Center Square & Hudson/Park in Albany in Albany County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
53 Dove Street
Photographed by Trudi Jacobson, August 29, 2026
1. 53 Dove Street Marker
Home of Thomas S. Wiles
Purveyor of laundry machinery
1869
Erected by Historic Albany Foundation.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1869.
Location. 42° 39.228′ N, 73° 45.782′ W. Marker is in Albany, New York, in Albany County. It is in Center Square & Hudson/Park. It is at the intersection of Dove Street and Lancaster Street, on the right when traveling south on Dove Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 53 Dove Street, Albany NY 12210, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Upstate New York and in the Capital District. It is also in the American Northeast and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in 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.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: 119 Chestnut Street (within shouting distance of this marker); 122 Lancaster
this page online
Regarding 53 Dove Street. Thomas S. Wiles was far more than the purveyor of laundry equipment described on the plaque at his 53 Dove Street home. An Albany-born inventor and manufacturer, Wiles developed machinery for the rapidly mechanizing commercial laundry industry. His inventions were particularly suited to the enormous quantities of detachable collars and cuffs then being produced and laundered in nearby Troy, one of the nation's principal centers of that industry.
Wiles was living at this house while his inventive work was well underway. The 1878 Albany city directory lists Wiles Thomas S. laundry, h. 53 Dove, providing contemporary confirmation of both his occupation and his residence here. Wiles received patents for improvements
Photographed by Trudi Jacobson, August 29, 2026
2. 53 Dove Street with Marker
His activities extended well beyond inventing individual machines. Wiles became involved in manufacturing laundry equipment in Troy, where his enterprises supplied machinery for an industry that was increasingly replacing laborious hand processes with mechanized ones. His career therefore connects this Albany residence not only with the history of invention but also with Troy's nationally important collar-and-cuff industry and the broader transformation of commercial laundry work during the late nineteenth century.
Sources
Albany City Directory, 1878, p. 261.
Starr, Timothy. Great Inventors of New York's Capital District. Charleston, SC: History Press, 2010.
United States Patent Office. Thomas S. Wiles, patent for improvements in ironing machinery, 1876.
Additional keywords. Inventor
Credits. This page was last revised on September 1, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 31, 2026, by Trudi Jacobson of Slingerlands, New York. This page has been viewed 6 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 31, 2026, by Trudi Jacobson of Slingerlands, New York. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
