JOURNEY THROUGH SCHENECTADY

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JOURNEY THROUGH SCHENECTADY
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JOURNEY THROUGH SCHENECTADY
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OVERVIEW
When people get together in a new place, one of
two things might happen. Each individual might
set out as an independent and survive the
wilderness alone. In another scenario, those
same people might be drawn together by common
need and mutual contribution and form a
community. As the community forms and matures,
it becomes something of a being in itself. It
provides a virtual ladder of opportunities for
its inhabitants through a network of natural
resources, man made social and occupational
opportunities, and physical security for its
inhabitants.
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Schenectady, New York, is such a community.
Beginning as a fragile stockade and a hand full
of brave pioneers, our city overcame a
devastating massacre, a world war, and a great
depression in order to become
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the small city that it is today. This is the
story of a voyage up that ladder, one painstaking
rung at a time.
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Activity
Menu
The Future
Credits
Technology
Sources
Railroad
Erie Canal
College
Stockade
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Journey of Schenectady
The Stockade Historic District is one of the
oldest and best preserved neighborhoods in the
United States, with roots dating back to a 17th
century Dutch colonial trading settlement....
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On July 27, 1661, the deed for the lands of
Schenectady was executed with the Indians, and
Arent Van Curler's petition was granted.
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1690 On the night of February 8, the settlement
of Schenectady was attacked by a force of French
and Indians from the north.
60 SETTLERS KILLED
78 HOMES BURNED
and the village burned.
The people were slaughtered
27 PRISONERS
The histories record it as "The Massacre of
Schenectady."
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The remaining settlers thought about abandoning
the settlement. The Mohawk Indians, fearing for
their own future, convinced the settlers to
rebuild.
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Working together, the settlers and their Indian
counterparts continued to rebuild and develop
this vital frontier settlement into the
commercial navigation center which it would
become for the next 100 years.
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UNION COLLEGE
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The early settlers of Schenectady being true to
the spirit of their ancestors, founded and
maintained with great pride the institutions of
religion and education.
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Union College was born. It received its name
from the fact that several religious
denominations cooperated in its organization.
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An old college like Union, has an unique
atmosphere. This atmosphere comes across through
the architectural designs of its buildings, its
furnishings, its books, and most of all its
people. Through these people, one feels the past
and gains a perspective on the present. This
legacy passed on from generation to generation
makes Union College a living legacy.
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In keeping with the spirit of the original
settlers, Union College continues to carry the
principles of quality education as well as
community pride and investment into the new
millennium.
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ERIE CANAL
The opening of the canal was a symbol of
progress for NY State as a whole. The Erie
Canal influenced businesses to move uptown.
Prior to the Canal Schenectady was known as a
sleepy little Dutch town.
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In 1825 after eight years of construction, the
Canal was finished. The Canal was 340 miles long
and connected Lake Erie at Buffalo, with the
Hudson River at Troy. Can you imagine how
challenging it was to dig a Big Ditch straight
across the length of NY State, without the luxury
of the necessary equipment?
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The Canal was planned and constructed by men who
had no previous engineering experience, actually
engineering as a science was practically unheard
of. Many basic engineering principles were
discovered as a result of the Erie Canal
construction.
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This is how one of the locks looked in 1904.
There is a general store in the background,
which is today the head-quarters of the
Schenectady Yacht Club. Also, the lockkeepers
home is in the right background.
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The Canal brought new life and growth
to Schenectady. Its hard to picture going to
downtown Schenectady and witnessing a string
of canal boats, drawn by mules, passing along a
big ditch of water where Erie Boulevard now is!
But what happened to the Erie Canal ?
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The Canal was filled in with ashes and paved.
Did you know that Erie Boulevard was once a
canal? Transportation was improved through
deepening the Mohawk River, building new modern
locks and the steam passenger railroad. Again,
Schenectady takes pride in the fact that the
first steam- railroad in the country was between
Albany and Schenectady!
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The Locomotive Era 1851-1968

Schenectady is the city that lights and hauls
the world.

In 1851 Schenectady Locomotive Works was formed,
new orders were arriving quickly from railroads
in other parts of the country.
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For over 100 years Schenectady produced
locomotives. The company, Schenectady Locomotive
Works was known around the world. The company
produced locomotives that were used in five
wars. The company prospered down through the
years, suffering through several economic
depressions but still providing extensive
employment for many citizens.
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In the 1850s John Ellis, pictured here, guided
the locomotive works fortunes to amazing
success. He helped establish the reputation
of building a quality, powerful steam engine.
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This is an advertisement for the company in 1868.
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In 1955 the company changed their name
from American Locomotive to Alco Products
Incorporated. The company had built 75,000
units. Alco was a large part of Schenectadys
economy until it closed its doors and stopped
production in 1968. There are still close to
3,000 locomotives still being used on every
continent in the world.
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1880 -1890 A Sleeping Giant
Schenectady in 1880, with a population of
slightly over 13,000, often was referred by
historians as a sleepy little canal
town. However, in a very few years it would lose
that quaint tag for all time.
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It was in this small upstate city, quite unaware
of its destiny, that Thomas Alva Edison
transferred his electrical machinery shop from
New York City in 1886.
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Thomas Alva Edison
Edison was looking for a site more suitable for
expansion, lower rent, and less trouble with
labor bosses. An agent found it for him in two
unfinished buildings at the southwest end of
Schenectady. The Edison Machine Works started
its Schenectady operation in December 1886, and
the industrial giant awakened.
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The works expanded more quickly than its founder
anticipated. The economic climate took on new
proportions, as did the population. By 1910, the
citys census figure of 72,826 had more than
quadrupled that of 1880!
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Edisons small machine works became the Edison
General Electric Company in 1890 and, in 1892,
merged with several other electric enterprises to
begin more widespread production as the General
Electric Company. The Electrical Era had come of
ageand so had the sleepy little canal town of
Schenectady was becoming an industrial giant.
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As we journey the rungs of the ladder, may the
legacy continue.
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Bibliography Blankman, Peter. Union College
Celebrating Two Centuries. Virginia Beach,
Virginia The Donning Company, 1994 Buryl, Red.
Erie Canal The Musical Connection. 1995ed.
CD-Rom. U.S.A Silver Burdett Ginn,
1995. Fortenbaugh, Samuel B. Jr. In Order to Form
a More Perfect UnionAn Inquiry into the Origins
of a College. Schenectady, N.YUnion College
Press, 1978. Hart, Larry. Pictures From The Past.
Scotia, N.Y Old Dorp Books, 1992. Hart, Larry.
Schenectady A Pictorial History. Scotia, N.Y Old
Dorp Books, 1984. Lubetkin, M. John. Union
Colleges Class of 1868 The Unique Experiences
of Some Average Americans. McLean, Virginia,
1995. Veeder, Millicent Winton. Door to the
Mohawk Valley. Albany, N.Y Cromwell Printery,
Inc, 1947. www.dept.usm.edu/engdept/Jack/gi.htm w
ww.ditto.com/Searching/Search_Results.asp?ssIndia
nsandsettlerslast20 www.ge.com www.gorp.com/go
rp/location/asia/Kaplan www.magick.net/arborstu/tr
eecircus.html www.nps.gov/hutr/- www.railroad.net/
alco/centennial.htm www.schist.org/schdyrr.html ww
w.scpl.org www3.sk.sympatico.ca/sayetd/biota.html
www.ThomasEdison.com www.union.edu www.vertebrate.
co.uk/overground/writers/kane.htm The Dutch
Pipers,Alma Mater, Live From Avon Meatland,
CD-ROM Red, Buryl, Erie Canal,The Music
Connection, CD-ROM, SONY Music, 1995 Horner,
James, An Ocean of Memories, Titanic, CD-ROM,
SONY Music, 1997
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RESPONSE JOURNAL
Name_____________________ What surprised
you? If you were going to teach someone else
about Schenectady what would you say? What
are you interested in learning more about?
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Venn Diagram
Directions Pick any time era from the history of
Schenectady and compare to present day
Schenectady.
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Assignment Take a trip to Union College. Use
this photo to compare what Union College looked
like in mid- 1800s and compare it to Union
College 2000. Students should observe
buildings, type of dress, look at the people on
campus and think about how things used to
be. Draw a picture of what you observed and
experienced. What did you really enjoy about
Union College?
Early Union College Graduates
Would you recommend this learning experience to a
friend?
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Judy Dilallo
Maureen Brown
Kerrianne King
Cynthia Grau
Ralph A. Ives
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