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    Sand Lake Revisited
    Sand Lake Revisited
    Sand Lake Revisited
    Ebook182 pages48 minutes

    Sand Lake Revisited

    By Mary D. French, Andrew St. J. Mace and Sand Lake Historical Society

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    About this ebook

    Sand Lake Revisited provides a fresh perspective on the history of an eastern New York State township, located just south of Troy and east of Albany. It features an outpouring of vintage images and stories
    that have come to light since the first photographic history of Sand Lake was published. Pictured are the beach that was known as Upstate Coney Island, lovely tourist lodgings adjacent to the town s seven lakes,
    long johns manufactured at Faith Mills, and a hometown Vietnam War hero who saved the lives of 14 men.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateSep 26, 2007
    ISBN9781439635698
    Sand Lake Revisited
    Author

    Mary D. French

    Mary D. French, the coauthor of Sand Lake, and Andrew St. J. Mace, a senior librarian at New York State Library, have created this second book for the Sand Lake Historical Society. The two serve respectively as editor and publisher of the historical society�s newsletter. Filled with material they recently acquired, Sand Lake Revisited reveals the exciting and flourishing community that Sand Lake has been and continues to be.

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      Book preview

      Sand Lake Revisited - Mary D. French

      caption.

      INTRODUCTION

      As with our first book, Sand Lake, the generous support of persons with postcards, pictures, ephemera, suggestions, and leads to sources of information have made working on Sand Lake Revisited an exciting excursion. Our challenge has been to design the book to stand on its own merit but to also assist any reader using both copies with an easy cross-reference. This was done by inserting a parenthetical reference to the earlier book: (see Sand Lake, page number). For those interested in additional sources, Sylvester’s History of Rensselaer County relates a detailed and in-depth account of Sand Lake’s earliest beginnings. Perhaps you have also seen the Sand Lake Historical Society’s house tour booklets that are now out of print; Sand Lake History, begun by Madolyn Carpenter and Charles Viens in 1979; and Pictorial History of Ulinesville 1776 to West Sand Lake 1976, by Sanford Young and Charles Viens. Some of the pictures in those booklets are included in the chapters of this book.

      About equidistant from Troy and Albany, Sand Lake is a flourishing township within Rensselaer County in New York State. Prior to 1791, Sand Lake was part of Albany County, within the Manor of Rensselaerwyck, which extended east and west from the Hudson River. It became part of Rensselaer County in 1791, and by 1812, Sand Lake had been formed from the towns of Greenbush and Berlin. When sections were removed to Greenbush in 1843 and to the town of Poestenkill in 1848, the present boundaries of Sand Lake were finally established. The hamlet of Sand Lake also lies within the township.

      The receipt of many photographs of farming gave impetus to going back to Sand Lake’s agricultural beginnings. This also included ice harvesting, which was necessary to keep food fresh, especially in the summer. The Wynantskill Creek’s waterpower completed the industry emphasis of the first chapter with a saga of how a pair of long johns made it through Faith Mills from the start of raw wool to being tucked in a box and sent to the customer. The myriad of businesses needed for running the mills, maintaining the mill workers and their families, and providing goods and produce to the neighboring cities is captured in the second chapter, along with the Troy and New England Railway, which made transportation so accessible. Many merchants advertised in the Rensselaer County Agricultural and Horticultural Society brochure for the fair in 1904 on the present West Sand Lake School grounds. The third chapter reveals the reasons for the nickname Upstate Coney Island. The attraction of seven lakes, country hospitality, and many recreational activities swelled the town’s population during the summer months. We visit the carousel and its hand-carved animal rides close up. For a faster ride, we also visit a homemade iceboat known to go up to 80 miles per hour on the Hudson River but slowing to a less rapid speed on the Burden Lakes. Hotels and inns that have catered to their clients’ recreational pursuits have been included here. Next we revisited and updated how the town’s community services of fire, medical and ambulance services, armed services, and schools have been provided for over the years.

      Contrast the first horse-drawn, hand-pumped fire apparatus with the now state-of-the-art facilities of the Averill Park and Sand Lake Fire Company, complete with an airboat for lake rescues. The town can be proud of the excellent quality and up-to-date services it has rendered to its citizens throughout the years.

      Churches and visits to cemeteries speak to the spiritual needs and fellowship activities of the town’s people. In 2006, 137 years after his death, Willard Griggs, the sheriff who lost his life in the line of duty, was honored at his monument in Sand Lake Union Cemetery. The Anti-Rent War had become violent.

      In the last chapter, we make the acquaintance of persons, places, and residences we did not meet in our first book, or we meet them with a new focus. The first New York State botanist, Charles Peck, was a Sand Lake resident. For 30 years, Mary Hilt reported on Sand Lake happenings and gave a humorous twist to everyday life in her column in the Troy Record. On April 14, 2007, the naming of the Averill Park Post Office in honor of Maj. George Quamo, recipient of at least 26 medals, whose bravery saved the lives of 14 of his men, was celebrated.

      With the passage of time, the area has changed. The many water-powered mills so prevalent along the Wynantskill Creek became obsolete or were ravaged by fire. The advent of the automobile brought freedom for travel to new places and for the commute to work. Several of the hotels, no longer a mecca for tourists, were either razed or burned down. Summer camps were winterized for year-round use. Gradually, Sand Lake has become a residential community, with most merchants in business for the maintenance of the local population. Reuse of buildings is encouraged. The former Sand Lake Presbyterian Church reused as the town hall now has had another rebirth as the Center for the Arts, home of the Circle Theatre Players,

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