Van Rensselaer Island

Last updated
Van Rensselaer Island
Geography
Location Hudson River
Coordinates 42°38′46″N73°44′35″W / 42.64611°N 73.74306°W / 42.64611; -73.74306
Highest elevation25 ft (7.6 m)
Administration
City Rensselaer, New York

Van Rensselaer Island was an island in the Hudson River opposite the city of Albany, New York. The island was also known as de Laet's Island, Kalebacker's Island, Boston Island and B&A Island, the last two names in reference to the Boston and Albany Railroad. [1] The island stretched from Mill Creek north to the Livingston Avenue Bridge. [2] Van Rensselaer Island is now connected to the City of Rensselaer, and is no longer an island.

Contents

Van Rensselaer Island was also a name given to Westerlo Island in Albany, [3] today the Port of Albany-Rensselaer.

History

De Laet's Island, on the original Map of Rensselaerswyck, c. 1632; north is to the right Van Rensselaer Island.png
De Laet's Island, on the original Map of Rensselaerswyck, c. 1632; north is to the right
Van Rensselaer Island with Albany in the distance, c. 1825 HINTON(1834) 2.438 Albany from the Van-Unsselaens Island.jpg
Van Rensselaer Island with Albany in the distance, c. 1825

The island went through many name changes in the 400 years since Henry Hudson saw it when he was at the present-day site of Albany. The name Kalebacker's Island may be related to the Dutch term "kale backer", translated into English it means down-and-outer, or mean fellow; [4] the term Kalebacker was the term used by the Dutch for Native Americans who possessed guns, and were regarded as troublesome and war-like. [5] There was a settlement of Native Americans who moved to the island after the Dutch established Fort Orange across the Hudson from the island, [1] they apparently moved there in order to trade with the Dutch, they had a fort, village, and crop fields. The site is listed in the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation archaeological files, but not within the New York State Museum site files. [1] The name De Laets Eylandt (de Laet's Island in English) was in honor of Joannes de Laet, given in the 1630s by Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the first Patroon of the Rensselaerswyck, a feudal estate encompassing Albany and Rensselaer counties. [6] On May 1, 1658 Jan Baptist van Rensselaer, the director of the patroonship leased to Arent Adriessen all the tilled land on the island, which was referred to as "the island opposite the center of the village of Beverwyck". [7] The lease was set for four years. [8]

Van Rensselaer Island is across the Hudson River from Fort Orange. In this map north is to the right. Castle Island and Fort Orange Albany, New York 1629.jpg
Van Rensselaer Island is across the Hudson River from Fort Orange. In this map north is to the right.

In the 1800s the island became the site of the Boston and Albany Railroad's (B&A) passenger depot, shops, freight houses, round house, and coach yard. The island was the site of transfers between trains of the New York Central and the B&A. The island became known as the Boston and Albany Island, or just Boston Island. A ferry transported people to and from the island and downtown Albany at Maiden Lane. The railroad changed the shoreline of the island by building docks for receiving coal and grain and by dredging an east–west channel splitting the island in half. In 1871 the Maiden Lane Bridge was built replacing the ferry. When the NY Central and the B&A merged in 1900 the island's activities became less important, though a new round house and coach yard was built even as many buildings were demolished. In 1903 the channel that separated the island from the mainland was filled in with sand dredged from the bottom of the Hudson River. [1] Also in 1903 the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad purchased outright the island from the van Rensselaer family for $6,000. [9]

The Maiden Lane Bridge and all the railroad associated buildings were demolished when in 1969 the Rensselaer City School District's school campus was built on the portion of the island north of Quackenderry Creek. [1] Two years earlier the Rensselaer side approach and exit ramps for the Dunn Memorial Bridge were built on the southern part of the island, just north of Mill Creek.[ citation needed ] The site of the Rensselaer City School campus is slated to be redeveloped as a mixed-use waterfront community, the developers (U.W. Marx Construction) gave the school land that had recently been annexed from a neighboring town, now in the northern section of the city, and built a new school campus. [10] The redevelopment of 24 acres (9.7 ha) of the island is named de Laet's Landing in honor of Johan de Laet and the original name of the island. [11] De Laet's Landing is a 1,500,000-square-foot (140,000 m2) project estimated at costing about $300 million, and could take 10–15 years to build to completion. The project would include offices, retail, restaurants, apartments, a promenade along the Hudson, and a marina carved from the waterfront; it is modeled on Baltimore's Inner Harbor. The project was dealt a setback in late 2009 when the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation declared that the project's marina would need to be reworked so as not to disturb he water celery along the shoreline, which is important for keeping the water clean and provides habitat for fish, it is rare along that stretch of the Hudson due to dredging of the shipping channel. [12] This set-back, however, has not stopped the project; de Laet's Landing has been approved for a $1.4 million grant by the Empire State Development Corporation and the company planned on breaking ground sometime in the later half of 2010. [13] As of June 2014, no construction project has begun; however, casino development has been proposed for this location. [14]

Geology

Today the island is no longer an island as the channel to the east has been filled. The area consists of Middle Ordovician bedrock made of Normanskill shale, with soil consisting of loamy and sandy udorthents dredged from the bottom of the Hudson River. [1] During the 17th century the island probably had an elevation of about 10 feet (3.0 m) or less above the river, today it is about 25 feet. [1] Mill Creek enters the Hudson River at the southern end of the island. In the past the Quackenderry Creek emptied into the Hudson at the channel between the island and the mainland, today the creek continues through the area.

Related Research Articles

Rensselaer, New York 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, directly opposite of Albany. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 9,392. Rensselaer is on the western border of Rensselaer County. The area now known as the City of Rensselaer was settled by the Dutch in the 17th century. The city has a rich industrial history stretching back to the 19th century, when it became a major railroad hub; In 2020, Albany-Rensselaer was the ninth busiest Amtrak station in the country. Rensselaer was one of the earliest locations of the dye industry in the United States, and was the first American location for the production of aspirin.

East Greenbush, New York Town in New York, United States

East Greenbush is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. It is a suburb of Albany. The population was 16,473 at the 2010 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.

Arthur Kill Navigational channel of the Port of New York and New Jersey

The Arthur Kill is a tidal strait between Staten Island, New York and Union and Middlesex county, New Jersey in the United States. It is a major navigational channel of the Port of New York and New Jersey.

Kiliaen van Rensselaer (merchant) (1586–1643) Netherlands merchant

Kiliaen van Rensselaer was a Dutch diamond and pearl merchant from Amsterdam who was one of the founders and directors of the Dutch West India Company, being instrumental in the establishment of New Netherland.

Wouter van Twiller

Wouter van Twiller was an employee of the Dutch West India Company and the fourth Director of New Netherland. He governed from 1632 until 1638, succeeding Peter Minuit, who was recalled by the Dutch West India authorities in Amsterdam for unknown reasons.

Livingston Avenue Bridge

The Livingston Avenue Bridge is a railroad bridge over the Hudson River in New York connecting Albany and Rensselaer. The original structure was built in 1866 by the Hudson River Bridge Company but was replaced in 1901–02. A rotating swing bridge span allows large ships to proceed up the river.

Manor of Rensselaerswyck Place in New Netherland, Netherlands

The Manor of Rensselaerswyck, Manor Rensselaerswyck, Van Rensselaer Manor, or just simply Rensselaerswyck, was the name of a colonial estate—specifically, a Dutch patroonship and later an English manor—owned by the van Rensselaer family that was located in the area that would later become the Capital District of New York in the United States.

Bastiaen Jansz Krol was Director of New Netherland from 1632 to 1633.

David Pietersz. de Vries

David Pieterszoon de Vries was a Dutch navigator from Hoorn.

Michael Reyniersz Pauw

Knight Michiel Reiniersz Pauw was a burgemeester of Amsterdam and a director of the Dutch West India Company (WIC).

Castle Island (New York)

Castle Island is a former island located in the city of Albany, Albany County, New York. Over the past 400 years, Castle Island has been referred to as Martin Gerritse's Island, Patroon's Island, Van Rensselaer Island, and—since the late 19th century--Westerlo Island. The land known as Castle Island has been connected to the mainland and now forms a part of the Port of Albany.

Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions Charter of New Netherland

The Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions, sometimes referred to as the Charter of Privileges and Exemptions, is a document written by the Dutch West India Company in an effort to settle its colony of New Netherland in North America through the establishment of feudal patroonships purchased and supplied by members of the West India Company. Its 31 articles establish ground rules and expectations of the patroons and inhabitants of the new colonies. It was ratified by the Dutch States-General on June 7, 1629.

Map of Rensselaerswyck

The Map of Rensselaerswyck is a map created during the 1630s, probably 1632, at the request of the owner of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck, Kiliaen van Rensselaer, Dutch jeweler and patroon. Rensselaerswyck was the only successful patroonship within the colony of New Netherland, settled by the Dutch West India Company at the behest of the States-General of the United Netherlands. The map is believed to be the first ever commissioned or created of Rensselaerswyck.

Poesten Kill

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. It has been used historically as a source of water for local inhabitants and farmers and became even more important as a source of water power during the Industrial Revolution, during which many mills and factories sprung up along its banks.

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.

Patroon Creek

Patroon Creek is a stream in Albany County, New York, United States and is a tributary of the Hudson River which flows south to New York Harbor and the Atlantic Ocean. The creek's source is Rensselaer Lake in the western section of the city of Albany. Patroon Creek received its name from the patroon of Rensselaerswyck.

History of Troy, New York

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.

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.

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. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Stephen Oberon (2008). "Cultural Impact Assessment" (PDF). U.W. Marx, Inc. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-08-06. Retrieved 2009-07-29.
  2. ↑ "Troy, NY Quadrangle USGS Map". United States Geological Survey. 1891. Archived from the original on 2011-07-03. Retrieved 2009-07-29.
  3. ↑ George Howell and Jonathan Tenney (1886). Bi-centennial History of Albany. W.W. Munsell & Co. p. 13. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
  4. ↑ Jaap Jacobs (2005). New Netherland: a Dutch Colony in Seventeenth Century America. Brill. p. 134. ISBN   90-04-12906-5 . Retrieved 2009-07-30.
  5. ↑ Edward Ruttenber (1872). History of the Indian Tribes of Hudson's River. J. Munsell. p.  136 . Retrieved 2009-07-30. kale backer.
  6. ↑ Kiliaen van Rensselaer (June 27, 1632). "Kiliaen van Rensselaer to Johannes de Laet" . Retrieved 2009-07-30.
  7. ↑ A.J.F. van Laer, ed. (1908). Van Rensselaer Bowier manuscripts. University of the State of New York. p.  759 . Retrieved 2009-07-29. van rensselaer island.
  8. ↑ John Evjen (1916). Scandinavian Immigrants in New York, 1630-1674. K.C. Holter Publisher Company. p.  34 . Retrieved 2009-07-29. van rensselaer island.
  9. ↑ "Historic Property Sold" (PDF). New York Times . June 14, 1903. Retrieved 2009-07-30.
  10. ↑ Natalie Keith (April 2007). "Public-Private Twist". New York Construction. The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Retrieved 2010-06-27.
  11. ↑ Michael DeMasi (May 19, 2008). "$250M Rensselaer Waterfront Project Gets Underway". The Business Review (Albany). American City Business Journals. Retrieved 2010-06-26.
  12. ↑ Chris Churchill (November 5, 2009). "De Laet's Landing Delayed by Weed". Albany Times Union. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved 2010-06-26.
  13. ↑ Chris Churchill (June 26, 2010). "In Brief". Albany Times Union. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved 2010-06-27.
  14. ↑ |Access date=June 2014
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