It's Starting!

Our first stop today, Thursday, August 20, was in Schenectady, New York. In particular, New York's first historic district, named the Stockade District. First settled by Dutch merchants and fur-traders in 1661, the settlement flourished until 1690, when a party of French-Canadian and Indian marauders burned the stockaded village to the ground, massacring most of its inhabitants. By 1692, the Stockade area was once again a flourishing fur-trading outpost, marked by sturdy homes of local merchants, laborers and farmers of Dutch, English and Scots heritage. We stopped first at the Dutch Church, established "before 1630". This is a later structure, the early churches having been destroyed by fire. The massacre at Schenectady took place early in "King Williams War" on a bitter cold night in February 1690. A village of 80 houses and 400 inhabitants, Schenectady was protected by a wooden stockade with two gates, one at the north side, and one at the south. A force of 114 Frenchmen and 96 members of the Sault Set. Marie Tribe of Chhippewa Indians found the north gate open and overwhelmed the village, killing 60 and enslaving 27 more. The rest escaped along the Mohawk River. Eight persons were slain on the southeast corner of the church property and nine on the southwest corner.  The Indians were occupied with setting fire to the town in order to "prevent them from taking to drink".

Two major battles were fought during the Revolutionary War in the Mohawk Valley, with companies of militia from the Stockade serving at Fort Ticonderoga and at the battle of Saratoga. The Valley was hotly contested during the war, since the British strategy during the Revolutionary War as well as the War of 1812 was to cut New England off from the middle Atlantic and southern colonies.

The Stockade District was the heart of the thriving merchant district, and was aided in 1823 by the opening of the Erie Canal, which connected the Hudson River, Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, and Lake Champlain. This gave rise to streets lined with fashionable home for the well-to-do.

In the 19th century, Schenectady, and in particular, the Stockade District, experienced significant growth due to the need for workers at the Schenectady Locomotive Works and later the General Electric Company. Schenectady was a key manufacturing center during the Civil War, and the "Stockade" continued to be the preferred place for industrialists to live.

General Electric continues to have a huge presence in the city.

Well, we had to have lunch at First Prize Mike's, didn't we? Julie….don't read this……Mike's is locally famous for it's hot dogs, and rightfully so. Donna and I each enjoyed one with an order of Onion Rings and a Chocolate Milk Shake. Yum!

Just south in Albany, New York, we found a parking place on State Street, across the lawn from the New York State Capitol. Declared complete in 1899 by Governor Theodore Roosevelt after 32 years of construction, the building is a great example of pre-1900 architecture.

The most famous thing about the Capitol is its stone carving, and the most impressive example of that is the "million dollar staircase". In 1900 dollars, that amount was huge, and the staircase shows the time and effort that supported that amount. Intricate carvings, done in place by master craftsmen from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales in granite (which is harder than the tools the stonecutters used!), and Corsehill Sandstone, imported from Scotland. Using mallets and chisels, all the work was done by hand without the slightest decorative theme.

In a room originally designed to be open space, part of a domed tower that was never built, ceiling murals chronicle important events in New York military history, including the states famous Rough Rider, Theodore Roosevelt.

In Empire Plaza adjacent to the Capitol, we found the Corning Tower and The Egg.

Corning Tower is the tallest building in the state of New York outside of the city of New York. At the 42nd floor, and observation deck provides a 360 degree view of the river valley. The Egg is a free-form design providing a unique venue for a variety of performing arts in the city of Albany. BTW, the Irish Rovers will be making a farewell appearance on Saturday, November 28. Don't miss them!

Across the reflecting pool from the Egg, state agency buildings are more than just office monoliths.

With a final wave to the Egg, we headed back to the rv park for a relaxing evening with Sasha, our ever-watchful Boston Terrier.

As we walked along the banks of the Mohawk River with Sasha, we noticed signs of impending changes. Several trees are beginning to look a bit bedraggled, and this tree is starting to turn colors!

It's starting!