburgh Liberty Street Presbyterian Church Little Red Schoolhouse Locking Through Log Meeting House Cemetery Major General John Ellis Wool Major General Joseph Bradford Carr Massachusetts Volunteers at Bennington Michael Burke Nassau Academy Nassau Village Natty Bumppo New Hampshire Regiment New Hampshire Troops Norman Rockwell Oakwood Cemetery Old Maple Grove Old Mount Ida Cemetery On This Site Patriots of Vermont Poestenkill War Memorial Rensselaer County Spanish-American War Memorial Rev. Peter Havermans Reynolds Farm San Francisco Giants Sand Lake Baptist Church Sand Lake Union Sand Lake Veterans Memorial Park Second Ward World War II Memorial September 11th Memorial Site of First Hoosick Baptist Church Snyder’s Lake St. Croix Church St. Peter's Cemetery Stephentown War Memorial Suffragist The Evangelican Lutheran Church of West Berlin The Great Fire of 1862 The Rescue of Charles Nalle Third Street Burial Grounds, 1824 Town of Grafton War Memorials Town of Hoosick Civil War Memorial Town of Hoosick Honor Roll Town of Hoosick War Memorial Town of North Greenbush War Memorial Town of Petersburgh Honor Roll Trade Partners Along the Hudson Trinity Lutheran Church Troy, N.Y. Hall of Famers Twiss House T'was The Night Before Christmas Uncle Sam Uncle Sam Monument Unity House Founded Valley Falls WWI & WWII Memorial Van Alen Home Van Veachton Rogers Vermont Rangers Veterans Memorial W & L E Gurley Building Walloomsac M.E. Church Walter Abbott Wood Warren Family Mortuary Chapel: 1861 Washington Park Weatherwax Home Welcome to the Collar City! West Hall William Henry Freeman Wilson Farmhouse Wood Park World War Memorial "Ball Seminary" “Big Thunder” “Had day lasted an hour longer . . .” “the first link in the chain of successes which issued in the surrender at Saratoga ...” “Uncle Sam” “Uncle Sam” Wilson’s Home
Rensselaer County is located in the eastern part of the state of New York and has a rich and diverse history that dates back to the early 17th century. Originally inhabited by the Mohican Native American tribe, the land was first explored by European settlers in the early 1600s. The Dutch were the first to establish a permanent settlement called Beverwyck, which served as a trading post along the Hudson River.

In 1664, the British took control of the area and renamed it Albany after the Duke of York and Albany. Rensselaer County was officially established in 1791, named after the influential Dutch landowner, Kiliaen van Rensselaer. The county grew rapidly during the Industrial Revolution, with the construction of the Erie Canal in the early 19th century, which connected the Hudson River to the Great Lakes, boosting trade and transportation.

During the American Revolution, Rensselaer County played a significant role. The Battle of Bennington, a pivotal event in the war, took place just across the border in present-day Vermont. Several notable figures emerged from the region, including Samuel Wilson, who inspired the national symbol "Uncle Sam," and Emma Willard, a pioneer in women's education.

Today, Rensselaer County is known for its thriving industries, including technology, healthcare, and education. It is home to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, one of the oldest technological universities in the United States. The county also boasts a diverse cultural scene, with numerous museums, parks, and landmarks that showcase its historical significance.
Brief timeline of the history of Rensselaer County, New York:

  • 1609 - Henry Hudson explores Hudson River
  • 1624 - Dutch establish Fort Orange
  • 1630 - Patroonship of Rensselaerswyck established
  • 1664 - English take control of Fort Orange
  • 1776 - Battle of Bennington during American Revolution
  • 1791 - Rensselaer County formed from Albany County
  • 1826 - Construction of Erie Canal begins
  • 1857 - Troy becomes a city
  • 1862-1865 - Rensselaer County contributes troops during the Civil War
  • 1898 - Brunswick declared the official name for Brittonkill
  • 1906 - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute becomes a university

This timeline provides a concise overview of the key events in the history of Rensselaer County, New York.

Audiobooks about the history of New York.