Guilderland in Albany County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Palatine Road

Photographed By Howard C. Ohlhous, November 5, 2011

1. Palatine Road Marker

Inscription. c. 1712
First Road West By
German Refugees To
Schoharie Valley

Erected 1975 by Pine Bush Historic Preservation Project.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Roads & Vehicles • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1712.

Location. 42° 42.188′ N, 73° 57.227′ W. Marker is in Guilderland, New York, in Albany County. Marker is on New York State Route 146 near Wagner Road, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Guilderland NY 12084, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Battle of Normanskill (approx. 0.4 miles away); Freeman House (approx. half a mile away); House Built 1802 (approx. 0.6 miles away); The Vale of Tawasentha (approx. 0.8 miles away); Farm of Evert Bancker (approx. 1.2 miles away); French's Hollow (approx. 1.3 miles away); Guilderland Town Hall (approx. 1.3 miles away); First Meeting (approx. 1.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Guilderland.

Regarding Palatine Road. In 1712 the Palatines, earliest European settlers in the Schoharie Valley, travelled over rough and rutty ox-trails that had once been Indian footpaths

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through Guilderland to reach their new promised land. For these Palatine pioneers Schoharie was the end of a long, weary journey from along the Rhine in the Palatinate of Germany. These immigrants had been harassed by French armies crossing and re-crossing their lands, by unbearable taxes and by persecution because of their religion. After first seeking refuge in Holland and then England, they crossed the Atlantic in the crowded holds of small ships and landed in America to begin their trek through the Mohawk Valley, where they had been promised land in Schoharie. The Palatine Road historical marker, on Route 146 just east of the Guilderland Center Industrial Park bridge, designates a spur of the old Schoharie Road that reached from Albany through the Pine Bush to Willow Street in Guilderland, thence across the Western Turnpike to Foundry Road and the Normanskill Creek, to Guilderland Center and the Black Creek and through Altamont and Knox to Schoharie.

There is great historical connection between the peoples of the Schoharie Valley and Guilderland. Among the early English settlers of Schoharie was James Calcraft, soldier of Queen Anne and veteran of the war in Flanders. At the request of the Palatine settlers, Calcraft set up an English school to teach the German immigrants and their children the language of their new country. Calcraft's name was Americanized to Schoolcraft,

Photographed By Howard C. Ohlhous, November 23, 2007

2. Palatine Road Marker

and Guilderland residents will recognize him as the grandfather of John and Lawrence Schoolcraft of Schoolcraft House and the Glass Works respectively, and as the great grandfather of Guilderlarid's most famous son, Henry Rowe Schoolcraft. Lawrence Schoolcraft's name is etched in the stone of Schoharie's Old Stone Fort.

The historic marker denotes the Indian footpath that became the old Schoharie Road on which the German Palatine refugees travelled in their search for freedom and a promised land. It also illustrates the richness of Guilderland's history. Later traveling Palatine refugees arrived in Guilderland and chose to stay in the shadow of the "clear mountain" which they named Helleberg, to build their farms and lives. - Alice Begley, Guilderland Town Historian

Palatine Road Marker @ Rt 146 & Wagner Road image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Howard C. Ohlhous, November 5, 2011

3. Palatine Road Marker @ Rt 146 & Wagner Road

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on November 16, 2011, by Howard C. Ohlhous of Duanesburg, New York. This page has been viewed 1,799 times since then and 57 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on November 16, 2011, by Howard C. Ohlhous of Duanesburg, New York. 2. submitted on November 21, 2011, by Howard C. Ohlhous of Duanesburg, New York. 3. submitted on November 16, 2011, by Howard C. Ohlhous of Duanesburg, New York. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.