Eastland Park

The land for Eastland Park was part of the farm leased in 1790 by Martinus Sharpe, an early settler of Defreestville. The land was later owned by one of the DeFreest families, who sold it to Patrick Dunn in 1897.

In 1927, the Dunn farm was sold to Charles Wenz, Henry Meurs, Thomas Sherwood, Jr. and Dolfie Shufelt. Together with lawyer Ernest L. Boothby, these men formed the Eastland Park Association. This ad appeared in the Albany Evening Journal, Sept. 14, 1927 (click to zoom in).

Dolfi Shufelt, the president of the Association, had been a partner in Leahey & Shufelt, the masons and contractors on high-profile projects like the county bank building and the city reservoir. Leahey & Shufelt also developed the Lincoln Terrace neighborhood.

Charles Wenz worked as a roofer. Henry Meurs had served as Mayor of Rensselaer (1920-21) and as a NYS Assemblyman, and he owned Henry Meurs and & Sons Hardware.

Their plan included a man-made lake and a market plaza:

...on healthy, high ground where nature has combined with development progress to make this section attractive and desirable for discriminating home site seekers… A feature of the development is the beautiful grove which is planned for a park and will be deeded to the city... Here will be found scenic beauty unequaled.

Though the Eastland Park Association never built the lake, they kept the name Lakeview Avenue. Market Street was renamed Woodland Avenue.

Today the park offers a playground, baseball diamond, and basketball and tennis courts, and hosts summer picnics. The Rensselaer City History Research Center has records of the Eastland Park Association, for those wanting to do further research.

This is part of the series: North End Park Neighborhoods (download this as a free PDF here)

• The Manor; The Building Boom; Origins of Washington Ave.
  
• Little Farms (Mann Ave.); Mann's Street Names; Zephyr Park
• Van Allen Park; Eastland Park; Lansing Park

Van Allen Park

Just west of Defreestville, the "rock cut" allows the road to pass through the rocky ridge that once bisected the 400 acre farm of John Evert Van Alen. Van Alen owned a general store in Greenbush, and was a U.S. Congressman from 1793 to 1799. He was also a surveyor who did work for the Patroon, and he surveyed part of the Eastern Turnpike.

John E. Van Alen had no children, and his nephew Evert Van Alen was heir to his estate. Evert was also a surveyor and civil engineer, and helped build the Erie Canal. Evert’s will split the farm between sons John and Stephen.

Stephen V. R. Van Alen inherited the western 90 acres, between the ridge and the farm of William P. Van Rensselaer. Stephen built the beautiful “Rock Hill” house west of the ridge.

In 1907, Stephen’s daughter Elizabeth V.A. Lape acquired the land from her sister Catherine, who had cared for their elderly father. In 1926, Elizabeth sold the land for this neighborhood to Bruce Corlis of Corliss Realty, Inc., St. Alban’s, VT.

Corliss filed a map in 1926, and the street names he used for Van Allen Park were: Delaware, Maryland, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Iowa, Missouri, Florida, California, and Minnesota Avenues. Apart from the lots closest to Washington Ave, most of this neighborhood is actually in North Greenbush. Corliss created decades of address confusion when he duplicated many of the same street names in his 1925 Sherwood Park development, located off Columbia Turnpike in East Greenbush.

For more about the Van Alen family, read "Background and Social History of the site and Occupants of the John Evert and Anne Fryenmoet van Alen House", by Walter Richard Wheeler, Hartgen Archeological Associates, Inc.

This is part of the series: North End Park Neighborhoods (download this as a free PDF here)

• The Manor; The Building Boom; Origins of Washington Ave.
  
• Little Farms (Mann Ave.); Mann's Street Names; Zephyr Park
• Van Allen Park; Eastland Park; Lansing Park

Zephyr Park (George and Elizabeth St.)

The November 1909 Rensselaer Eagle newspaper announced that the “Van Allen Park” plot had been filed, and new houses could go up in the spring on the “old Lape property”. Elizabeth V. A. Lape created this small development after her father, Stephen V.R. Van Alen, passed away in 1905. (More on the Van Alen's next time.)

Elizabeth’s map was actually titled “Fulton Park”, and the streets were Van Alen Ave., Lape Ave., Clermont Ave., and Fulton Ave. The last two names likely commemorated Robert Fulton’s steamboat Clermont, a replica of which had just come up the river for the grand 1909 Hudson-Fulton centennial celebration.

I found this map quite charming (click it to zoom in), because of the extra attention paid to the calligraphy.

In 1923, George J. Zepf seemed to be the owner of the property - he filed a new map for the “Lape Subdivision”. Deeds for the plots show that George and Delia Zepf were selling plots in a development they now called “Zephyr Park”. On George Zepf’s map, the street parallel to Forbes Ave. was eliminated, and the three cross-streets had been renamed Carolyn Ave., George St., and Elizabeth St. (George had sisters named Carrie and Lizzie - perhaps he and his siblings were the namesakes, or perhaps Elizabeth was named after Mrs. Lape.)

Only George and Elizabeth Streets are on the map today, and Carolyn Ave. likely became Delaware Ave. when the larger Van Allen Park was developed.

George Zepf was in the carpentry business with his brother Joseph, and they worked on many significant projects in Rensselaer, including building several of the firehouses.

If you have a picture of Elizabeth Lape or George Zepf, I would appreciate a copy via email (bathonhudson@gmail.com).

This is part of the series: North End Park Neighborhoods (download this as a free PDF here)

• The Manor; The Building Boom; Origins of Washington Ave.
  
• Little Farms (Mann Ave.); Mann's Street Names; Zephyr Park
• Van Allen Park; Eastland Park; Lansing Park

Mann’s Street Names

On Oct. 19, 1909, a new subdivision called Little Farms was mapped on the north side of Forbes Avenue, beyond the old Rensselaer city limits. The street names appear to correspond to names of prominent local citizens of the era (these are educated guesses based on my newspaper research):

Mann Avenue

Elias Plum Mann was Mayor of Troy, NY from 1906 to 1911 (Republican), and was also a businessman and financier. He acquired the 64.13 acre plot via foreclosure, for development.

Mayor Mann graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1872 with a degree in civil engineering. His family was prominent in banking and real estate, and his father, Francis Norton Mann, also served as Mayor of Troy, as well as a Judge.

The 1911 Hudson-Mohawk Genealogical and Family Memoirs Vol II said that “The name of Mann is the synonym of uprightness and business integrity, and Elias P. Mann is one of the best-known representatives of the family, which has been an influential one for many years.”

Mayor Elias P. Mann
The Reporter, Sept. 6-9, 1908, NYS Library (974.741)

Rockefeller Street

William J. Rockefeller was Mayor of Rensselaer from 1907 to 1910, and also ran a business as an undertaker.

Mayor William J. Rockefeller
Renssealer Eagle, 1908

Munger Street

John F. Munger was a broker of fire insurance, real estate, and mortgages. He was also President of the Rensselaer County Bank.

John F. Munger

Renssealer Eagle, Jan. 15, 1910

Quay Street

George H. Quay was a Regents Examiner for the University of the State of New York, and had been school principal at Bath-on-the-Hudson union free school for 6 years. In 1908, he also advertised as a land surveyor.



Rollins Avenue (only partly developed)

Robert H. Rollins was Pastor of First Baptist Church (then on Second St. at Church), and Treasurer (later President) of the Rensselaer Brick Co. (on Forbes Ave. beyond Tenth). In 1905, Rev. Rollins leased the Forbes Manor and opened it as Van Rensselaer Park, and worked to raise community support for preserving the Manor house.

Reverend Robert H. Rollins
Van Rensselaer Park (974.741), NYS Library

Manders Avenue (mapped, but not developed)

Harry Manders served in the Rensselaer Police Department’s Second Precinct. He also operated a racetrack associated with the old Half-Way house, just east of the current location of 1001 Washington Ave. Manders purchased two lots from Mayor Mann in 1911.

Patrolman Harry Manders
Rensselaer City History Center

This is part of the series: North End Park Neighborhoods (download this as a free PDF here)

• The Manor; The Building Boom; Origins of Washington Ave.
  
• Little Farms (Mann Ave.); Mann's Street Names; Zephyr Park
• Van Allen Park; Eastland Park; Lansing Park

Little Farms (Mann Ave.)

Until the turn of the last century, today’s North End (then part of North Greenbush) was mostly farmland and pine forest. Even when the Forbes family still summered at Beverwyck Manor, they were gradually selling off the former Van Rensselaer lands.

In 1868, John Bishop bought a 64.13 acre farm plot from Paul S. Forbes. The land bordered on the Plank road on the north side, and the Bishops were already in residence (he was probably leasing the farm).

The Gazetteer and business directory of Rensselaer County, N. Y. (1870-71) reported that John K. Bishop was a breeder of improved Suffolk hogs, and confirms he was farming 64 acres on the Albany & Sand Lake Plank Road.

1876 Beers Map – North Greenbush

John Bishop and his wife Kate eventually sold the land to Eliza and Peter Sheppard, another farming family. In 1880, the Sheppards obtained a mortgage from Charles B. Bishop of the city of Troy. The Sheppard mortgage was foreclosed in 1908, and the property was sold at auction to Elias Mann, who was the mayor of Troy, NY. Mayor Mann paid $1,500 for the entire 64 acres.

The Rensselaer Eagle announced the availability of the building lots on Sept. 25, 1909. On Oct. 14, 1909, the first plans were filed for an ambitious new neighborhood. (Interestingly, the map was made by John Flynn, Jr., who worked as the civil engineer for the city of Troy.)

"Little Farms" originally had five length-wise streets and four cross streets. There were 542 building plots, including a “hotel lot” for the half-way house.


The unfortunate circumstances of a complicated foreclosure were probably amplified by the old inter-city rivalry, and there was little support in the Rensselaer community for this development by "Troy real estate men". Despite a nearly two years of promotion and a free give-away offer, Mann's sales agents were only able to sell about half the lots.

Not surprisingly, the back lots in the deep ravine were the least popular. In 1911 a new map was filed, consolidating the back lots and eliminating a few streets. Rensselaer County tax map 133.73 shows the 1911 layout, including two streets which were never completed. You can check out the actual layout of today's Mann Ave. neighborhood here at Google Maps.

This is part of the series: North End Park Neighborhoods (download this as a free PDF here)

• The Manor; The Building Boom; Origins of Washington Ave.
  
• Little Farms; Mann's Street Names; Zephyr Park
• Van Allen Park; Eastland Park; Lansing Park

Origins of Washington Avenue

The roadway of upper Washington Avenue dates back to colonial Rensselaerswyck, when farmers traveled it to bring their rents of grain and poultry to the Patroon, and maintained it as required by their leases. The pre-revolutionary route was called the “Albany Road”, and went from the ferry in Bath-on-the-Hudson to Deerfield, MA.

The road’s importance as a commercial and stage coach route grew, and in 1799, it was incorporated as the “Eastern Turnpike Road”, to finance road maintenance. The toll for a horse and rider was 5 cents, and a four-wheel carriage with two horses paid 12½ cents. For more info, see these older posts:

• The Albany Road and the Eastern Turnpike
• Directors of the Eastern Turnpike Road, 1799

The 19th century North Greenbush economy was based on transporting perishable farm goods to sell in Albany and Troy. This required good roads, which were expensive to build and maintain. In the mid-1800’s, the cheaper “plank roads” became wildly popular. In 1849, the Eastern Turnpike became the “Albany and Sand Lake Plank Road”, and a thick wooden surface was laid on the 11 mile stretch between the Bath ferry and the glass factory village at Sand Lake (Averill Park). For more info, see:

• The Albany and Sand Lake Plank Road
• Anatomy of a Plank Road
• The Toll Gates and the Shunpike Road
• Plank Road Directors, 1849

“Plank Road Fever” was short-lived. Planks had to be replaced more frequently than expected, which was costly. By the 1880’s, the wood surfaces were gone. The toll gates were removed after 1901, making the road, now known as “Forbes Avenue”, more attractive for residential development.

Sometime between 1926 and 1930, maps at the county clerk's office indicate that the road was renamed Washington Ave. (The name Washington Ave. originally only referred a the 5-block stretch between Broadway and what remains of Forbes Ave. today.) If anyone knows more about when and why this name change occurred, please post a comment or send an email to bathonhudson@gmail.com.

This is part of the series: North End Park Neighborhoods (download this as a free PDF here)

• The Manor; The Building Boom; Origins of Washington Ave.
  
• Little Farms (Mann Ave.); Mann's Street Names; Zephyr Park
• Van Allen Park; Eastland Park; Lansing Park

The Building Boom

During the Manor years, the only building between the Bath-on-the-Hudson toll gate and Defreestville was a half-way house for travelers (not even shown in this 1854 map). After the Forbes family left, the remaining manor lands along the Plank road were gradually sold.

Vintage Maps from the US Geological Service show little development along the plank road by 1893, almost 40 years later.


In 1897, the City of Rensselaer was formed, and in 1901, the city limits were extended to encompass the remaining Forbes Manor grounds (not including the upper Forbes Avenue tracts, which had been sold as farmland).

Rensselaer had become a manufacturing center and a major freight hub. Housing was tight, and Rensselaerites who were tired of the noise, soot, and smoke from the railroad yards looked for building lots outside the city.

Rumors that the United Traction Co. might extend their street car line made upper Forbes Ave. a very desirable location. The North End’s trendy park neighborhoods were about to take shape.

Rensselaer Eagle, August 8, 1908

NEW BUILDINGS PROVE THAT CITY IS SURELY BOOMING
...
Not in five years has building been so active in Rensselaer as it is now. New houses are going up all over the city and there are others in contemplation. ...

Many building lots have been sold out on the "plank road" as it is familiarly known to Rensselaerites, and several houses are in the course of erection there. Others are promised in the near future and the indications are that before snow files there will be a number of very good houses built out there.

The prospect that in the Spring, the United Traction Co. will extend its Broadway and Third Street line has been inducing many people to look for building sites along Washington avenue and upper Forbes avenue.
...
More Albanians than ever before are finding that they can live in Rensselaer, have a better house and much more breathing space for the same money than they are forced to pay in Albany. ...

That Rensselaer is booming and that it will continue to do so for some time to come is very evident.

This is part of the series: North End Park Neighborhoods (download this as a free PDF here)

• The Manor; The Building Boom; Origins of Washington Ave.
  
• Little Farms; Mann's Street Names; Zephyr Park
• Van Allen Park; Eastland Park; Lansing Park

The Toll Gates and the Shunpike Road

The Albany and Sand Lake Plank Road had four toll gates, described in this article from the Albany Evening Journal, May 25, 1901:

The committee on toll gates from the Rensselaer Board of Supervisors has begun its inquiry into the proceedings to abolish the toll roads.... Arthur Peck, director and secretary, said there were four toll gates, one at Bath, a second three miles out, a third at Sand Lake and a fourth at Crooked Lake. He said that the road had not paid a dividend in the last 11 years, though the net receipts for the last 11 years were $2,262.39....

The first toll gate was just beyond Ninth St. at the Bath village limits, near today's I-90 ramp. (See the entire map here: F.W. Beers & Co., Bath, 1876.)


The second toll gate was opposite Robert C. Parker school. Folks who wanted to avoid that toll took the "Shunpike road" instead (now Mammoth Springs Road, Morner Road and Best Road), rejoining the Plank road at Defreestville. (See F.W. Beers & Co., North Greenbush, 1876)

The third toll gate was at the intersection of Tollgate Rd and Rt. 43 beyond West Sand Lake. The last tollgate was just north of the Crooked Lake House. (See F.W. Beers & Co., Sand Lake 002, 1876)

Previously: The Albany and Sand Lake Plank Road; Anatomy of a Plank Road
Next: Plank Road Directors

Historical newspaper pages found at FultonHistory.com.

The Albany and Sand Lake Plank Road

Upper Washington Avenue in Rensselaer's North End was once a "Plank road". In the mid-1800's, the land was part of North Greenbush, an area "extensively engaged in supplying the markets of Troy and Albany with garden vegetables and milk.” An economy based on transporting perishable farm goods by wagon depended on good roads, but macadam surfaces were very expensive - a cheaper alternative was needed.

Then the “Plank Road Fever” swept across New York state. George Geddes introduced the plank road to the U.S. out near Syracuse, and the concept was widely published. Investors rushed to turn gravel turnpikes into wooden roads, and a speculative bubble led to formation of over 330 plank road corporations in NY, more than any other state.

In 1849, Rensselaer County's Eastern Turnpike became the “Albany and Sand Lake Plank Road”, and a thick wooden surface was laid on the 11 mile stretch between the ferry at Bath-on-the-Hudson and the glass factory village at Sand Lake (Averill Park). If you click to zoom in below, you can see the planks depicted with lines across the roadway in this 1854 L.C.G&M Land Ownership Map (NYS Library).


The plank road craze was short-lived. The planks had to be replaced every 3-5 years (not 8-12 years as promoted), and the toll revenue wasn't enough to fund such frequent repairs. By the 1880’s, our “Plank road” existed in name only, and its planks were gone. The toll gates still were manned in 1901, but were removed soon after, and the new city of Rensselaer was poised for residential expansion along this roadway.

Next: Anatomy of a Plank Road; Toll Gates and Shunpikes

PQI Web Site

The NY State Health Department just released the Prevention Quality Indicator (PQI), a web-based tool to assess regional hospitalization rates for conditions considered preventable from a public health perspective:

• Capital News 9: Health officials unveil new web tool for New Yorkers
• Press Release: State Health Dept. Unveils Web-Based Tool to Help Plan High-Performing Health Care System
• The PQI Tool: Prevention Quality Indicators in New York State

When you analyze the 12144 zip code, you can compare our rate of adult "avoidable hospitalizations" (over the 2 year period 2005-6) with the number that would be expected based on statewide statistics for a variety of conditions.

So how does Rensselaer stack up? Our best score was for diabetes care, where our hospitalizations were 52% of expected (22 Rensselaer residents were hospitalized for diabetes, while the number expected would have been 42.) The hospitalization rate for circulatory complications (cardiovascular disease) was 89% (73 hospitalized when 82 would have been expected).

Rensselaer's worst hospitalization rate was for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), at 166% of expected (which is adjusted for age of population). There were 44 hospitalizations, versus the 27 that would be expected. This probably indicates a need for more attention on reducing smoking. (Looking just at overall respiratory conditions is deceptive, since we scored better than average in asthma, which masks the bad score for COPD.)

Vintage Maps

Here are some links to a great collection of vintage US Geoglogical Service maps from the University of New Hampshire Library:
1893 Bath, E. Albany, Greenbush;
1928 Rensselaer; 1950 Rensselaer

See more Historic USGS Maps of New England & NY from the collection. Rensselaer is in the Troy, NY Quadrangle, "Southwest Corner", and from this page you can easily navigate to adjacent regions.

Last year I bought a reproduction antique map of Poestenkill from Historical Ink as a gift, and I was very happy with the quality. These maps include family names (but in very small type). You can't preview the maps online, but here is the list of their old maps of Rensselaer County towns, reproduced from the Atlas of Rensselaer County, New York, published in 1876 by F. W. Beers. Like the 1893 map above, this predates "Rensselaer, NY", so look for the map of "Bath on the Hudson", and three maps showing "Part of Greenbush" by ward numbers.