New York's Capital Region in 50 Objects

New York's Capital Region in 50 Objects

Introduction

Each region of the nation has its own distinctive history and identity. The New York’s Capital Region—consisting of Albany, Rensselaer, Schenectady, and Saratoga Counties—is no different. But what best identifies the region? What events, objects, people, and ideas have contributed to its character and uniqueness?

To learn the answers, we presented these questions to the numerous museums, historical organizations, libraries, and residents of the Capital Region. The fifty objects that were ultimately selected present an exciting history of the Capital Region, including well-known favorites but also unexpected surprises. Some of the fifty objects characterize very broad topics like the textile industry and the Hudson River School of art, while others embody large populations of people who shaped the character of the region, such as the Dutch and the Iroquois. Many objects represent specific people or events, such as writer William Kennedy and the Battle of Saratoga. In some instances, the objects represent themselves, like the GE Monitor Top refrigerator and Albany’s beloved Nipper statue. A complementary image accompanies each of the fifty objects, providing context and additional information.

Overall, the fifty objects clearly demonstrate that this narrowly circumscribed part of New York State has played an astonishing role in shaping the history of the nation and, in several instances, the world beyond the confines of our national borders.

Saratoga Springs

“Life at the springs is a perpetual festival.” When this statement appeared in Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper in 1859, Saratoga Springs was the queen of American resorts. It had nearly fifty hotels and boarding houses and was fortuitously situated near a transportation network of steamships and railroads. The town boasted tree-lined streets and parks illuminated with gas lamps. It had theaters, fancy shops, and a circular railroad amusement ride. Most prominently, Saratoga had mineral springs.

When Philip Schuyler cut a path from his house on the Hudson River to High Rock Spring in 1783, he opened Saratoga Springs to visitors. Twenty years later, Connecticut native Gideon Putnam built the first tavern in town and began laying out streets and diverting springs through ornate fountains. As early as 1822, the water from Congress Springs was bottled and sold around the world. Drinking the mineral waters remained a favored activity at Saratoga Springs into the twentieth century and bottled Saratoga water still holds a prominent place on grocery shelves today.

In 1872, a spring of bubbly water was discovered on a farm in Saratoga Springs. Later in the century, a company named Saratoga Vichy began bottling and selling the naturally effervescent water. Saratoga Vichy won a gold medal at the 1893 Columbian Exposition, and Scotch and Saratoga Vichy became a favored drink—the water’s natural effervescence was sworn never to cause a hangover.

Saratoga Vichy Water Six Pack

Saratoga Vichy Springs Company | c. 1960

Maker / Manufacturer: Saratoga Vichy Springs Company

Credit: Gift of June Price

Congress Spring, Saratoga, N.Y.

c. 1870

Printer: Hatch & Co., 111 Broadway, New York City

Medium: Chromolithograph on paper

Dimensions: 15 1/16 H x 19 3/4 W

Credit: Gift of Fleet Boston Financial Corporation

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Saratoga Races

Recognized as the oldest sporting venue in America, Saratoga Springs thoroughbred racing had its start on August 3, 1863, when Irish-American boxer, New York gang member, and gaming impresario John Morrissey (later a Tammany Hall Democratic congressman) organized a four-day thoroughbred race meeting at the old Saratoga Trotting Course on Union Avenue. The meet brought more than 15,000 to the track from across the country, including millionaires, political figures, gentlemen, and fashionable women, who watched the races from their carriages. The meet was so successful that Morrissey and a group of investors formed the Saratoga Association, purchased land across the street from the Trotting Course, and constructed the Saratoga Race Course, which still stands today as one of the oldest race courses in America.

The Travers Stakes, one of the top racing events for three-year-old thoroughbreds, holds the distinction of being the very first race ever run at Saratoga Race Course on its opening day, August 2, 1864. Named after the first president of the Saratoga Association, William R. Travers, the first edition of the race was won by his own horse Kentucky, which he co-owned with John Hunter and George Osgood.

Except for a few years in 1911 and 1912, and again from 1943 to 1945, the race course has held thoroughbred races annually. From a five-day meeting in 1864, the racing season has grown to six weeks, running from July through Labor Day weekend.

The iconic Man o’ War Cup[nbsp] has been presented to the victor of the Travers Stakes annually since the early twentieth century. Modeled after a trophy presented to racing legend Man o’ War after defeating the first Triple Crown winner, Sir Barton, in a match race held at Kenilworth Park in Windsor, Ontario, this Tiffany [&] Company replica serves as a reminder of racing greatness and Man o’ War’s own Travers Stakes victory in 1920.

Man o’ War Cup, Travers Stakes, Won by Lights Up

Tiffany & Company, New York City

1950

Sterling silver, gilt

Courtesy of The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame

Race Course – Saratoga

c. 1867

Color relief print on paper

Courtesy of Private Collection

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Shakers

The United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, more commonly known as the Shakers, were spiritual seekers from Manchester, England, who fled to America in 1774 to escape religious persecution. Their founder, Ann Lee, was an illiterate textile mill worker who sought a more personal faith than was offered by the official Church of England. When Lee and her followers arrived in the Albany area in 1776 and began building their Watervliet community near the current site of Albany International Airport, the small group was regarded with suspicion. They were persecuted for their religious beliefs and accused of being British spies.

The Shakers, however, persevered and passionately worked to create “heaven on Earth” through the practice of celibacy, pacifism, communal ownership of goods, and confession of sin. They believed that God was dual in nature, being both male and female. The Shakers practiced gender and racial equality within their communities and established a complex hierarchy of authority in which men and women shared power equally.

The Shakers made a significant contribution to American and European artistic traditions. Their expressions of spirituality included thousands of pieces of music, dance forms, and many works of art such as the famous Shaker tree of life. Today, they are best known for their elegant furniture and architectural style, and they continue to be a source of inspiration for artists, musicians, writers, choreographers and designers.

The Shakers of several communities made the iconic oval wood box and sold them to visitors and merchants from outside the community. This box, probably made at the Mount Lebenon, New York, community, includes the pencil inscription “William P. Van Rensselaer/Manor House/Albany N.Y./September 2nd, 1825.” William may have acquired the box from a peddler or from a local merchant.

Oval Shaker Box

Probably Mount Lebenon Community, New York

c. 1825

Maple and pine

Albany Institute of History & Art, gift of of Bernard and Jeanne Brown in memory of James Gwynn, 2016.13

Watervliet Shaker Village

Unidentified photographer

c. 1870

Albumen photographic print on card

Courtesy of New York State Museum

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