Green Island in Albany County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Water Fire Iron ⎯⎯⎯ .7 Sq. Mi. ⎯⎯⎯ Age of Rail
Photographed by Steve Stoessel, September 2, 2024
1. .7 Sq. Mi. Side of Marker
Inscription.
Water Fire Iron, also, .7 Sq. Mi., also, Age of Rail. .
.7 Sq. Mi.. You are here. (actually, just a tiny bit north of here). Welcome to Green Island!, This map shows the State Dam, which was destroyed by the 1913 flood. The Federal Dam, pictured above, was built in 1916., The entire history of Industrial America in seven-tenths of a square mile., The entire history of Industrial America comes to a concentrated point here in the 0.7-square-mile town and village of Green Island., You are standing at its northern tip, on land once owned by Henry Ford, who enjoyed bringing his buddies, Thomas Edison, Henry Firestone, famed naturalist John Burroughs and others here on well-provisioned camping and fishing trips in the early 1900s., To our east and south a few hundred yards is the Federal Dam across the Hudson River - the second dam built at Green Island., The first, the State Dam, built in 1823, was key to the development of industry on Green Island., The Green Island Bridge, about 4,000 feet south of the dam, was first built in 1835 by the Rensselaer and Saratoga Railway, and for many years was the only train passage across the Hudson. Its storied history parallels the story of Green Island itself., To our far south, just one mile away, is Center Island, also known as Starbuck Island, where Nathaniel and George Starbuck opened one of the region's first iron foundries in 1821. Today, it is the location of a major residential and retail development project., And between here and Starbuck Island sits a classic American small town of just over 2,600 residents - a town, that like the island itself, has played an outsized role in the history, particularly the political history, of the state and country.,
Water Fire Iron. Four-column Parlor Stove made by John Morrison of Green Island Stove Works., Starbuck Brothers Foundry was built on Center Island, part of the Village of Green Island, in 1821. The Foundries of Green Island While floods remained a major problem and shaping force in the region into the 1930s, the first dam, the State Dam, spanning the Hudson at Green Island, allowed early entrepreneurs to harness water for power and transportation. The dam is directly responsible for development of one of the first great industries on the island, Tibbitts Saw Mill, opened in 1835. But it is another ancient element, fire, both as a destructive and creative force, that is most responsible for the remarkable history of this place., Powered by wood and coal, the foundries that sprung up in Troy and Albany in the early years of the nineteenth century regularly burned down, often taking the surrounding structures and entire neighborhoods with them. Though factory and foundry fires were as common on Green Island as they were elsewhere, with a low population density, in fact no permanent residents until Mathew Hyde moved here from West Troy in 1841, collateral damage common in the early years of the Industrial Revolution was kept at a minimum., But it was fire as a creative agent that made Green Island internationally renowned. The age of iron was literally forged here. Starbuck Brothers, Morris and Manning, Green Island Malleable Iron Works and other foundries were major manufacturers of structural and decorative iron works, military weaponry and ordnance, entire bridges, and most famously, the high-art stoves used for heating and cooking throughout the Victorian period.,
A Bridge and the Age of Rail. The first railroad bridge across the Hudson, the Green Island Bridge, originally called the Rensselaer and Saratoga Bridge, opened in 1835., In the mid-nineteenth century, two railroad giants were centered on Green Island: Eaton and Gilbert, arguably the world's leading manufacturer of luxury rail cars, and The D&H, one of the major lines of the era., The Erie Canal was an engineering marvel when it opened in 1825, but the ordeal of traversing the locks at Cohoes, the "terrible sixteens," inspired the development of one of the country's first railroads. The Albany and Schenectady allowed travelers to bypass Cohoes and shave a full day off their journey. Unfortunately for merchants in Troy, the new railroad threatened to bypass them and make rival Albany the region's center of commerce., In 1832, a group formed to charter the Rensselaer and Saratoga Railroad with the radical idea that they would bridge the Hudson. at Green Island and connect west and east by rail. By 1835, the Rensselaer and Saratoga Bridge, today known as the Green Island Bridge, was in full operation. It held a monopoly on rail traffic across the Hudson until Albany managed to build its own span in 1866, and was central to Green Island's growth as a locomotive and rail car manufacturing and servicing center in the nineteenth century. From 1853 to 1895, Green Island was home to Eaton and Gilbert, known worldwide for the manufacture of elegant passenger rail cars. Eaton and Gilbert built the first sleeping cars, drawing-room cars, electric cars and private coaches, including one for Don Pedro, then emperor of Brazil. During the Civil War, the company manufactured more than 500 gun carriages for the U.S, government., This was also home to the Delaware and Hudson Green Island Shops from 1872 through 1912, a major facility for the heavy work of servicing steam locomotives and rail cars for the famous line.
.7 Sq. Mi.
You are here. (actually, just a tiny bit north of here). Welcome to Green Island!
This map shows the State Dam, which was destroyed by the 1913 flood. The Federal Dam, pictured above, was built in 1916.
The entire history of Industrial America in seven-tenths of a square mile.
The entire history of Industrial America comes to a concentrated point here in the 0.7-square-mile town and village of Green Island.
You are standing at its northern tip, on land once owned by Henry Ford, who enjoyed bringing his buddies, Thomas Edison, Henry Firestone, famed naturalist John Burroughs and others here on well-provisioned camping and fishing trips in the early 1900s.
To our east and south a few hundred yards is the Federal Dam across the Hudson River - the second dam built at Green Island.
The first, the State Dam, built in 1823, was key to the development of industry on Green Island.
The Green Island Bridge, about 4,000 feet south of the dam, was first built in 1835 by the Rensselaer and Saratoga Railway, and for many years was the only train passage across the Hudson. Its storied history parallels the story of Green Island itself.
To our far south, just one mile away, is Center Island,
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also known as Starbuck Island, where Nathaniel and George Starbuck opened one of the region's first iron foundries in 1821. Today, it is the location of a major residential and retail development project.
And between here and Starbuck Island sits a classic American small town of just over 2,600 residents - a town, that like the island itself, has played an outsized role in the history, particularly the political history, of the state and country.
Water Fire Iron
Four-column Parlor Stove made by John Morrison of Green Island Stove Works.
Starbuck Brothers Foundry was built on Center Island, part of the Village of Green Island, in 1821. The Foundries of Green Island
While floods remained a major problem and shaping force in the region into the 1930s, the first dam, the State Dam, spanning the Hudson at Green Island, allowed early entrepreneurs to harness water for power and transportation. The dam is directly responsible for development of one of the first great industries on the island, Tibbitts Saw Mill, opened in 1835.
But it is another ancient element, fire, both as a destructive and creative force, that is most responsible for the remarkable history of this place.
Powered by wood and coal, the foundries that sprung up in Troy and Albany in the early years of
Photographed by Steve Stoessel, September 2, 2024
2. Water Fire Iron Side of Marker
the nineteenth century regularly burned down, often taking the surrounding structures and entire neighborhoods with them. Though factory and foundry fires were as common on Green Island as they were elsewhere, with a low population density, in fact no permanent residents until Mathew Hyde moved here from West Troy in 1841, collateral damage common in the early years of the Industrial Revolution was kept at a minimum.
But it was fire as a creative agent that made Green Island internationally renowned. The age of iron was literally forged here. Starbuck Brothers, Morris and Manning, Green Island Malleable Iron Works and other foundries were major manufacturers of structural and decorative iron works, military weaponry and ordnance, entire bridges, and most famously, the high-art stoves used for heating and cooking throughout the Victorian period.
A Bridge and the Age of Rail
The first railroad bridge across the Hudson, the Green Island Bridge, originally called the Rensselaer and Saratoga Bridge, opened in 1835.
In the mid-nineteenth century, two railroad giants were centered on Green Island: Eaton & Gilbert, arguably the world's leading manufacturer of luxury rail cars, and The D&H, one of the major lines of the era.
The Erie Canal was an engineering marvel when it opened in 1825, but
Photographed by Steve Stoessel, September 2, 2024
3. Age of Rail Side of Marker
the ordeal of traversing the locks at Cohoes, the "terrible sixteens," inspired the development of one of the country's first railroads. The Albany and Schenectady allowed travelers to bypass Cohoes and shave a full day off their journey. Unfortunately for merchants in Troy, the new railroad threatened to bypass them and make rival Albany the region's center of commerce.
In 1832, a group formed to charter the Rensselaer and Saratoga Railroad with the radical idea that they would bridge the Hudson. at Green Island and connect west and east by rail. By 1835, the Rensselaer and Saratoga Bridge, today known as the Green Island Bridge, was in full operation. It held a monopoly on rail traffic across the Hudson until Albany managed to build its own span in 1866, and was central to Green Island's growth as a locomotive and rail car manufacturing and servicing center in the nineteenth century.
From 1853 to 1895, Green Island was home to Eaton & Gilbert, known worldwide for the manufacture of elegant passenger rail cars. Eaton & Gilbert built the first sleeping cars, drawing-room cars, electric cars and private coaches, including one for Don Pedro, then emperor of Brazil. During the Civil War, the company manufactured more than 500 gun carriages for the U.S, government.
This was also home to the Delaware & Hudson Green Island Shops from 1872 through 1912, a major
Photographed by Steve Stoessel, September 2, 2024
4. Water Fire Iron/.7 Sq. Mi./ Age of Rail Marker
facility for the heavy work of servicing steam locomotives and rail cars for the famous line.
Location. 42° 45.61′ N, 73° 41.261′ W. Marker is on Green Island, New York, in Albany County. It is on Empire State Trail half a mile north of Cannon Street, on the left when traveling south. Marker is on the bicycle trail just south of the bridge to Van Schaick Island. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Troy NY 12183, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Upstate New York, in the Capital District, and in the Albany Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Northeast and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Netherland and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 5, 2024. It was originally submitted on September 4, 2024, by Steve Stoessel of Niskayuna, New York. This page has been viewed 317 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on September 4, 2024, by Steve Stoessel of Niskayuna, New York.
