Watervliet (town), New York
Watervliet (city of Watervliet.
History
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1790 | 7,667 | — |
| 1800 | 5,012 | −34.6% |
| 1810 | 2,365 | −52.8% |
| 1820 | 2,806 | +18.6% |
| 1830 | 4,962 | +76.8% |
| 1840 | 10,141 | +104.4% |
| 1850 | 10,675 | +5.3% |
| 1860 | 25,449 | +138.4% |
| 1870 | 22,609 | −11.2% |
| 1880 | 22,220 | −1.7% |
| 1890 | 24,709 | +11.2% |
| Sources: | ||
On March 7, 1788, the state of New York divided the entire state into towns, eliminating districts as administrative units by passing New York Laws of 1788, Chapters 63 and 64. This transformed the Western District of the
Manor of Rensselaerswyck into the town of Watervliet.[1] In the census of 1790, the town had a population of 7,419, which made it twice as populous as the city of Albany.[2]
The European settlement of Watervliet predated the creation of the town by almost 200 years.
Fort Orange
along the Hudson River. The lands to the north came to be known as Watervliet, while the lands to the south were named Bethlehem.
The town had been settled by many immigrant groups who settled different regions of the town. In the western section of the town, in what would later become the town of
US Revolutionary War settled around the Helderberg Escarpment
.
Over the next 20 years, several towns would be broken off from this town, often called the "
village in 1804[5] and then a separate town in 1808.[5] Niskayuna would separate in 1809,[3] when Schenectady County was broken off from Albany County. In 1815 Colonie would be split between the city of Albany and the town of Watervliet. [5] In 1836 West Troy would incorporate as a village,[3] Cohoes in 1848, and then Green Island in 1853 also as a village.[8] Cohoes would be set off from the town as a city in 1869.[9] In 1870 the portion of the former town of Colonie that Watervliet received in 1815 was annexed by the city of Albany.[9] In 1870-71 the city of Albany west of Magazine Street (the so-called "Liberty" of Albany) was given by the state to the town of Watervliet. The town however was unwilling to accept the territory and subsequently ceded the territory to the neighboring town of Guilderland.[10] At this same time the city of Albany annexed from Watervliet the hamlet of North Albany.[11]
In the 1890s the rural residents of the majority of the town of Watervliet became dissatisfied with being under the political control of the urban residents of the village of West Troy. When talk began of the creation of a city of Watervliet, they petitioned the state to be set apart as a separate town. In 1895 the
state legislature passed laws of 1895 chapter 975, which established the town of Colonie from the majority of the town of Watervliet, leaving behind only the villages of Green Island and West Troy within the town of Watervliet.[12] In the next year, the original town was dissolved. The laws of 1896 chapter 811, which went into effect on May 21, created the town of Green Island to cover the village of the same name, leaving only the village of West Troy in the town of Watervliet. On August 1, 1896, the village of West Troy, along with some land from the town of Colonie, was incorporated as the independent city of Watervliet, and the town of Watervliet was ended.[13]
Watervliet v Colonie
After the town of Colonie was created but prior to the dissolution of the town of Watervliet into the city of Watervliet and town of Green Island, the town of Watervliet filed a
legal standing to sue in the name of the town. The former offices of the town had existed only to wind up its affairs. Since the court ruled that the town no longer existed, the case was dismissed.[13]
Notable locations found in the town
- The Watervliet Arsenal, founded in 1813, is the oldest Federal arsenal in the country; it is the sole manufacturing facility for large caliber cannon.
- The route of the original US Route 9 Crescent Bridge over the Mohawk River. The junction of the Erie with the Champlain Canalwas also in the town.
- Troy & Schenectady Railroad
- The First Shaker Village
Notable residents
- Myndert and Carsten Van Iveren, among the first settlers of the town and members of the Van Watervliet family in the Netherlands. Their family estate in Goes, Netherlands, may be the town's namesake.
- Ann Lee, leader of the Niskayuna Shaker settlement
References
- ^ David Martin (1990). "The Districts of Albany County, New York, 1772-1784". The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society. Retrieved 2009-04-06.
- ^ "Watervliet". NYS Museum. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
- ^ a b c John French (1860). Gazetteer of the State of New York. R. Pearsall Smith. p. 165. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
history of town of watervliet, new york city.
- ^ a b John French (1860). Gazetteer of the State of New York. R. Pearsall Smith. p. 163. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
history of town of watervliet, new york city.
- ^ a b c d John French (1860). Gazetteer of the State of New York. R. Pearsall Smith. p. 159. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
history of town of watervliet, new york city.
- ^ Joel Munsall (1869). The Annals of Albany. p. 360. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
- ^ John French (1860). Gazetteer of the State of New York. R. Pearsall Smith. p. 164. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
history of town of watervliet, new york city.
- ^ John French (1860). Gazetteer of the State of New York. R. Pearsall Smith. p. 166. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
history of town of watervliet, new york city.
- ^ a b George Howell (1886). Bi-centennial History of County of Albany, 1609-1886. W.W. Munsell & Company. p. 79. Retrieved 2009-04-05.
bi-centennial history of county of albany.
- ^ George Howell (1886). Bi-centennial History of County of Albany, 1609-1886. W.W. Munsell & Company. p. 461. Retrieved 2009-04-05.
bi-centennial history of county of albany.
- ^ "Appendix: Annexations 1815-1967". City of Albany Department of Urban Redevelopment. Retrieved 2009-03-14.
- ^ Charles Lincoln (1906). The Constitutional History of New York; Vol. 4. The Lawyers Co-operative Publishing Company. p. 401. Retrieved 2009-04-05.
the constitutional history of new york 1906.
- ^ a b National Reporter System (1898). New York Supplement, Vol. 50. W.C. Little & Co. pp. 488–491. Retrieved 2009-04-05.