Albany, New York, USA (Fort Orange)
1854 - Albany

Albany, the capital of New York, and the second city in importance in that state, is situated on the W. bank of the Hudson river, 146 miles N. from New York city, 164 W. by N. from Boston, and about 870 N. E. from Washington : lat 42° W N., Ion. 73° 44' 49" W. As viewed from some parts of the Hudson, the appearance of the city is highly picturesque and imposing. A low alluvial flat from 15 to 100 rods wide extends along the margin of the river, but west of this the ground rises about 220 feet in the distance of a mile. Albany, compared with most other American cities, is not remarkable for the regularity of its streets, nor gene rally speaking for the neatness or elegance of its houses ; nevertheless, it contains many handsome, and several splendid edifices. The principal street is State street, extending from the Hudson to the capitol ; from the river to Broadway it is quite narrow, but on reaching that street it widens to 150 feet or upwards, and continues of this breadth to its western extremity. The city contains a number of public squares, the most important of which is situated at the end of State street. Among the principal edifices of Albany may be mentioned the capitol, a substantial and handsome stone building 115 feet long, and about 90 feet wide ; the walls are about 50 feet high, consisting of two stories and a basement story of 10 feet; it is faced with brown freestone from the quarries on the Hudson below the Highlands. The columns, pilasters, and other decorations are of marble, chiefly from Berkshire, in Massachusetts. The edifice is crowned with a dome on which stands a statue in wood of the goddess Themis, (Justice,) 11 feet high, with a sword in her right hand and a balance in her left. The capitol contains an assembly chamber 56 feet long and 50 feet wide and 28 high, and a senate chamber 50 feet long, 28 feet wide, and the same in height, besides various other apartments. The capitol stands on the west side of the public square already alluded to. On the opposite side of the square, facing the west, is the state hall, a splendid edifice of marble, containing the different offices of the state government : on the same side is situated the city hall, a large and handsome building, also of marble, with a gilded dome. Albany has about 40 churches, many of which are handsome buildings. The Catholic cathedral, not yet finished, will probably be one of the most splendid as well as largest church edifices in the United States. It fronts on Eagle street, having its north and south sides on Lydius and Jefferson streets. Standing on an eminence, it presents the whole of its magnificent proportions as the most prominent object to one approaching the city from the south and east.

Albany is distinguished for her educational and literary institutions, among which may be mentioned the University of Albany, incorporated in 1852. This is intended to be national in its character, and of a higher order than any similar institution in the country: its object is to furnish the graduates of American colleges the means of completing an education without going abroad : its departments are of law, medicine, scientific and practical agriculture, civil and mechanical engineering, the mechanic arts, physical geography, political economy, history in its relations to civilization, chemistry in its application to the arts, and astronomy. A splendid observatory, connected with the university, to be called the Dudley Observatory, is now being erected at a cost of $25,000. The Albany Medical College was founded in 1839, and is furnished with the most ample means of instruction. It has one of the best museums of the kind in this country, and a well-selected library of 3000 volumes, 600 of which are set apart for the use of students, free of charge : number of students in 1862, 114; professors, 8. The State Normal School, a flourishing institution, under the control of the state, was established in 1844, 'for the instruction and practice of teachers of common schools in the science of education and the art of teaching:' it has a library of 700 volumes. The Albany Academy, on the east side of the public square, opposite the capitol, and the Albany Female Academy in Pearl street, enjoy a high reputation as institutions of instruction. The former, which is incorporated, is for the education of boys, and has (in 1853) 394 students: they are fitted for any class in college or for business pursuits. The latter, also incorporated, has about 300 pupils. There are also 11 public schools in the city, where a good English education can be obtained free of expense. Belonging to them are libraries numbering in all 8050 volumes. The Albany Institute, having for its object the collection and diffusion of scientific information, possesses a valuable mineralogical cabinet and a library of 6000 volumes : it is in a flourishing condition. The Young Men's Association, established for mutual improvement, has a valuable library of 8000 volumes, and sustains annually, during the winter season, a course of lectures upon literary and scientific subjects. Besides the libraries mentioned, there are the State Library, open to the public, containing 27,000 volumes and an Apprentices' Library of 3000 volumes.

The State Agricultural Rooms, in the old State House building, on State street, contain a valuable and most interesting collection in natural history and agriculture ; above them are the Geological Rooms. In the same building are the valuable collections made in the progress of the preparation of the magnificent State Natural History.

Among the benevolent institutions may be named the Orphan Asylum, which is liberally endowed, and provides for all the destitute orphans of the county : the building is a fine structure, situated one mile west of the City Hall. St. Vincent's Orphan Asylum, incorporated in 1849, is a Catholic institution, under the direction of the Sisters of Charity. The Emigrant's Friend Society furnishes protection and information to emigrants. A society under the direction of a number of benevolent ladies was organized in December, 1850, for the purpose of giving fair and liberal prices to seamstresses: large numbers have been employed by the society, which is now in a most flourishing condition.

Albany is advantageously situated for commerce, at the head of the sloop navigation on the Hudson, and communicates by means of canals with Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, and Lake Champlain. It is also the centre in which a number of very important railroads meet, connecting it with New York, Boston, Buffalo, and other less prominent places. The tonnage of property arriving at Albany by canal in 1862, amounted to 1,019,307 tons, being an increase of that year over the preceding of 96,697 tons: the aggregate tonnage cleared at this place in 1862, was 177,084 tons, exceeding that of the previous year by 41,669 tons. The value of property arriving here by canal in 1862, was $27,439,180, being an increase over that of the preceding year of $4,982,626. The value of property cleared the same year amounted to $31,476,376, exceeding that of 1851 by $8,613,748. One of the most important articles in the commerce of Albany is lumber. The clear pine of Michigan and Canada, the oak, cherry, and poplar of Ohio, the common pine of Pennsylvania and New York, meet here, furnishing probably the largest lumber market in the world. The value of the lumber received by canal in 1852, amounted to $6,421,219. The same year there were received 1,651,789 barrels of flour, valued at $7,482,604 : 4,145,970 pounds of wool, valued at $1,741,307; 2,981,938 bushels of corn, amounting in value to $1,997,898; 1,495,714 bushels of wheat, valued at $1,525,628; 1,386,678 bushels of barley, worth $1,012,275; un-manufactured tobacco, valued at $1,803,698, besides other articles of less amount. Albany contains 9 or 10 newspaper offices, and 10 banks. The total assessed value of real estate in this city is $15,831,630, and of personal property, $1,076,671.

Among the principal hotels of Albany may be mentioned the Delavan House, the City Hotel, and the Mansion House, on Broadway, near the river ; Congress Hall, on Washington street, on the hill near the capitol.

The population of Albany in 1850 was 60,708.

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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