Rensselaer County Historical Society
Encyclopedia
The Rensselaer County Historical Society (RCHS) is a non-profit, historical society and museum, to promote the study of the history of the Rensselaer County, NY. RCHS was founded in 1927, and originally operated out of a single room in the Troy Public Library
, collecting manuscripts and published materials related to the county’s history. It is located in the Central Troy Historic District
, in Troy, NY. The Rensselaer County Historical Society operates a museum, and offers public programs from its location at 57 Second Street, Troy, NY.
(1827) was turned over to the Society by Mrs. Cluett to serve as a historic house museum and repository for the county's historical artifacts and archival materials. In the mid-1950s, the Trustees recruited professional help to create a museum. In 1957, H. Maxson Holloway, formerly a Curator at the New-York Historical Society, was hired as the Society's first director. Holloway's immediate plans included the careful acquisition of fine and decorative arts as well as period furnishings to fill the fourteen rooms of the Hart-Cluett Mansion. Over the next decade raising money and acquiring objects continued with the highlights of this effort were objects and furnishings from the Hart and Cluett families and their descendants.
and it associated Carriage House. Growth of the collections and demands for programs had outpaced the building's space. In 1976, the building to the north of the Museum, the Carr House (1838), was acquired and a capital campaign was initiated to begin making it into an educational and administrative center.The first phase of the 57 Second Street project was finished in 1982, providing a meeting room, gift shop and temporary exhibition gallery on the first floor of the building.
Troy Public Library
The Troy Public library is the main public library building in the city of Troy, New York, and is located across the street from Russell Sage College in downtown Troy. It has two other branches, the Lansingburgh branch and the Sycaway branch. Both branches were temporarily closed in January 2009....
, collecting manuscripts and published materials related to the county’s history. It is located in the Central Troy Historic District
Central Troy Historic District
The Central Troy Historic District is an irregularly-shaped, area of downtown Troy, New York, United States. It has been described as "one of the most perfectly preserved 19th-century downtowns in the [country]" with nearly 700 properties in a variety of architectural styles from the early 19th to...
, in Troy, NY. The Rensselaer County Historical Society operates a museum, and offers public programs from its location at 57 Second Street, Troy, NY.
Rensselaer County Historical Society Incorporation
RCHS was incorporated to:- Promote and encourage historical research,
- Disseminate a greater knowledge of the early history of that portion of the State of New York known as Rensselaer County,
- Gather and preserve books, manuscripts, papers and relics relating to the early history of Rensselaer County and the contiguous territory,
- Suitably mark places of historic interest, and acquire by purchase, gift, devise or otherwise, the title to, or the custody of historic spots and places and to receive gifts, bequests and devises of any kind to be used for the purposes of the incorporation.
Hart-Cluett Mansion Acquisition
In 1952, the Hart-Cluett MansionHart-Cluett Mansion
The Hart-Cluett Mansion is located at 57 Second Street in Troy, New York, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, and is a contributing property to the Central Troy Historic District created in 1986...
(1827) was turned over to the Society by Mrs. Cluett to serve as a historic house museum and repository for the county's historical artifacts and archival materials. In the mid-1950s, the Trustees recruited professional help to create a museum. In 1957, H. Maxson Holloway, formerly a Curator at the New-York Historical Society, was hired as the Society's first director. Holloway's immediate plans included the careful acquisition of fine and decorative arts as well as period furnishings to fill the fourteen rooms of the Hart-Cluett Mansion. Over the next decade raising money and acquiring objects continued with the highlights of this effort were objects and furnishings from the Hart and Cluett families and their descendants.
Joseph B. Carr House Expansion
In the mid-1970s that the Rensselaer County Historical Society outgrew the Hart-Cluett MansionHart-Cluett Mansion
The Hart-Cluett Mansion is located at 57 Second Street in Troy, New York, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, and is a contributing property to the Central Troy Historic District created in 1986...
and it associated Carriage House. Growth of the collections and demands for programs had outpaced the building's space. In 1976, the building to the north of the Museum, the Carr House (1838), was acquired and a capital campaign was initiated to begin making it into an educational and administrative center.The first phase of the 57 Second Street project was finished in 1982, providing a meeting room, gift shop and temporary exhibition gallery on the first floor of the building.
Carr House Renovations
In New York State Council of the Arts, funded an initiative in 1995 to look at how RCHS manages its collections, to undertake the first computerized inventory of collections, to assess storage needs with an eye to making collections more accessible to the public, and to develop a set of collecting themes that would help to assess current collections and direct future collecting. In October 2001, the Rensselaer County Historical Society, opened a renovated Carr Building. To support the extensive renovation, $2.7 million was raised from individuals, corporations and state grants, to create new galleries and collections storage space, install new environmental systems, consolidate staff offices, and fully renovate the Carriage House.Rensselaer County Historical Society Collections and Museum
RCHS is the primary collecting institution in Rensselaer County and contains in its museum collections approximately 60,000 objects ranging from the fine to the domestic arts. Items represent families and homes from Troy, the largest urban center in the county, and Rensselaer County at large. Troy and Rensselaer County were major contributors to the growth of the United States in the 19th century and one of the primary sites of the American Industrial Revolution. The prominence of the area was due to the influence that the iron, steel and textile industries created. Foundries produced vital products for growth and expansion of the United States westward. In the 20th century, the collar and cuff industry produced over 90% of America’s detachable collars and many of its finest shirts. The museum collections are also closely connected to RCHS’s research library collections which include, in part, personal, organizational and business records, photographs, maps, ephemera, etc, as well as the largest collection of secondary resource material on the county’s history.Collections
The RCHS has over 60,000 artifacts, documents, and photographs in its collection. RCHS also houses archives and records for a number of community organizations such as local YMCA, and Troy Chromatics. These collections are used in programs such as the "Historians in Training Programs" conducted with schools in Rensselaer County. The collection has been used in by Charles Osgood for his program CBS Sunday Morning and have been used by Ken Burns, The History Channel, and other media and publishing outlets.Highlights of the Collection
- Uncle Sam Collection - archeological artifacts from the Congress Street dig at the Samuel WilsonSamuel WilsonSamuel Wilson was a meat-packer from Troy, New York whose name is purportedly the source of the personification of the United States known as "Uncle Sam"....
home. A mural by George Gray (1937) and a variety of other materials of other research objects and materials relating to Uncle SamUncle SamUncle Sam is a common national personification of the American government originally used during the War of 1812. He is depicted as a stern elderly man with white hair and a goatee beard...
. - American Civil WarAmerican Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
Collection - Rice Cook Bull Diary, county military uniforms and artifacts, photographs, personal accounts, 1863 Draft RiotNew York Draft RiotsThe New York City draft riots were violent disturbances in New York City that were the culmination of discontent with new laws passed by Congress to draft men to fight in the ongoing American Civil War. The riots were the largest civil insurrection in American history apart from the Civil War itself...
collection. - Rensselaer County Surrogate Court Records - estate files for over 30,000 residents of the county between 1791 and 1915 used for genealogy and other historical research projects.
- Burden Iron Works Archives - documents the company's impact world-wide from this 19th Century manufacturing company.
- Photographic Collection - 10,000 images of people, places, events from the early 1840's to the early 2000's.
- Hart and Cluett Family Records - records and artifacts extensively documenting the Hart-Cluett MansionHart-Cluett MansionThe Hart-Cluett Mansion is located at 57 Second Street in Troy, New York, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, and is a contributing property to the Central Troy Historic District created in 1986...
, including the Howard-Hart Coach, and Cluett Sleigh. - View of Glass Lake by Joseph Henry Hidley (1830-1872), a folk artist and landscape painter.
- Historical Clothing and textiles, furniture and decorative art objects, tools, stoves and cast iron collection, dating from the late 18th century to present.
- Maps, city and county directories, cemetery records, church records, community organization archives, county home records and numerous other newspapers, and records.
Collection Use
The collection has been extensively used for education, by artists, and as primary source materials in numerous productions. Among the uses have been:- Curriculum-based RCHS education programs and adult programs focused on Underground RailroadUnderground RailroadThe Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
, Women Suffrage, community studies, labor historyLabor history of the United StatesThe labor history of the United States describes the history of organized labor, as well as the more general history of working people, in the United States. Pressures dictating the nature and power of organized labor have included the evolution and power of the corporation, efforts by employers...
, etc. - Primary Research Sources for for academic research, family historyFamily historyFamily history is the systematic narrative and research of past events relating to a specific family, or specific families.- Introduction :...
projects, architecture and historic preservationHistoric preservationHistoric preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
, public service commission project background studies, environmental impact studies. - Inspiration for art projects by artists such as Len Tantillo, Wren Panzella, Mark Priest, Jim Flosdorf and others.
- Primary Sources for children's books, elementary and high school text books, historical novels and plays, the New York State Encyclopedia, Blizzard of 1888Blizzard of 1888Two major blizzards occurred in the year 1888.*The Great Blizzard of 1888 which struck parts of the eastern United States and Atlantic Canada from March 11 to March 14...
, etc. - A variety of film and TV projects including, Martin ScorseseMartin ScorseseMartin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
's The Age of Innocence (film)The Age of Innocence (film)The Age of Innocence is a 1993 American film adaptation of Edith Wharton's 1920 novel of the same name. The film was released by Columbia Pictures, directed by Martin Scorsese, and stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Winona Ryder....
, Ken BurnsKen BurnsKenneth Lauren "Ken" Burns is an American director and producer of documentary films, known for his style of using archival footage and photographs...
' Civil War and Baseball Programs, C-SpanC-SPANC-SPAN , an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels , one radio station and a group of websites that provide streaming...
's Underground Railroad and Uncle Sam productions, and Bill MoyerBill MoyerBill Moyer may refer to:* William Moyer , American author, activist, and founding member of the Movement for a New Society* Bill Moyer , U.S...
's The Hudson River, CBS Sunday Morning's Uncle Sam program, and numerous other programs and films.