NY-PENN Connection

Troy is rich in history, we all know that, but did you know that Troy was home to one of the first rail lines in the country? Incorporated in May of 1836, the Schenectady & Troy Railroad began operation in the fall of 1841. The road itself was constructed by the City of Troy.  All that remains in Troy is a section of the roundhouse once used to turn the engines around and lots of old photos. It's this rail history that drew me into partnering with Nicholson Heritage Association this month as we both vie for funding through the Refresh Everything program.

Nicholson, PA is fortunate enough to still have their 1849 railroad station.  I sure wish Troy still had her Union Station.  She was a beauty.  Each of my parents grew up on Eighth Street near Rensselaer Street just south of the roundhouse and have clear memories of the trains traveling through their childhood neighborhood. And although they stopped running years before I was born, the tracks remained.  I spent many an hour playing with my friends along those old tracks up by the coal shoots.  In the early 80's the tracks were covered and the Uncle Sam Bikeway was born.

Please continue to support my efforts to bring the Uptown Troy Community Harvest Festival back to Troy this fall with your daily votes as well as supporting my partners at Nicholson Heritage Association & Angels4Epilepsy.  Another way to help is to collect yellow pepsi caps and dropping them off at one of our Cap Collection Centers such as CAC Woodside or High Maintenance, Low Budget Consignement Shop.

An Old Treasured Friend

One of the things I most enjoy is history and it’s one the reasons why I love Uptown so much; It’s full of it. Here, we have an opportunity to be a living record of Troy’s contribution to the Industrial Revolution. The greatest concentration of late 19th century and early 20th century industrial structures still stand in Uptown, sadly most empty and unused. Many of our businesses are gone and we miss old treasured friends like Collins Lumbar, Wheeler Bros Brass Foundry and the Railroad. Our efforts to Revitalize Uptown Troy include seeing these industrial glories restored, renewed and re-purposed.

One of these great structures is at 669 River Street. Former home to John B. Garrett, Inc., it was originally built as the American Seal Paint Factory. I worked in this building for almost a decade and she’s a beaut. John B. Garrett, Jr. appreciated history as well. Going up to the second floor was like entering a medical museum, with a collection of antique medical equipment and instruments. The third floor was even better. One of the big vats used to make paint was still there. The elevator, sprinkler system and fire alarm all original to the building. She now sits vacant a victim of an alleged Ponzi schemer.

Mr. Garrett said that during Prohibition, Canadian booze would be smuggled in from the river through the sub-basement, carried up the elevator to the third floor and hidden in one of these vats. There would always be someone on duty next to the pull that dropped the batch into the Hudson should a raid occur. He never did say they were raided. Troy was quite the distribution center in the bootleg trade.

Please continue supporting The Uptown Initiative’s efforts and those of our CDC Partners: Albany Jewish Community Center, Project Hope/Fort Edward, WSW Art Farm, Encore Theater, Palace Performing Arts Center and Hannah’s Hope.

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