Albany Lumber District
Encyclopedia
The lumber district of Albany
, New York
was relatively small in the 1830s with around six wholesale lumber merchants, but by the 1870s Albany was the largest lumber district in the United States by value, though by that time it had recently been outstripped in feet sold by Chicago
. For about a quarter century in the middle of the 19th century the Albany lumber district was considered the largest white pine
wholesale market. There were 3,963 sawmills operating in the lumber district in 1865 but by 1900 there were only around 150. A fire ripped through the district in 1908 signalling the decline of the lumber industry for Albany.
The lumber district was considered to be the land from North Ferry Street north for about 1½ miles and from the Erie Canal
on the west to the Hudson River
on the east. It was about 500 feet (152.4 m) wide at the southern end and 1150 feet (350.5 m) wide at the northern end and constituted over 100 acre (0.404686 km²). Thirty-one slips connected to the canal and ran east to with-in 150 feet (45.7 m) of the Hudson, the longest slip being 1000 feet (304.8 m) long.
When the Albany Basin was constructed in 1825 the pier
separating the basin from the Hudson River was the quickly turned into a prestigious place for the lumber industry in Albany, which dates back to the arrival of a millwright and two sawyers in 1630 and the first sawmill in 1654. Until 1848 it continued to be considered the headquarters of the lumber trade in the city, even as the industry moved to the area between Quackenbush Street and the Columbia Street Bridge. The future lumber district at this time was owned by the Patroon
Stephen Van Rensselaer and his brother William, and consisted of mostly vegetable gardens that paid little in the way of rent. The Patroon was approached about building slips off the canal for the use of the lumber industry in return for a more ample amount of rent. Originally the Patroon bore the cost of constructing the slips, but as time went on the lumber dealer took upon himself the cost of the slip in return for keeping the rent until such time as construction costs were paid for, at which time the dealer had to start paying rent to the Patroon as everyone else did. It took roughly eight years for the slip to be paid off. During the winter months when the slips were ice-bound and the offices closed, the lumber district virtually abandoned. The inspection system used in Albany for the white pine was the first inspection system for lumber and the model for many other systems.
At first the supplies of white pine were from within New York, in Allegany
and Chemung
counties. When those became over-harvested the supply shifted to southern Ontario
, and after 1856 from Michigan
where Albany buyers held the monopoly on the good white pine.
The primary markets were the city of New York
and New Jersey
. The Albany market also had for a time foreign markets such as Argentina
, Chile
, and Australia
.
The lumber district had its own dining saloon, telegraph office, a chapel, and several stores. For fire protection there were many fire hydrant
s and thousands of feet of fire hose
. The lumber district did not have any track facilities connecting it to the railroads that fed into Albany until 1906 due to fears that the locomotives would spark a fire.
The eastern part of Arbor Hill around Ten Broeck Street became home to many of the wealthiest lumber merchants in Albany, where they proceeded to build grand rowhouses overlooking the lumber district, Erie Canal, and Hudson River.
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
was relatively small in the 1830s with around six wholesale lumber merchants, but by the 1870s Albany was the largest lumber district in the United States by value, though by that time it had recently been outstripped in feet sold by Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. For about a quarter century in the middle of the 19th century the Albany lumber district was considered the largest white pine
Eastern White Pine
Pinus strobus, commonly known as the eastern white pine, is a large pine native to eastern North America, occurring from Newfoundland west to Minnesota and southeastern Manitoba, and south along the Appalachian Mountains to the northern edge of Georgia.It is occasionally known as simply white pine,...
wholesale market. There were 3,963 sawmills operating in the lumber district in 1865 but by 1900 there were only around 150. A fire ripped through the district in 1908 signalling the decline of the lumber industry for Albany.
The lumber district was considered to be the land from North Ferry Street north for about 1½ miles and from the Erie Canal
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...
on the west to the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
on the east. It was about 500 feet (152.4 m) wide at the southern end and 1150 feet (350.5 m) wide at the northern end and constituted over 100 acre (0.404686 km²). Thirty-one slips connected to the canal and ran east to with-in 150 feet (45.7 m) of the Hudson, the longest slip being 1000 feet (304.8 m) long.
When the Albany Basin was constructed in 1825 the pier
Pier
A pier is a raised structure, including bridge and building supports and walkways, over water, typically supported by widely spread piles or pillars...
separating the basin from the Hudson River was the quickly turned into a prestigious place for the lumber industry in Albany, which dates back to the arrival of a millwright and two sawyers in 1630 and the first sawmill in 1654. Until 1848 it continued to be considered the headquarters of the lumber trade in the city, even as the industry moved to the area between Quackenbush Street and the Columbia Street Bridge. The future lumber district at this time was owned by the Patroon
Patroon
In the United States, a patroon was a landholder with manorial rights to large tracts of land in the 17th century Dutch colony of New Netherland in North America...
Stephen Van Rensselaer and his brother William, and consisted of mostly vegetable gardens that paid little in the way of rent. The Patroon was approached about building slips off the canal for the use of the lumber industry in return for a more ample amount of rent. Originally the Patroon bore the cost of constructing the slips, but as time went on the lumber dealer took upon himself the cost of the slip in return for keeping the rent until such time as construction costs were paid for, at which time the dealer had to start paying rent to the Patroon as everyone else did. It took roughly eight years for the slip to be paid off. During the winter months when the slips were ice-bound and the offices closed, the lumber district virtually abandoned. The inspection system used in Albany for the white pine was the first inspection system for lumber and the model for many other systems.
At first the supplies of white pine were from within New York, in Allegany
Allegany County, New York
Allegany County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 48,946. Its name derives from a Delaware Indian word, applied by settlers of Western New York State to a trail that followed the Allegheny River. Its county seat is...
and Chemung
Chemung County, New York
Chemung County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the 'Elmira, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area' which encompasses all of Chemung County. As of the 2010 census, the population was 88,830. Its name is derived from the name of a Delaware Indian village . Its...
counties. When those became over-harvested the supply shifted to southern Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, and after 1856 from Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
where Albany buyers held the monopoly on the good white pine.
The primary markets were the city of New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. The Albany market also had for a time foreign markets such as Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
The lumber district had its own dining saloon, telegraph office, a chapel, and several stores. For fire protection there were many fire hydrant
Fire hydrant
A fire hydrant , is an active fire protection measure, and a source of water provided in most urban, suburban and rural areas with municipal water service to enable firefighters to tap into the municipal water...
s and thousands of feet of fire hose
Fire hose
A fire hose is a high-pressure hose used to carry water or other fire retardant to a fire to extinguish it. Outdoors, it is attached either to a fire engine or a fire hydrant. Indoors, it can be permanently attached to a building's standpipe or plumbing system...
. The lumber district did not have any track facilities connecting it to the railroads that fed into Albany until 1906 due to fears that the locomotives would spark a fire.
The eastern part of Arbor Hill around Ten Broeck Street became home to many of the wealthiest lumber merchants in Albany, where they proceeded to build grand rowhouses overlooking the lumber district, Erie Canal, and Hudson River.