Schuyler Flatts is an important prehistoric and historic settlement site overlooking the

Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...

in Colonie, New York. The site includes evidence of prehistoric Native American, early Dutch colonial settlement, and 18th and 19th-century American use. Because of this rich confluence of archaeological sites, the area was designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

in 1993. It is now owned by the town of Colonie, and is known as Schuyler Flatts Cultural Park.

History

The Schuyler Flatts are a rich and fertile floodplain on the western bank of the Hudson River north of Albany, roughly bounded on the west by Broadway ( New York State Route 32). Evidence from archaeological digs at the site includes prehistoric hearths and other Native American artifacts. When the Dutch settled New Netherland in the 17th century, this area was first part of the extensive Van Rensselaer land holdings, and was settled by the 1640s, around the same time that Fort Orange was established at present-day Albany. The farm was purchased in 1672 by the

Schuyler family The Schuyler family (Help:IPA/English, /ˈskaɪlər/; Dutch pronunciation: Help:IPA/Dutch, xœylər was a prominent Dutch family in New York and New Jersey in the 18th and 19th centuries, whose descendants played a critical role in the forma ...

, and was occupied by Pieter Schuyler and his descendants into the early 20th century. From Dutch colonial times, the history includes that of indentured servants and slaves of African descent. The site formerly included the Colonel Phillipus Schuyler House, which burned in 1962. Col. Phillipus Schuyler (b. 1696) was the son of Pieter Schuyler (1657–1724), 1st mayor of Albany and three time

acting governor An acting governor is a person who acts in the role of governor. In Commonwealth jurisdictions where the governor is a vice-regal position, the role of "acting governor" may be filled by a lieutenant governor (as in most Australian states) or a ...

of the

Province of New York The Province of New York was a British proprietary colony and later a royal colony on the northeast coast of North America from 1664 to 1783. It extended from Long Island on the Atlantic, up the Hudson River and Mohawk River valleys to ...

. His wife, Margarita Schuyler, commonly known as Madame Schuyler, was an influential person within her family, with the British officers, and Native Americans. The Schuyler family occupied the land from 1692 until 1910. This Schuyler property was cut through by the

Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east–west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigability, navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, ...

along its western edge and in the early 19th century the river road which passed in front of the house, to the east, was moved to a location just west of the canal, where it is today known as Broadway. The site became a

in 1993. The Town of Colonie made the grounds into a park, dedicated in 2002. The park is the site of an annual Civil War Heritage Days encampment.

References

External links

* * * {{National Register of Historic Places National Historic Landmarks in New York (state) National Register of Historic Places in Albany County, New York Historic American Buildings Survey in New York (state) Archaeological sites in New York (state) Parks in Albany County, New York Colonie, New York

History

See also

References

External links