TopRensselaer County 
Historical Society
RCHS logo horizontal

Dear Friends and Members of RCHS,

 

People who know me know that a house fire is one of my biggest fears. A few weeks ago, I unfortunately witnessed several homes destroyed by fire. Thankfully, no lives were lost and the community has been extremely generous in providing for the displaced families.

 

As the fire occurred, plumes of black smoke billowed north. In fact, when I left RCHS to travel home I could smell the fire, even though I was blocks away. It made me think of Troy's Great Fire of May 10, 1862 and just how prevalent the smoke must have been as blocks upon blocks went up in flames.

 

RCHS commemorates that history with a dynamic walking tour this Saturday. Led by RCHS Curator, Stacy Pomeroy Draper, the tour walks you past key locations. The tour departs at 10:30 from the Information Booth at the Farmer's Market. I hope you can join us.

 

Scroll down for more information about that tour and our other May programs.

 

See you at the Museum and Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!

ilene

 

Ilene Frank

Executive Director

[email protected]  

518-272-7232 x13
Over 60 Tickets already sold
Don't miss this amazing opportunity
Registration deadline June 1


Join RCHS on the only voyage down the river
from Troy to Manhattan.

Sunday, July 19 - Monday, July 20

 



Your Trip Includes

Boat trip from Troy to Manhattan

"What are you seeing?" talks 
by artist/historian Len Tantillo 
and Rensselaer County and City of Troy Historian
Kathy Sheehan

3 meals on board the Captain JP II

Accommodation and Full Breakfast at Teaneck Marriott

Museum admission, choose from 3 iconic NYC museums

Dinner at Mohonk Mountain House

Motor coach from Chelsea Pier to the Marriott on Sunday 
and to the museums on Monday

Motor coach from Manhattan to Troy on Monday

and a donation to RCHS to support the museum and library.
Upcoming Programs and Events
History Walk
The Air Was Full of Smoke & Cinders: Troy's Great Fire of 1862
Saturday, May 9
10:30am - 11:30am
$5 per person, FREE for RCHS members

O n May 10, 1862, fire erupted on a bridge crossing the Hudson River and within hours, more than 500 buildings in the city were destroyed.  Walk back into history as you retrace the progress of the "Great Fire" and see the disaster's impact.

Meet at the Information Table at the Farmers Market

Hart-Cluett House Tour
Spring Cleaning
Saturday, May 9
2:00pm
$10 per person, $5 RCHS members

Enjoy a guided tour of Downtown Troy's historic Hart-Cluett , one of the finest intact houses of the la te Federal period in America.

Preparing the four floors of the house for warmer weather was no small feat. Bringing up the heavy rugs, taking down the winter drapes, adding slip covers to the furniture and cleaning out the gas fixtures were just a few of many tasks completed in the house to prepare it for spring and summer. Join us on this special Spring Cleaning tour to learn about the seasonal transition the house underwent and the many hands involved in the shift.

NEW History Walk
Wining and Dining in Troy:
From The Paradise to The Puritan
Saturday, May 16
10:30am - 11:30am
$5 per person, FREE for RCHS members
Join Rensselaer County Historian Kathryn Sheehan as she celebrates her birthday by taking a walk down her own personal memory lane.  This NEW tour that highlights some on Troy's famous mid-20th century eating and drinking establishments. Kathy is known for her engaging way of presenting local history. Come hear her stories and share your memories of
1930s-60s Troy. 

Hidden History 
Glass Lake
Tuesday, May 26
4:30pm
$12 RCHS Members, $15 non-members

Join Sand Lake Town Historian Bob Moore and Rensselaer County Historian Kathryn Sheehan for this tour of Glass Lake. Made famous in the c.1865 painting View of Glass Lake by Joseph Hidley, we will tour the sites associated with the Rensselaer Glass Factory and look at the architecture of this unique and beautiful hamlet in the Town of Sand Lake. 

Meet at the Intersection of Route 66/43 and Glass Lake Road at 4:30pm
Current Exhibits

John Henry & 

The Baltimores of Troy 

 

CLOSES MAY 16

  These 19th century photographs depicting the Henry family and their friends were recently re-discovered at the Whitehall Free Library when Clifford Oliver, a photographer who lives in Greenwich, NY, was alerted to their existence.  

 


 

The photos tell the story of the Henry family who were related by marriage to the Baltimore family, a prominent Troy abolitionist family. 


 


  

Scenic Overlook:

Perspectives on Rensselaer County's Changing Landscape


 On view through December 19 


 

With paint, ink and photography, artists have portrayed views of Rensselaer County's landscape for over two hundred years. This exhibit highlights their art as documents of the ever-changing landscape and our evolving perspectives on our surroundings. 


 

Sponsored in part by the Lucille A. Herold Trust.
 

Prospect of America: 
Selections of the 
Edgar Holloway 
Art Collection
Part II
in the Library Lobby

Valuing the power art has to move people to action, Rev. Phelan commissioned English artist Edgar Holloway to spend three summers, from 1973 to 1975, in Troy to document the historic buildings and street scenes. 


 

His three years in New York resulted in over 80 watercolors and 15 etchings that have become a historical record unto themselves of the way Troy, Cohoes, and other outlying areas looked in the mid-1970s. 

Contact Information
Rensselaer County Historical Society
 
2015 
Museum and Library Hours
Thursday - Saturday
Noon to 5pm

RCHS will be closed Saturday May 23 for Memorial Day
 
518-272-7232
main number

NYSCA
RCHS greatly appreciates 2015 general operating support from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.