Albany and Rensselaerville
Albany County was incorporated in 1683. Situated on the west bank of the Hudson River, Albany County is approximately 135 miles directly north of New York City and has an area of approximately 540 square miles. Albany is the capital of New York State and also the county seat of Albany County. It is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metrolpolitan Statistical Area. The name is from the title of the Duke of York and Albany, who became James II of England.
Albany County is in the east central part of New York State, extending southward and westward from the point where the Mohawk River joins the Hudson. Its eastern boundary is the Hudson River; a portion of its northern boundary is the Mohawk River. The terrain of the county ranges from flat near the Hudson and Mohawks to high and hilly to the southwest, where the Catskills begin. THe highest point is one of several summits near Henry Hill at approximately 2,160 feet (658m) above seal level; the lowest point is slightly above seal level along the Hudson.
Rensselaerville and Environs:
Rensselaerville township is composed of the hamlets of Rensselaerville, Medusa, Preston Hollow, Potter Hollow, Cooksburg and Smith's Corners in the southwest corner of Albany County, New York. Owned from 1629 by the Dutch patroons Van Rensselaer and part of the huge Manor of Rensselaerwyck, the area was so inaccessible that it was not settled until the late 1700's.
Travel Distances To Rensselaerville From:
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New York City.................130 miles
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Albany .......................... 27 miles
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Rhinebeck....................... 45 miles
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Catskill.......................... 30 miles
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Kingston.........................45 miles
Shortly after the Revolutionary War, Stephen Van Rensselaer III advertised "free" tracts of 160 acres to anyone who would develop the land. After seven years, farmers had to pay an annual rent of four fat fowls, 18 bushels of wheat and a day's service. The rents were perpetual and binding on subsequent purchasers of the land and the patroon reserved mineral and water rights. These "incomplete sales" led to the Anti-Rent Rebellion 1839-1889, which influenced the wording of the Federal Homestead Act of 1862 and opened up the west to settlement.
By the 1787 Cockburn survey, there were a few houses scattered throughout the township, but none at the future site of Rensselaerville hamlet. Two miles southwest, however, at "Mount Pisgah" (now "Kropp's Hill") was a small settlement and the first Presbyterian church services were held in a log cabin there in 1792. For nearly a hundred years thereafter, the township thrived, with dense forests of hemlock providing bark used for tanning leather and abundant water power making milling of lumber, grain and wool important industries for many years. The local grist mills and ready markets helped support a robust agricultural community in the surrounding countryside.
Attractions:
In the charming Town of Rensselaerville you will find:
- 2000 acre Huyck nature preserve complete with waterfall, lake and ten miles of trails
- Some of the most beautiful natural landscapes in the Northeast
- Lovingly preserved 18th and 19th century houses, mills and churches
- Quiet country roads waiting to be explored by bicycle or car
- Miles of wooded trails for hiking, x-country skiing and enjoying wildlife
- Unpolluted streams and lakes for fishing
- Incredible unobstructed mountain views
- Antiquing with over a dozen antique shops
