East Greenbush, New York

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East Greenbush
Town
Town of East Greenbush
East Greenbush Town Hall.JPG
The East Greenbush Town Hall on Columbia Turnpike
Etymology: Dutch Greenen Bosch, "pine woods."
Rensselaer County New York incorporated and unincorporated areas East Greenbush highlighted.svg
Location in Rensselaer County and the state of New York.
New York in United States (US48).svg
Location of New York in the United States
Coordinates: 42°36′44″N73°41′58″W / 42.61222°N 73.69944°W / 42.61222; -73.69944
Country United States
State New York
County Rensselaer
Incorporation as town 1855
Government
 •  Town supervisor Jack Conway
Area
[1]
 • Total24.29 sq mi (62.92 km2)
 • Land24.02 sq mi (62.21 km2)
 • Water0.27 sq mi (0.71 km2)
Elevation
236 ft (72 m)
Lowest elevation
0 ft (0 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total16,748
 • Density690/sq mi (270/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
Area code 518
FIPS code 36-083-22117
FIPS code 36-22117 [2]
GNIS feature ID0978918 [3]
Wikimedia CommonsEast Greenbush, New York
Website eastgreenbush.org

East Greenbush is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. It is a suburb of Albany. The population was 16,748 at the 2020 census. [4] The word Greenbush is derived from the Dutch het groen bosch, referring to the pine woods that originally covered the land. [5] The first settlement of the land now known as East Greenbush was made by tenants under patroon Kiliaen van Rensselaer circa 1630. The town was established in 1855 as Clinton, and was renamed in 1858. It is mostly suburban along its major highways and rural in the southwestern and northeastern corners.

Contents

Interstate 90 traverses the town. It contains the western (or southern) terminus of US Route 4 and the northern terminus of NY Route 9J; as well as US Route 9 and US Route 20. The latter run concurrently, under the name Columbia Turnpike, which is often referred to by the locals as "9 and 20."

History

East Greenbush, at the time part of the Town of Greenbush, was part of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck, and then of Albany County, prior to the creation of Rensselaer County in 1791. The town of Clinton was established on February 23, 1855, from the town of Greenbush at the same time as the town of North Greenbush. On April 14, 1858, the town name was changed to East Greenbush by New York State Laws of 1858, Chapter 194.

Early European settlement along the Hudson River shoreline took place circa 1628-1629 and in 1669, a fort was built on Papscanee Island. The hamlet of East Greenbush was settled around 1630, with a Dutch Reformed church first built in 1787, and a post office was established in 1845. [6] From the late 18th century until his death in 1834, Prospect Hill on Hays Road in the southern section of the town was home to Edmond-Charles Genêt, former adjutant-general, minister plenipotentiary, and consul-general to the United States representing France; and as an American citizen he was a New York state legislator from Rensselaer County and a major-general in the state militia. [6]

The town's main thoroughfares are quite old, starting with the old post roads constructed during the French and Indian Wars by the English. [6] The Boston and Albany Turnpike was constructed in 1800, [6] today known as the Columbia Turnpike designated as US Routes 9 and 20. Another major highway in the town, the Farmer's Turnpike, also was built at or before this time; today it is NY Route 9J. [7]

The town saw at least one memorable event during the Anti-Rent War, which was a popular revolt among tenants of the last patroon of Rensselaerswyck over rent payments. A deputy sheriff named Griggs was killed in the line of duty while evicting a man by the name of Witbeck from his farm. [6] The area of East Greenbush behind the Town Hall was the site of a huge cantonment, occupied by over 5,000 soldiers during the War of 1812; this included a hospital, barracks, and an arsenal. [7] Along the Hudson River, near Papscanee Island, in the mid-late 19th century a large farm was occupied by Colonel Kiliaen van Rensselaer, great-grandson of his namesake and first Patroon of Rensselaerswyck, Kiliaen van Rensselaer. [6]

In the late 1980s, the descendants of the original Dutch settlers on Papscanee Island came under pressure from suburban development in the area, and the Open Space Institute purchased large parcels of land and development rights to surrounding areas, creating the Papscanee Preserve. [8] [ obsolete source ] In 1997, the county took charge of management and the park has been developed with informational signs, trails, picnic areas, and a central theme dedicated to the Mohican natives of the areas. [9]

The John Carner Jr. House and Craver Farmstead are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [10]

Location

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 24.4 square miles (63.1 km2), of which 24.1 square miles (62.4 km2) is land and 0.2 square mile (0.6 km2) is water.

The western section of the town, along the Hudson River is marked by bluffs that rise to an elevation of between 100 and 300 feet. [11] The little flat land that exists along the river is on the Papscanee Island. Papscanee Island is actually a peninsula, [8] separated from the rest of the town by the Papscanee Creek. The town then spreads out as rolling hills rising towards the east. Mill Creek (formerly Tierken Kill) and Morden Creek are the principal streams of the town. [11]

East Greenbush is bordered by the town of North Greenbush to the north, the town of Sand Lake to the east, and the town of Schodack to the south. To the west the town borders the city of Rensselaer from the North Greenbush line to the southern tip of the city, then East Greenbush's border is with Albany County town of Bethlehem, the border being in the middle of the Hudson River.

Notable people

Notable incidents

On February 9, 2004, Jon W. Romano, then 16 and a student at Columbia High School, fired three rounds with a 12-gauge shotgun. One teacher, Michael Bennett, was injured in the leg when Romano fired the gun when he was rushed and tackled by Bennett and then Assistant Principal John Sawchuck. [20] He was sentenced to 20 years in prison, and the sentence was upheld on appeal in 2007. [21]

On January 10, 2009, The New York State Police stopped a taxi cab for speeding on Interstate 90 in East Greenbush, westbound between exits 10 and 9. When the trooper approached the vehicle, a passenger in the taxi opened fire with a high powered AK-47, prompting a massive police response. The suspect was eventually shot by police and later died from his injuries at Albany Medical Center in Albany, New York. The suspect was travelling from Massachusetts to Albany, it was never discovered what his motives or intentions were. [22]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1860 1,607—
1870 1,84514.8%
1880 2,12715.3%
1890 2,1712.1%
1900 2,036−6.2%
1910 1,350−33.7%
1920 1,55815.4%
1930 3,267109.7%
1940 4,55039.3%
1950 6,33839.3%
1960 9,10743.7%
1970 10,67917.3%
1980 12,91320.9%
1990 14,0769.0%
2000 15,56010.5%
2010 16,4735.9%
2020 16,7481.7%
U.S. Decennial Census [23] [24]

According to the 2000 census, [2] there were 15,560 people, 6,084 households, and 4,185 families residing in the town. The ethnic composition of the town was 94.01% White, 2.85% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 1.94% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.29% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.33% of the population. The estimated median household income in 2016 was $93,984, an increase from $62,250 in 2000. The average salary for males is $61,819, and the average salary for females is $54,213.

Education

The East Greenbush Central School District comprises five public elementary schools (Bell Top Elementary School, in North Greenbush, Genêt Elementary, Green Meadow Elementary School, Red Mill Elementary School, and Donald P. Sutherland Elementary School), a private Catholic school (Holy Spirit School), and a Montessori school (Woodland Hill Montessori School), a middle school (Howard L. Goff Middle School), and a high school (Columbia High School).

Library

The East Greenbush Community Library serves nearly thirty-thousand patrons in a chartered district which includes the town of East Greenbush and portions of the town of Schodack. The library is a member of the Upper Hudson Library System, a resource-sharing consortium consisting of twenty-nine public libraries in the counties of Albany and Rensselaer. In 2001, the library moved from the East Greenbush Town Hall to its current location on Michael Rd.

Communities and locations in or near East Greenbush

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rensselaer County, New York</span> County in New York, United States

Rensselaer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 161,130. Its county seat is Troy. The county is named in honor of the family of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the original Dutch owner of the land in the area. The county is part of the Capital District region of the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guilderland, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Guilderland is a town in Albany County, New York, United States. In the 2020 census, the town had a population of 36,848. The town is named for the Gelderland province in the Netherlands. The town of Guilderland is on the central-northwest border of the county. It is just west of Albany, the capital of the U.S. state of New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Greenbush, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

North Greenbush is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. North Greenbush is located in the western part of the county. The population was 13,292 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rensselaer, New York</span> City in Rensselaer County, New York, US

Rensselaer is a city in Rensselaer County, New York, United States, and is located on the east side of the Hudson River, opposite Albany and on the western border of Rensselaer County. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 9,210.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sand Lake, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Sand Lake is a town in south-central part of Rensselaer County, New York, United States. Sand Lake is about 13 miles east of Albany, New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,348. Within the town are three hamlets: Averill Park, Glass Lake and the hamlet of Sand Lake. Its four lakes are a source of recreation. Many commercial enterprises of the 19th century and into the 20th century relied on power generated from the Wynants Kill Creek and Burden Lake mills. The area is known for its fertile soil for grazing and agriculture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schodack, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Schodack is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. The population was 12,965 at the 2020 census. The town name is derived from the Mahican word, Escotak. The town is in the southwestern part of the county. Schodack is southeast of Albany, New York.

In the United States, a patroon was a landholder with manorial rights to large tracts of land in the 17th-century Dutch colony of New Netherland on the east coast of North America. Through the Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions of 1629, the Dutch West India Company first started to grant this title and land to some of its invested members. These inducements to foster colonization and settlement are the basis for the patroon system. By the end of the 18th century, virtually all of the American states had abolished primogeniture and entail; thus patroons and manors evolved into simply large estates subject to division and leases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rensselaerswyck</span> Colonial estate in New York

Rensselaerswyck was a Dutch colonial patroonship and later an English manor owned by the van Rensselaer family located in the present-day Capital District of New York in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeremias van Rensselaer</span> Dutch colonial governor

Jeremias van Rensselaer was the third son of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, one of the founders and directors of the Dutch West India Company who was instrumental in the establishment of New Netherland and was the first patroon of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck. Jeremias van Rensselaer was the acting patroon of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck, and the first of his family to establish himself permanently in America.

Kiliaen or Killian van Rensselaer is the name of:

Hendrick van Rensselaer was director of the Eastern patent of the Rensselaerswyck manor. The estate was composed of land in Columbia County, New York, and land opposite Albany, New York, on the Hudson River, named Greenbush.

Kiliaen van Rensselaer, was the patroon of Manor of Rensselaerswyck.

Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the eldest child of Jeremias and Maria van Cortlandt van Rensselaer was born in Rensselaerwyck.

Stephen van Rensselaer I, was the second son of Kiliaen van Rensselaer and Maria van Cortlandt, who served briefly as the 7th Patroon of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck and 4th Lord of the Manor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craver Farmstead</span> Historic house in New York, United States

The Craver Farmstead was established circa 1790 consisting of 225 acres with a farmhouse and a barn. Today, the Craver Farmstead is both architecturally and historically significant. The farmhouse was built prior to 1790 and stands as one of the oldest and best preserved examples of Federal-style architecture in upstate New York. The Federal style evolved as the dominant classicizing architecture in North America between 1780 and 1830 as the new republic of the United States sought to define itself as independent in literature, art, and architecture just as it was politically.

In the United States, a Patroon was a landholder with manorial rights to large tracts of land in the 17th century Dutch colony of New Netherland in North America.

Colonel Kiliaen van Rensselaer was a colonial American soldier and politician who was a member of the prominent Van Rensselaer family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Van Rensselaer (surname)</span> Surname list

Van Rensselaer is a toponymic surname of Dutch origin. It derives from the farmstead of De Renselaar, situated near Putten in Gelderland. Van is a preposition meaning "from" and is a common prefix in Dutch-language surnames. In Dutch, "van" is written with a lower-case "v"; in the United States it is usually capitalized, but individual usage should be followed.

Maria van Cortlandt van Rensselaer, also known as Maria van Rensselaer was the Dutch administrator and treasurer of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck, now Albany, New York.

References

  1. ↑ "2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  2. 1 2 "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  3. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  4. ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 census results, East Greenbush. https://www.census.gov/search-results.html?q=East+Greenbush+town%2C+Rensselaer+County%2C+New+York&page=1&stateGeo=none&searchtype=web&cssp=SERP&_charset_=UTF-8
  5. ↑ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp.  112.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 George Baker Anderson (1897). "History of East Greenbush". D. Mason and Co. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  7. 1 2 "East Greenbush" (PDF). The Legislative Gazette. November 8, 2004. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  8. 1 2 "Papscanee Island". Open Space Institute. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  9. ↑ "Environment Today". Rensselaer County. Archived from the original on May 18, 2009. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  10. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  11. 1 2 J.H. French (1860). Gazetteer of the State of New York. R. Pearsall Smith. p.  557 . Retrieved January 28, 2010.
  12. ↑ "75th Anniversary | East Greenbush CSD".
  13. ↑ "The Fascinating Life of Edmonia Lewis | The Daily Gazette". October 6, 2019. Archived from the original on October 6, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  14. ↑ "Player BIO | Pro Football Hall of Fame Official Site".
  15. ↑ "Rich Romer Stats, News and Video - LB".
  16. ↑ Talar, Amanda (February 23, 2010). "JNormal to JWOWW - Amanda Talar". Blog.timesunion.com. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  17. ↑ "VIDEO - Jwoww teen / high school photos: She graduated high school a year early; had a black belt in martial arts". Starcasm.net. July 9, 2010. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  18. ↑ "Reality Stars That Have College Degrees?". Hot 107.9 Philly. December 1, 2011. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  19. ↑ "Kevin Smith Stats and News - Baseball Reference".
  20. ↑ Gaffney, Dennis (February 14, 2004). "An Educator Says Instinct Helped Halt School Shooting". New York Times. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
  21. ↑ Fitzpatrick, Ryan T. (November 2, 2007). "Appellate Division upholds DeAngelis' Romano conviction". Troy Record. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
  22. ↑ Valencia, Nick (January 10, 2009). "NY interstate closed after man shoots at trooper". CNN.
  23. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  24. ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 census results, East Greenbush. https://www.census.gov/search-results.html?q=East+Greenbush+town%2C+Rensselaer+County%2C+New+York&page=1&stateGeo=none&searchtype=web&cssp=SERP&_charset_=UTF-8

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