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.

William Kennedy

Award-winning writer and journalist William Kennedy is known for his novels and non-fiction works that use Albany’s rich history and intriguing cast of residents as inspiration. Born in Albany in 1928, Kennedy attended Christian Brothers Academy and Siena College, where he graduated in 1949. A year later he was drafted into the army and began writing for his military unit’s newspaper. After being discharged in 1952, he spent the next decade working as a reporter and editor in Albany, Miami, Florida, and San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he also began writing fiction full-time. He returned home to Albany in 1963 and has never left.

Kennedy used the L. C. Smith & Corona typewriter shown here to compose his first five novels, from The Ink Truck (1969) through Quinn’s Book (1988). His second novel, Legs (1975), began his “Albany Cycle,” which later included his best-known work, Ironweed (1983). Set in depression-era Albany, Ironweed earned Kennedy a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction. It also won him recognition in the movie industry. With Francis Ford Coppola, Kennedy wrote the screenplay for the 1984 film The Cotton Club, and the following year he wrote the script for Ironweed, starring Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson.

In addition to writing, Kennedy taught journalism and creative writing at SUNY Albany from 1974 to 1982, and also taught writing at Cornell University from 1982 to 1983. With money from a 1983 John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, Kennedy founded the New York State Writers Institute at the University at Albany, and is its Executive Director.

William Kennedy’s Typewriter

L.C. Smith & Corona Typewriters, Inc.

c. 1930

Metal, paint, enamel, plastic

Courtesy of William Kennedy

William Kennedy

1960s

Gelatin silver photographic print

Courtesy of William Kennedy

Scroll down to view additional content

WGY

When WGY started broadcasting in 1922, it was one of the earliest radio stations in New York State. The station, established by General Electric (GE), originally broadcast from building 36 at GE’s Schenectady Plant. Station managers recognized the mass appeal of radio and the possibilities of entertainment, and in August 1922, WGY presented the first ever radio drama, “The Wolf,” The performers were challenged to create realistic sound effects and inspire listeners’ imaginations. They used rocks in bathtubs to represent a landslide and walked through crumpled paper to substitute for a chase scene through a forest.

By the 1930s, millions of people across the country owned radios. Locally, three stations ruled the airwaves: WGY, WABY, and WOKO. Each station presented a variety of news, information, and entertainment. WGY, its signal being among the most powerful in the country, courted listeners as far away as Utica and Vermont. Network programming brought a variety of music, comedy, and drama programs into the home, introducing America to Jack Benny, Bob Hope, and “The War of the Worlds.”

By the 1970s, the clearer sound of FM radio, which was actually developed in the 1930s, finally gained in popularity and most music broadcasting shifted from AM to FM radio. WGY transitioned into a talk radio format, which continues today.

Microphone Used at WGY

1920s

Metal

Courtesy of MiSci (Museum of Innovation and Science)

WGY Towers on Building 40, General Electric Plant, Schenectady

Published by General Electric, Schenectady, New York

1928

Collotype on paper

Courtesy of MiSci (Museum of Innovation and Science)

Scroll down to view additional content

Witenagemot Oak Peace Tree

Witenagemot is an old English word that means “Council of the Wise.” In England, a Witenagemot was called to help settle a dispute peacefully by discussion.

In April 1676, a Witenagemot was convened on the property of what is now the Knickerbocker Mansion in Schaghticoke, New York—the only one ever convened in North America. New York Governor Edmund Andros realized that there were three conflicts brewing in the area about twenty-five miles north of Albany near the juncture of the Hudson and Hoosick Rivers. First, both the Mohawk and Mohican Indians claimed the area. Second, the refugee Indian tribes from King Phillip’s War were moving into the contested area. Third, the French in New France (now Canada) were determined to take New York, and they continually sent armed troops and Indian allies south in attempts to capture Albany. For Albany, the “stopping point” for this French advance was the area around Schaghticoke.

In 1676, the Board of Indian commissioners headed by Governor Andros and his counselors, judges, and clergy, along with the militia of the King of England, traveled to the Indian village on the Hoosick River and invited the Indians from the area to participate in the Council. More than 1,000 Indians joined the group. The treaty established a link of friendship with the Mohawk, Mohican, and Hoosac tribes; it strengthened the alliance of Fort Albany militia with the Hudson and Hoosick River Indian scouts to help defend Albany from the French invaders; and, it provided for New England Indians to live in the area peacefully until they could make plans to move on to other areas.

To commemorate this treaty, an oak tree was planted. The oak tree was known as the Witenagemot Oak Peace Tree. It stood until 1949 when a flood toppled it.

Branch of the Witenagemot Oak Peace Tree

Planted 1676

Oak

Courtesy of the Knickerbocker Historical Society

The Witenagemot Oak Peace Tree

Late nineteenth or early twentieth century

Gelatine silver photographic print

Courtesy of the Knickerbocker Historical Society

Scroll down to view additional content