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160 ALBANY COUNTY.
quantities of this grain are here manufactured into malt and beer.1 Albany, Troy, and West Troy
are tbe largest lumber markets in tbe State. “ The Lumber District” in Albany is along the canal,
above the little basin, where extensive wharves and slips have been built for transferring lumber
from canal boats, to vessels and barges upon the river.2 The manufactures of the city are varied
and extensive.2 Among those that may be considered specially important are the stove-found'eries
and breweries. The city is amply supplied with water from works erected at public expense.1 The
water is obtained from several creeks w. and n. of the city. The main reservoir (Rensselaer Lake,)
is 5 miles w. of the City Hall, and is elevated 262 feet above the river. It covers 39 acres, and its
capacity is 180,000,000 gallons. A brick conduit conveys the water to Bleeker Reservoir, on Pa-
.traon St., whence it is distributed through the portion of the city w. of Pearl St. This reservoir
has a capacity of 30,000,000 gallons. The lower portion of the city is supplied from Tivoli Reser¬
voir, on Patroon Creek, covering 20 acres, and has a capacity of 30,000,000 gallons. These works
are under a Board of Water Commissioners, and the rents are charged to property owners and col¬
lected with the taxes.3 Pop. 57,333.
The State buildings at Albany, including the Capitol, State Hall, State Library, Oeological and
Agricultural Hall, Normal School, and State Arsenal and Armory, have already been described
under the head of State Institutions.6 Besides these, there are several buildings and institutions
worthy of a particular notice.
The City Hall is situated on Eagle St., fronting the e. end of Washington Avenue. It is an
elegant structure, faced with Sing-Sing marble, and surmounted by a gilded dome,—the only
one in the U. S. It was built at the joint expense of the city and county, and it contains most of
the city and county offices.4 The jail is in Maiden Lane, near the City Hall.
The Albany Exchange, a massive granite building, is situated on Broadway, at the foot of State
St. It was erected in 1839 by a joint-stock company, and contains the post-office, the general
offices of the New York Central R. R. Co., and a variety of other offices.
The Public Schools8 have hardly kept pace with the progress of other institutions of the city, or
with the public schools of other cities in the State. Until within the last few years, the whole
public school interest was under the charge of a Board of Commissioners, appointed by the Regents
of the University. The people, having no power over school matters, took hut little interest in
them, and the schools languished in every department. There was a great deficiency in school-
houses, in the number of teachers employed, and in the general supervision of schools. This
system has been changed of late, and a series of improvements have commenced which hid fair to
soon place the schools of Albany on a par with those of her sister cities. In 1857, there were 13
school districts, employing 53 teachers, 16 males and 37 females. The number of children between
4 and 21 was 18,359, of whom 6729, or 37 per cent., were in attendance some portion of the year.9
There are 70 private schools, reporting 3827 pupils.
The Albany Academy, (for boys,) fronting on Eagle St., opposite the State Hall, is a flourishing
institution. It was chartered by the regents, March 4, 1813: the corner-stone of the present
building was laid July 29, 1815, and it was opened for students Sept. 1, 1817. Dr. T. Romeyn
Beck was its principal for 31 years'; and under him the school obtained a deservedly high reputa<-
tion. The building is' an imposing structure, of red Nyack freestone, in the Italian style, fronting
on a park of 3 acres.19
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42 78-100 miles. The receipts for the year ending Oct. 31,1857,
were $75,550. The revenues are sufficient to pay the interest on
the debt for construction and the cost of maintenance, and leave
a considerable balance to form a sinking fund for the final
liquidation of the debt.
6 See pages 27, 44,136.
1 This building is 109 feet front by 80 feet deep. In front it
has a recessed porch, supported by 6 Ionic columns. In the
center of the hall, in the second story, is a statue of Hamilton,
by Hewes; and in the common council room are portraits of the
first 13 Governors of the State.
8 A Lancasterian School Society was incorp. May 26, 1812, a
school having been maintained for some time previous. The
members of the common council were ex-officio members of the
soeiety, and those giving $25 were entitled to a scholarship. In
1817, the society erected the building now occupied by the Al¬
bany Medical College, for the use of the school, which continued
to he occupied until 1834, when the school was superseded by
the public school system of the State. Wm. Tweed Dale was
principal of the school for 23 years.
9 Tlie total expenses of the schools for 1857 we're $44,310 10.
Total receipts, the same. No. of volumes in Dist. Libraries, 9285,
The late Henry W. Delavan bequeathed $2000 to this insti¬
tution, the income of which is devoted to the education of indi¬
gent youth. |
1
In 1856, the receipts of barley at tide water exceeded 2,000,000
bushels.
2
2 The directory of 1858 gives the following aggregate of the
manufacturing establishments in the city: 4 ag. implement facs.;
8 boiler and steam-engine shops; 9 bookbinderies; 10 breweries;
S brick yards; 17 carriage and car fac.; 1 car wheel fac.; 5
distilleries; 4 drain tile fac.; 9 flour mills; 13 harness shops;
8 hat fac.; 13 iron founderies; 11 machine shops; 14 malt houses;
15 printing offices; 3 safe fac.; 5 sawing and planing mills; 2
type and stereotype founderies; 13 stove manufac.; and 4 piano
factories. There are about 50 commission merchants; 60 dealers
in flour and grain; and 50 lumber dealers.
3
works, hut nothing was done. Afterward the enterprise was
completed by a private company, who obtained their supply of
water from Maezlandt Kil, n. of the. city. This supply not being
sufficient, an act was passed in 1850 for the construction of pub¬
lic water works. The vote in the city stood, “ For water,” 4405;
“No water,” 6; “Brandy and water, strong,” 1. The works of
the old company were purchased and the present works built.
4
cost up to Jan. 1, 1858, $1,018,495. The main pipes measure
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