Poestenkill, New York | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 42°41′15″N73°31′17″W / 42.68750°N 73.52139°W | |
Country | United States |
State | New York |
County | Rensselaer |
Settled | 1770 |
Incorporated | March 2, 1848 [1] |
Government | |
• Town Supervisor | Keith Hammond [2] |
Area | |
• Total | 32.57 sq mi (84.37 km2) |
• Land | 32.35 sq mi (83.80 km2) |
• Water | 0.22 sq mi (0.57 km2) |
Elevation | 928 ft (283 m) |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 4,322 |
Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
ZIP code | 12140 |
Area code | 518 |
FIPS code | 36-58805 |
GNIS feature ID | 0979380 |
Website | poestenkillny.com |
Poestenkill is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. The population was 4,322 at the 2020 census. [4] The town is southeast of Troy and is centrally located in the county.
The town is named after the Poesten Kill, an important stream in the area. [5] The phrase poesten kil (with only one l) is traditionally said to be Dutch for "foaming water" or "foaming creek". [6] [7] While kil is, indeed, Dutch for "water" or "creek", Dutch dictionaries do not support the claim of poest meaning "foam". [8] [9] It seems more likely that the creek was named after the nickname Poest for the 17th-century local farmer and miller Jan Barentsen Wemp, who had a pimple (poest) or had difficulty breathing (poesten = to breathe); he owned a farm and a mill on the Poestenkil creek. [10] [11]
Among the earliest settlers in the town was Archelaus Lynd. He leased 300 acres of land from the Van Rensselaers and made his first clearing in the area of Hillside Cemetery, which was known as The Lynd Cemetery until about 1900. The Whyland and Ives families were other early settlers.
The area was first settled around 1770, and the town of Poestenkill was created from part of the Town of Sand Lake on March 2, 1848. [5] [1]
When the American Revolutionary War broke out, six men served from the area. One, named Benjamin Cotterel, is said to have carried the first wheelbarrow of earth to Bunker Hill. [5]
The first school in the area was established in or soon after 1788 on land set aside for that purpose by Stephen Van Rensselaer III. [5] Five men from Poestenkill served in the War of 1812, all joining the Eddy expedition. [5]
The first regular church in Poestenkill was the First Baptist church, organized in 1814 and located in East Poestenkill. [5]
During the American Civil War, many of Poestenkill's men served with the Union's forces; twelve who died in action were Daniel M. Horton, Philip Amidon, Daniel Morrison, John Wagoner, George Bradt, Dexter Randall, William H. H. Wood, Martin Larabee, Willard Bailey, W. L. Robbins, George Simmons, and William H. Mason. [5]
Future president James A. Garfield considered a job as high school principal in Poestenkill in 1856, though lost it to another applicant. [12]
Poestenkill celebrated its sesquicentennial (150th anniversary) in 1998, with several events including a Revolutionary War reenactment, antique car show, a parade, and a historical display. A postcard was also produced for the town at the time.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 32.6 square miles (84.4 km2), of which 32.5 square miles (84.0 km2) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.4 km2) (0.43%) is water.
The eastern and central portions of the town are part of the Rensselaer Plateau. [13]
The town is serviced in part by Brunswick (Brittonkill) Central School District and by Averill Park Central School District.
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1850 | 2,092 | — | |
1860 | 1,833 | −12.4% | |
1870 | 1,769 | −3.5% | |
1880 | 1,672 | −5.5% | |
1890 | 1,602 | −4.2% | |
1900 | 1,362 | −15.0% | |
1910 | 1,078 | −20.9% | |
1920 | 1,002 | −7.1% | |
1930 | 1,164 | 16.2% | |
1940 | 1,438 | 23.5% | |
1950 | 1,799 | 25.1% | |
1960 | 2,493 | 38.6% | |
1970 | 3,426 | 37.4% | |
1980 | 3,664 | 6.9% | |
1990 | 3,809 | 4.0% | |
2000 | 4,054 | 6.4% | |
2010 | 4,530 | 11.7% | |
2020 | 4,322 | −4.6% | |
U.S. Decennial Census [14] [4] |
As of the census [15] of 2000, there were 4,054 people, 1,527 households, and 1,137 families residing in the town. The population density was 124.9 inhabitants per square mile (48.2/km2). There were 1,628 housing units at an average density of 50.2 per square mile (19.4/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 98.35% White, 0.17% Blacks and or African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.27% from other races, and 0.57% from two or more races. Latinx of any race were 0.67% of the population.
There were 1,527 households, out of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.6% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were non-families. 20.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.9% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $58,945, and the median income for a family was $63,819. Males had a median income of $40,128 versus $29,486 for females. The per capita income for the town was $22,143. About 0.5% of families and 1.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.0% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over.
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.
Rensselaerville is a town in Albany County, New York, United States. The population was 1,826 at the 2020 census. The town is named after Stephen Van Rensselaer.
Clymer is a town in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 1,748 at the 2020 census. The town is named for George Clymer, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Clymer is located in the southwest part of the county.
Claverack is a town in Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 6,021 at the 2010 census. The town name in English was derived from the Dutch word Klaverakker, meaning "Clover Fields" or "Clover Reach". In 1705, a Dutch tenant farmer made the first discovery of a mastodon tooth here.
Berlin is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. The population was 1,808 at the 2020 census. The town is named after Berlin in Germany, although natives pronounce the name differently, with the accent on the first syllable.
Brunswick is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. The municipality was originally settled in the early 18th century. During its history, it had been part of Albany County, Rensselaerswyck, and Troy, before its incorporation in 1807. It is bordered on the west by the city of Troy; on the north by Schaghticoke and Pittstown; on the east by Grafton; and on the south by Poestenkill and North Greenbush. The population was 12,581 at the 2020 census. The source of the town's name is not certain, though some claim it comes from the source of its first inhabitants from the province of Brunswick-Lüneburg in Germany.
Grafton is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. The population was 2,051 at the 2020 census. It is believed that the town received its name from Grafton, Vermont, where the first town supervisor, Nathaniel Dumbleton, was originally from. The town is an interior town near the north-central part of the county. NY Route 2 passes across the town.
Hoosick is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. The population was 6,711 at the 2020 census. It was named from the Hoosic River.
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.
Petersburgh is a town located in the northeast section of Rensselaer County, New York, United States. The population was 1,372 at the 2020 census. The town was named after an early settler named Peter Simmons.
Pittstown is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. The population was 5,735 at the 2010 census. It is in the northern part of the county.
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.
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.
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. The word Greenbush is derived from the Dutch het groen bosch, referring to the pine woods that originally covered the land. 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.
Nassau is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. The population was 4,545, down from 4,789 at the 2010 census.
Poestenkill is a hamlet in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. The population was 1,061 at the 2010 census. The name is taken from Poesten Kill, a stream in the area.
SchaghticokeSKAT-i-kohk is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. The population was 7,445 at the 2020 census. It was named for the Schaghticoke, a Native American tribe formed in the seventeenth century from an amalgamation of remnant peoples of eastern New York and New England. The tribe has one of the oldest reservations in the United States, located in what is now Litchfield County, Connecticut. It has been recognized by the state of Connecticut but has not yet achieved federal recognition.
The Poesten Kill is a 26.2-mile-long (42.2 km) creek in upstate New York located entirely in Rensselaer County, which flows westerly from its source at Dyken Pond in the town of Berlin to its mouth at the Hudson River in the city of Troy. The creek has historically been used as a source of water for the local inhabitants and farmers. During the Industrial Revolution, it became an important source of water power, and many mills and factories sprung up along its banks.
The history of Troy, New York extends back to the Mohican Indians. Troy is a city on the east bank of the Hudson River about 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Albany in the US State of New York.
The Barberville Falls is a waterfall and nature preserve located in Poestenkill, New York. The fall flows into the Poesten Kill, which is a large creek that flows through Rensselaer County.