PRICE ONE DOLLAR GLENVILLE — PAST AND PRESENT « aay SESQUICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION -~ AUGUST 16-22. 1970SERVING THE MOTORING PUBLIC SINCE 1913 1968 Still the Same Name and Location MOHAWK AVENUE GARAGE CHARLES H. MITCHELL — Owner CHRYSLER - PLYMOUTH - VALIANT BARRACUDA - ROADRUNNER MGB - MGB-GT - AUSTIN AMERICA MOHAWK AVE. GARAGE SERVICE STATION MOBIL PRODUCTS 17-31 MOHAWK AVE., SCOTIA, NEW YORK PHONE 346-3408Glenville — Past and Present “T know of no way of judging of the future but by the past.” Parnice Hewny, 1775 CONTENTS Glenville's History in Brief ..... cosecsesss 3 1820—GLENVILLE BECOMES A TOWN ‘The Fourth Ward and the Commons ......... 29 HISTORICAL SITES The 1820 Ret... eeceeeeee socses 80 ie Bene Site difes tetas te ss 9 The New Town . feaeedngdted aes ge BU nae 10 Family Names in 1820 Census... 31 Wolf Hollow . Alplaus ca 20th CENTURY GLENVILLE: FARMS TO SUBURBIA Glen-Sanders. Mansion Scotia (1890-1940)... .....sceeeeeeeeees 87 Glen-Sanders Cometery «sss... 13 E#8t Glenville (1940-1970) «+s .eseeeeses 38 Abraham Glen House «1g Sewile Today eevee eee cee 89 Maalwyck 0.006005 LOCAL GOVERNMENT Beukendaal Battlesite veveeveeee Glenville Town Government +. 6 The Camp . 17 Scotia Village Government ceceees M8 Yates House “47 Police Departments cece AB The Old Fort . vocceeeevevereveves 18 Fite Distriets 0... eiceeeeeee BT First Church ..............s.seeceee-.. 19 Federal and County Facilities ...........04. 56 Early Schools 20 Election Districts 2.06... 0cee cee eereees 89 Ferries and Bridges ...... 22 Postal Districts 60 ‘Tumpikes and Taverns .........- ++ 23 School Districts 61 Erie Canal cevecececsssseseses 23 COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS: Railroads and Trolleys ceceeseveees 2B Churches ....eeeceeeeeeeee cece Early Millsites 26 Other Oe castrate sets 3 Et Cetera 26 SESQUICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION 83 CREDITS ‘The major historical consultant for this book was DONALD A. KEEFER, who made available the resources of the Scotia History Center, Most of the photographs were selected from those on file at the Center. Several photos were supplied. by CLARENCE M. VANDERVEER and FRANCIS M. SPOONOGLE, and HOWARD |. BECKER cupplied the historical maps. Additional historical material was. obtained from NEIL B. REYNOLDS, HENRIETTA P. VANDERVEER, LLOYD M. BRINKMAN, 8. DONALD ACKERMAN, and WILLIAM A. RITCHIE, ROBERT HOOD and GILBERT E, SMITH, JR. provided information on twentieth-century Glenville, and HELENA M. PERRY supplied material on the Village of Scotia, "TERENCE O'REGAN prepared the modern maps from’ base maps supplied by HAROLD 5. PERRY. Cover design was by SALVATORE N. CASCIO. The sesquicentonnial seal was designed by SUSAN NILES. Assisting In the. préparation of the booklet for publication were BONNIE CZECH, ANN LEBLANC, NANCY LIVINGSTON, and KAY ACKERMAN. J. MARVIN CRAIG and JOHN P. PAP, JR., who ‘a historical booklet on Rotterdam, provided Ideas and assistance. We also appreciata the cooperation of mitted historical and present-day Information. ROBERT €, DISTEL, JR. supervised the solicitation of advertising. Assisting him in ad solicitation were DOROTHY BERGERON, FRANK GRINNEL, CHARLOTTE. DISTEL, MICHAEL ZENTKO, WAYNE HARVEY, and KAREN PEARSON. We thank all the merchants who supported their community by’ placing ads in this booklet. We urge’our readers to patronize these ad: Vertisers, wiiose financial support made this publication possible JAMES D. LIVINGSTON, Editor 11755 map from Crown Collection 1799 map by Sauthier (21 1779 map by Isaac Vrooman KRISTEL'S Banquets - Lunches - Parties o ROUTE 50 at HIGH MILLS 399-9970 — 399-4155Glenville's History In Brief MAJOR PERIODS Before 1658: For thousands of years, a succes: sion of Indian cultures lived in this area. However, when the white man arrived, Glenville was a “no man's land" between the Mohawks to the west and the Mohicans to the east and south. 1658-1783: During the colonial period, Schenec- tady, of which Glenville was a part, was the north western outpost of the British colonies. Despite {friendly relations with the nearby Mohawks, Schenec: tady was vulnerable to raids by the French and In: ians from the north. 1783-1890: During this period of the United States’ westward expansion, Schenectady served as “Gateway to the West” via the Mohawk Turnpike, the Erie Canal, and the railroads. Glenville, separated ‘from Schenectady in 1820, remained rural and did not share in this period of Schenectady's growth. 1890-1940: Rapid growth of the electrical and locomotive industries made Schenectady ‘"The City that Lights and Hauls the World.” Scotia, the south: ‘ernmost portion of Glenville, grew during this period into a major suburb for Schenectady's industrial workers. Glenville's population grew more than five- fold, from 2,468 to 13,343. 1940-1970; Suburbia spread into East Glenville as farms gave way to modern housing developments. Glenwille's population more than doubled during this period. 25 years of service to Glenville Red's Mayfair Barber Shop 284-A SARATOGA RD. ROUTE 50 MAJOR DATES 1658—Alexander Leonard Glen builds home along rnorth bank of Mohawk River. 1662—Dutch, led by Arendt Van Curler, settle south of the'river. Glen is included as one of the 15 original proprietors of Schenectady. 1664—New Amsterdam is surrendered to the Brit- ish, bringing Schenectady under British rule. 1659—Battle between Mohawk and Algonkian In- dians at Wolf Hollow. 1690—Schenectady burned, 60 killed by French and Indians from Canada. Glens and their home in Scotia spared. 1713—John Alexander Glen adds east wing to Glen Mansion 1748—Battle at the Beukendaal with French and In- «dian war party. 1760—Ten thousand soldiers under Amherst camp in Scotia before successful attack on Mon- ‘real that ends French and Indian Wars. 1797—Woestina Church, first in Glenville, estab- lished at Hoffmans. 1798—Schenectady becomes a city, with Glenville fourth ward. 1809—Schenectady County formed by division of Albany County. 1809—first bridge across the Mohawk between Schenectady and Glenville. 1815—System of eight school districts organized in Glenville. 1820—Towns of Glenville and Rotterdam formed by separation from Schenectady. 1825—Erie Canal completed 1832—Tracks of Schenectady and Saratoga Railroad laid in East Glenville. 1874—Old covered bridge between Schenectady and Glenville replaced with iron bridge. 1902—Electric trolleys connect Schenectady and Glenville. 1904—Scotia incorporated as a Village. 1925—Great Western Gateway Bridge opened. 1943—Scotia Naval Depot commissioned. 1950—Scotia-Glenville school system centralized.GREETINGS and BEST WISHES NATIONAL IBAN SCHENECTADY The Bank That Observed Its Sesquicentennial in 1957 Chartered March 13, 1807 CITY OFFICES ROTTERDAM 216 State Street 1300 Altamont Avenue at Shoporama Albany and Hulett Stots 345 Princetown Road at 5 Corners Nott Street and Van Vranken Avenue 7 Clinton Street, City Hall NISKAYUNA SCOTIA-GLENVILLE 1757 Union Street at Troy Place 466 Bellston Road, RI. 50, near Airport MEMBER FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION. 41Your Assurance QUALITY SERVICE 1970 1913, 1970 Service Is Our Business! e HEATING OIL @ 24-HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE @ HEATING EQUIPMENT © BUDGET PLANS © AIR CONDITIONING © WATER HEATERS SERVICE CONTRACTS © COAL © AUTOMATIC DELIVERY © MASON SUPPLIES © RADIO-DISPATCHED TRUCKS y J. H. BUHRMASTER Co, Inc. 421 SACANDAGA ROAD. SCOTIA PHONE 346-2" (8)Scotia and Environsta)Historical Sites The full story of Glenville’s past would require a large book, We have chosen instead to present short, self-contained descriptions of the town's major his- torical sites. This format permits casual reading, and encourages the reader to visit the many interesting reminders of our past that are still with us today. Using this booklet as a guidebook, you will find that a personal visit to our historical sites can make the past come alive, ‘The sites are keyed by letter and number to the detailed maps on the three preceding pages. The letter W refers to the West Glenville map, E to the East Glenville map, and S to the map of Scotia and environs. For example, the approximate location of site E9 is indicated by the number 9 on the East Glenville map. The Bent Site (WI) Paleo-Indian man is believed to have roamed in Glenville about ten thousand years ago, hunting the caribou in a semi-arctic climate. A warmer climate later transformed the area into @ dense coniferous forest unfavorable to game and therefore to man. ‘There were no further inhabitants until about 3000 B.C., by which time the forest had become partly deciduous, and game was more plentiful. From that period, known as the Early Archaic to archeologists, a succession of Indian cultures have lived in the area we know as Glenville, These have included, in their turn, men of the Laurentian tradition, the River phase, the Susquehanna tradition, the Adena-Middle- sex phase, and, about 1000 A.D., the Owasco cul ture. The last were the forerunners of the Iroquois ‘and Algonkians that were living in New York State when the Europeans arrived. The entire Glenville area is rich in Indian arti- facts. However, the most significant archeological site so far discovered is the Bent, named after an arly settler at that location. Ritchie's book The Archeology of New York State devoted eight pages to the findings at this site, [97 Relation between areas shown fon three preceding maps. ‘The Bent was discovered in 1959 when Arthur C. Glamm, Jr., noticed artifacts exposed by bulldozer, operations in the commercial removal of topsoil. Ex- cavations were carried out in 1960-61 by state and local archeologists. Materials were found over an area of about five acres, Seven major layers of depo- sition were found, all representing flood-plain de- posits of silt from successive inundations by the river. Most interesting was a zone twenty to thirty inches below the surface. In this zone were found approximately one thousand artifacts, all of stone. Included were projectile points and winged banner- stones for hunting, notched netstones for fishing, and a variety of grinding tools. The most spectacular find was a stone pestle two feet long, its handle decorated with a carved bear's head. From radio- carbon dating of charcoal from buried hearths, we know the River-phase people who left these artifacts lived on the flats along the Mohawk as early as 1930 B.C,