Troy (Images of America) - Softcover

Rittner, Don

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0752412663 ISBN 13: 9780752412665

Publisher: Arcadia Pub, 1999

Synopsis

The New World, and especially New York, meant unparalleled opportunity for people in the 1600s with visions of expansion, colonization, and profit. Buying land from the Mohican tribe, the Dutch took control of much of the modern Empire State in the early part of this country's development. Under the patroonship of Kilian van Rensselaer, many pioneer farmers settled in the fertile land along the Hudson River. With each passing year, the number of Upstate settlers increased, and two villages emerged: Lansingburgh and Vanderheyden, soon to become Troy.

Troy: A Collar City History chronicles the transformation of the city from an untamed wilderness inhabited by the early Mohican tribe into a vibrant, modern industrial metropolis. Troy's story is truly a complex drama, supported by a host of entrepreneurs, inventors, immigrant workers, labor leaders, scientists, athletes, and artists, against a changing backdrop of war, depression, industrial revolution, and prosperity. The city's most significant characters come alive within these pages, such as "Uncle Sam" Wilson, an early-nineteenth-century meat packager who served as the model for this nation's patriotic icon; Amos Eaton, the "father of geology" and founder of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Emma Willard, a pioneer in the field of female education; and Kate Mullaney, a leader in local female unionization. This unique volume explores the old cobblestone streets, the historic downtown district, and the many factories producing iron, stoves, paper boats, bells, and of course, detachable shirt collars.

About this title

About the Author

Author Don Rittner is president and owner of The Learning Factory, an innovative education center in the Capital District Region of New York State. Devoted to the preservation of community history, Rittner coordinates the Capital District Preservation Task Force and has published ten books. He has received numerous awards and grants for his preservation work, including the Nature Conservancy s Oak Leaf Award and New York State Outdoor Education Association s Environmentalist of the Year.

Edition details

• Publisher: Arcadia Pub
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0752412663
• ISBN 13: 9780752412665
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 128