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History of Schenectady, New York, USA
Journey back in time to Schenectady, New York, USA
Visit Schenectady, New York, USA. Discover its history. Learn about the people who lived there through stories, old newspaper articles, pictures, postcards and ancestry.




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Schenectady, Schenectady, New York, USA
Union College in Schenectady is regarded as the Mother of Fraternities because Delta Phi is the oldest continually operating fraternity and Kappa Alpha and Sigma Phi Societies were started on the campus.
The first railroad in America ran a distance of 11 miles between Albany and Schenectady.
50states.com
There is MUCH more to discover about Schenectady, New York, USA. Read on!
Schenectady Nostalgia: Vintage Photos, Ads, and Postcards

Schenectady, New York, USA
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Union College Campus and Fraternity Houses
Union College is a private liberal arts college located in Schenectady, New York, USA. Founded in 1795, it is one of the oldest colleges in the United States.

Schenectady, New York, USA
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New Office Buildings, a part of the 15,000 Employees Leaving the General Electric Works, 1910

Schenectady, New York, USA
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Van Curler Opera House
The Van Curler Opera House, located in Schenectady, New York, was a historic theater and entertainment venue. It was built in 1925 and named after Arent Van Curler, a Dutch settler who played a significant role in the area's history. The opera house was known for hosting a variety of performances, including theatrical productions, musical concerts, and other cultural events.
Over the years, the Van Curler Opera House underwent several renovations and changes in ownership. It was a hub for local entertainment and a gathering place for the community. However, as the entertainment landscape evolved and modern facilities emerged, the opera house faced increasing challenges in maintaining its viability.
In the late 20th century, the opera house struggled to compete with larger and more modern entertainment venues. Eventually, due to financial difficulties and changing audience preferences, the Van Curler Opera House closed its doors.

Schenectady, New York, USA
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The Electrical House. Electricity being used exclusively for heating, lighting, cooking, cooling, etc.

Schenectady, New York, USA
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American Locomotive Works
American Locomotive Works (ALCO) was a prominent American manufacturer of locomotives and other industrial equipment. The company was headquartered in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1848 as the Schenectady Locomotive Works, it later merged with several other locomotive manufacturers to become ALCO in 1901. ALCO was known for producing a wide range of steam and diesel locomotives that were used by railroads across the United States and around the world. The company played a significant role in the development of rail transportation during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. However, due to changing technologies and market dynamics, ALCO faced financial challenges and eventually ceased locomotive production in the mid-20th century. The last locomotive built by ALCO was in 1969.
Discover Schenectady: History, News, Travel, and Stories

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1661 - Schenectady founded
wikipedia.org
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1690 - February 8 - French & Indian troops set Schenectady settlement on fire
Three surprise raids were planned in February 1690 against villages in New England. The most spectacular attack was the one on Schenectady, a fortified village in New York colony. On the evening of February 28, the French and Canadian attackers, backed by their Aboriginal allies, took the villagers by surprise. Those who resisted were killed, and fire spread everywhere. The assailants perpetrated a massacre equivalent to the one in Lachine; 60 inhabitants were slaughtered and 25 were taken prisoner.
History of Quebec for Dummies by Eric Bedard, published by John Wiley & Sons, Canada, Ltd.
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1798 - Schenectady Incorporated
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1824 - Schenectady
Schenectady, a City, and also a Post-Township, the capital of Schenectady County, situated on the Mohawk river, 15 1/ 2 miles NW. of Albany; bounded N. by Glenville, late the 4th ward, E. by Niskayuna, S. by Rotterdam, or the Mohawk river and the County of Albany, W. by a part of the Mohawk, which separates it from the Rotterdam Islands. Since the publication of the 1st edition of this Work, the 3d and 4th wards of this City have very properly been erected into 2 separate towns, Rotterdam and Glenville. It now comprises 2 wards, and 3238 acres of improved land. The alluvial flats are extensive and rich, and the uplands, waving in gentle swells, have pleasing diversity, the soil principally a sandy loam, underlaid by clay, or clay-slate. The Sand Kill, a small but durable mill-stream, coming from the S., unites with the Mohawk in this city, and supplies valuable mill-seats. All the streams are small, but being fed by numerous perennial springs, the site of the city is well supplied with ... Read MORE...
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1831 - August 9 - 1st US steam engine train run (Albany to Schenectady, NY)
The first successful steam-powered locomotive in the United States was the "DeWitt Clinton," which made its inaugural run on August 9, 1831. It traveled the approximately 17-mile distance between Albany and Schenectady, New York. The locomotive was built by the West Point Foundry in New York and was named after DeWitt Clinton, the governor of New York at the time, who was a strong supporter of the project. The successful run marked a significant milestone in the development of rail transportation in the United States, paving the way for the expansion of the railroad network and the growth of the industrial revolution.
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1854 - Schenectady
Schenectady, a city, capital of Schenectady county. New York, on the right bank of Mo hawk river, and on both sides of the Erie canal, 16 miles N. W. from Albany. Lat. 42° 48' N., Ion. 73° 55' W. 'It is the seat of Union College, founded in 1795, and contains a city hall, 2 banks, a market house, and a Lyceum. Two newspapers are published here. There are churches of 9 or 10 denominations. Cotton goods, machinery, iron ware, flour, and other articles are manufactured here. This city is the terminus of 4 railroads - the Albany and Schenectady, the Utica and Schenectady, the Troy and Schenectady, and the Saratoga and Schenectady railroad. Settled by the Dutch, about the" year 1620. Population in 1840, 6784; in 1850, 8921.
A New and Complete Gazetteer of the United States: Giving a Full and Comprehensive Review of the Present Condition, Industry, and Resources of the American Confederacy ... Thomas Baldwin (of Philadelphia.) Joseph Thomas January 1, 1854 Philadelphia : Lippincott, Grambo & Company 1854.
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1869 - Schenectady
SCHENECTADY CITY was patented with certain municipal rights, Nov. 4, 1684; it was chartered as a borough, October 23, 1765; incorporated as a district, March 24, 1772; as a town, March 7, 1788; and. as a city, March 26, 1798. Princetown was taken off in 1798, Rotterdam and Glemville in 1820, and parts of Niskayuna and Rotterdam in 1853. The name is of Indian origin and signifies “beyond the plains.” In old documents we find it spelled Schenectada and Schenectedi. The City, under its first charter, contained an area of 128 square miles, but has now an area of about 550 acres. It is situated on the Mohawk River, on the borders of one of the finest alluvial flats in the State. Its situation affords excellent facilities for trade and commerce by the Erie Canal, which passes through it, and the railroads extending through and terminating here. The New York Central Railroad, forming one of the great thoroughfares between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, with its branches to Troy and Athens... Read MORE...
1892 - April 15 – The General Electric Company is established through the merger of the Thomson-Houston Company and the Edison General Electric Company.
The General Electric Company (GE) was founded in 1892 through the merger of two existing companies: Edison General Electric Company and Thomson-Houston Electric Company. The merger was led by financier J.P. Morgan and resulted in the formation of one of the most significant and enduring industrial conglomerates in the United States.
Under the leadership of figures like Thomas Edison and Charles A. Coffin, GE became a pioneer in various fields, including electrical generation, lighting, and industrial technology. Over the years, the company played a pivotal role in developing and commercializing numerous innovations, such as the incandescent light bulb, electrical power distribution systems, and early X-ray technology.
GE's formation in 1892 marked a significant moment in the history of American industrialization and contributed to the growth of the electric power industry. It established a foundation for the company's subsequent expansion into a wide range of sectors, including... Read MORE...
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1895 - Schenectady
Schenectady, a city of the state of New York, the county seat of Schenectady co., is situated on the Mohawk River and on the Erie Canal, the New York Central Rail road, and the Delaware & Hudson Railroad, 17 miles N.W. of Albany, and 78 miles E. by S. of Utica. Schenectady is chiefly celebrated as the seat of Union University, which was founded in 1795 under the name of Union College, and which embraces in its administration, besides Union College proper in this city, the Albany Medical School, the Albany aw School, the Albany College of Pharmacy, and the Dudley Observatory (all located in the city of Albany), the combined Faculties of the several schools numbering about 50 professors and instructors and the students aggregating about 500, of which nearly one-half are members of the college at Schenectady. There is a school of civil engineering and analytical chemistry connected with the college. Schenectady contains 14 churches, a city hall, 2 high schools, a national bank, 2 other... Read MORE...
1900 - MRS. ROGERS'S DEATH.
She Lived But Twenty Minutes After the Accident.
Providence, June 27 - Details have been received of the tragic death in Schenectady Monday evening of Mrs. H. T. Rogers, wife of a well-known physician of this city. Mrs. Rogers and Mrs. Jacob W. Clute, wife of a former Mayor of Schenectady, jumped from a carriage during a runaway and were killed. Mrs. Robert J. Landon, two young children of Mrs. Rogers, and the coachman were in the carriage, but they escaped serious injury.
Dr. and Mrs. Rogers were in Schenectady to attend the commencement exercises at Union College, of which the doctor is an alumnus.
Mrs. Rogers was visiting Mrs. Landon, and with Mrs. Clute and the two children they went out driving in the evening. On Washington avenue the horses took fright at a pile of building material and ran. The coachman had the team almost under control when one rein broke and the terrified animals were left ungovernable in their mad flight.
As soon as the harness gave was the... Read MORE...
1900 - Tornado
Schenectady, N Y, Nov. 22 - Several persons were injured and many others narrowly escaped death, while thousands of dollars' worth of damage was done as the result of the cyclone in this city yesterday. Prominent among those injured was James A. Goodrich president of the Y M C A and a prominent lawyer, who was blown down and hurt about the head. John A. Caster and a fellow laborer were blown from a scaffold at the locomotive works to the ground 50 feet away and badly injured. They are in the hospital. The baseball grandstand was wrecked and fragments carried through the air demolished the fronts of houses in Delemont avenue. The Alpha Knitting mill was badly damaged. Two icehouses on the Mohawk river and owned by Timeson & McAuley are demolished. A saloon on State street run by Charles McConokey was wrecked.
The Trenton Times
Trenton, New Jersey
November 22, 1900
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1906
Schenectady, a city, capital of Schenectady co., N.Y., is situated on the Mohawk River, on the Erie Canal, and on the New York Central and Hudson River and the Delaware and Hudson Rs., 17 miles NW. of Albany. It is the seat of Union University, which was founded in 1795 under the name of Union College, and embraces in its ad ministration, besides Union College proper in this city, the departments of law and medicine and the -Dudley Observatory, located in Albany. Schenectady contains a number of notable public buildings (court-house, city-hall, opera- house) and has important industrial establishments, comprising locomotive-, boiler-, engine- and electric- works, and manufactories of harvesting-machines, brooms, stoves, patent medicines, etc. Pop. in 1890, 19,902; in 1900, 31,682. Schenectady was settled in 1662. In 1690 it was burned by the French and Indians. It was chartered as a city in 1799.
Lippincott's New Gazetteer: A Complete Pronouncing Gazetteer Or Geographical Dictionary of the World, Containing the Most Recent and Authentic Information Respecting the Countries, Cities, Towns ... in Every Portion of the Globe Publisher J.B. Lippincott Company, 1906
1910 - BLAZE AT BIG CIRCUS. HUGE TENT BURNS, BUT 12,000 PERSONS ESCAPE UNHURT. PAGEANT ABOUT TO BEGIN.
Ringmaster Ready to Start Performance Before Vast Throng of Spectators When Fire Is Discovered - Audience Marches Out, Only a Few Being Scratched and Bruised.
Special to The Washington Post.
Schenectady, N. Y., May 21 - The "big top" or main tent of the BARNUM & BAILEY circus was destroyed by fire this afternoon. Many of the bleachers were burned. Although the tent was filled with people many of the crowd being women and children no one was seriously hurt.
The fire is supposed to have started from a lighted match or cigarette carelessly thrown among the bleachers by some one sitting on one of the upper seats.
The afternoon performance, scheduled to begin at 2:15 had not begun at 2:45 when the fire started. The tent, the largest ever used seating 12,000, was nearly filled. The ringmaster was just about to blow his whistle as the signal for the grand entry or pageant, when the cry of "fire" was heard away over at the lower end of the tent.
Women Hysterical.
The blaze not... Read MORE...
1922 - SCHENECTADY FIRE LOSS WILL REACH $250,000.
Schenectady, Dec. 3. - Schenectady's entire fire department battled hours yesterday afternoon and last night against flames which destroyed two of the four stories on the fround floor of the New Vendome hotel building at State and South Center streets, Schenectady, the heart of the business district. Loss to buildings and stock is estimated at a quarter of a million dollars.
All the lodgers were forced from their rooms in the hotel quarters which occupied the second story on the State street side of the building and the second and third stories on the South Center street side.
The hotel was badly damaged by smoke and water and not a room escaped serious loss to furniture and personal effects. Thirty-five rooms were occupied at the time of the fire.
The most serious loss was to the L-shaped quarters occupied by the Schenectady public market and the upper store of QUINN'S Inc., druggists, on the north corner of South Center and State streets.
Little or no damage was caused to... Read MORE...
1928 - May 10 – The first regular schedule of television programming begins in Schenectady, New York by the General Electric's television station W2XB (the station is popularly known as WGY Television, after its sister radio station WGY).
W2XB was an experimental television station that began broadcasting in 1928. It was operated by General Electric (GE) and located in Schenectady, New York, USA. W2XB played a significant role in the early development of television technology, conducting experimental broadcasts and contributing to the advancement of television broadcasting techniques. It was one of the pioneering stations that helped shape the future of television as we know it today.
May 10, 1928
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2023 - Whether you're a local looking for new experiences or a visitor exploring the area, there's no shortage of places to go and things to do in Schenectady. Here's a list to get you started:
Proctors Theatre: Start your exploration of Schenectady with a visit to Proctors Theatre, a historic venue that hosts Broadway shows, concerts, and other live performances. Check their schedule for upcoming events.
Rivers Casino & Resort: If you're feeling lucky, head to Rivers Casino & Resort for some gambling and entertainment. The casino offers a variety of gaming options, restaurants, and live music.
Central Park: Take a leisurely stroll or have a picnic in Central Park. This beautiful urban park features walking trails, a rose garden, a lake, and plenty of green space for relaxation.
Museum of Innovation and Science (miSci): Explore the wonders of science and technology at miSci. The museum has interactive exhibits, a planetarium, and frequently hosts educational programs for all ages.
Schenectady County Historical Society: Delve into the history of Schenectady at the historical society's museum. You'll find exhibits showcasing the city's past, including its role in... Read MORE...
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