LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the 225th Anniversary of the Town
of Petersburgh

WHEREAS, It is the intent of this Legislative Body to honor and commem-
orate the distinguished histories of the communities which comprise the
noble body of this great Empire State; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commem-
orate the 225th Anniversary of the Town of Petersburgh, in Rensselaer
County, New York; and
WHEREAS, In 1631, Kiliaen van Rensselaer received title to a vast
spread of land which included most of what is today Rensselaer County;
for many years this land remained wild and vacant; and
WHEREAS, During the 1730s, the earliest European settlers, who were
certainly of Dutch stock, arrived in Petersburgh; by 1740, a thriving
settlement, commonly known as "Dutch Hoosic", had been established at
the juncture of the Hoosick and Little Hoosick Rivers (now North Peters-
burgh); and
WHEREAS, The rich bottomlands that had been created by these two
rivers were turned into productive farms; nevertheless, times were hard;
continuous wars with the French and the Indians resulted in much
destruction and bloodshed; and
WHEREAS, On several occasions the primitive farms along the Hoosick
and Little Hoosick were burned out and their inhabitants killed or
dragged off as slaves to Canada; in 1747, the entire settlement of Dutch
Hoosick was sacked and burned by French troops, and in 1754, the rebuilt
settlement was once again burned down by Indians; and
WHEREAS, Finally, with the end of the French and Indian War in 1763,
life returned to normal, and by 1767, the area around Dutch Hoosick was
once again filled with farmsteads; some settlers had ventured up the
Little Hoosick, including Pietrus Simmon, the farm master of the Patroon
van Rensselaer, who established a farm on both sides of the Cleyne
Hosick Creek near where the Berlin Cemetery is now located; and
WHEREAS, At about this time, a few settlers from New England began to
push into the valley; by the time of the American Revolution this area,
while still thinly populated, was nevertheless very agitated by the
events of the day; many of the original Dutch inhabitants retained their
loyalty to the British Crown while the New Englanders seemed more
disposed towards the rebellion; and
WHEREAS, As the Revolution was winding down the van Rensselaers
decided to make a concerted effort to attract settlers to their lands;
since the coastal regions of Rhode Island and Connecticut were overpopu-
lated and teeming with unemployed young men recently discharged from
service in the Continental Army, the van Rensselaers sent out glowing
advertisements to induce these people to settle in the Little Hoosic
Valley; and
WHEREAS, Before long a flood of people with names like Hewitt, Church,
Moon, Allen, Weaver, Lewis and Maxon came rushing in; they procured
their leases and began to clear and work the land; and
WHEREAS, However, it was not easy going for these young New Englan-
ders; the first few winters were hard and they found themselves relying
for help from the already established Dutch settlers; in fact, the van
Rensselaers' farm master, Pietrus or Peter Simmon was so helpful that
when in 1791, the northern part of Stephentown was broken off to form a
new town which was named after him; and
WHEREAS, On March 18, 1791, the New York State Legislature passed an
act that as of April 4 of that year "... a distinct and separate town by

the name of Petersburgh..." would be established; the original town
boundaries included not only the present Petersburgh, but also much of
what is today Berlin and Grafton; and
WHEREAS, The early years of the 19th Century saw Petersburgh grow into
a boom town; agriculture provided the major means of support for the
town's growing population, and the Little Hoosick and its many tributar-
ies provided an abundant source of cheap energy; and
WHEREAS, The hamlets of Petersburgh Four Corners (North Petersburgh),
Rensselaer's Mills (South Petersburgh) and Stillman Village all devel-
oped around the many mills and manufacturies that were established to
process the bountiful production of farm and forest; and
WHEREAS, It was at this time that Petersburgh had its largest popu-
lation of almost 3,000 people; nonetheless, parts of the Town were
broken off in 1806 and 1807 to form the Towns of Berlin and Grafton; and
WHEREAS, In 1813, a terrible epidemic swept through the Little Hoosick
Valley killing hundreds; three years later, it snowed throughout most of
May, and on July 4th the Little Hoosic River was frozen over; since no
crops could be planted, much less harvested, there was widespread star-
vation; and
WHEREAS, As early as 1812 Petersburgh had a public library and 10
school houses; in 1820, the population of the Town numbered 2,248 resi-
dents; among them were 485 farmers, 92 mechanics, three merchants, one
foreigner, 12 free blacks and four slaves and taxable property in the
Town amounted to $280,409; and
WHEREAS, Moreover, there were 12,675 acres of improved land, 2,172
cattle, 532 horses, and 5,591 sheep; 42,211 yards of cloth were
produced, and there were two grist mills, five saw mills, three fulling
mills, three carding machines, one distillery and one ashery; and
WHEREAS, Men from Petersburgh served in both the War of 1812 and the
Mexican War; perhaps the best known veteran of the former was Aaron
Worthington who kept an inn at South Petersburgh and was also one of the
builders of the Petersburgh Baptist Church; and
WHEREAS, During the Civil War many of Petersburgh's young men saw
service; the majority appear to have served in Company 'A' of the 125th
Regiment, New York Volunteers; and
WHEREAS, Like towns all over the North, Petersburgh sacrificed its
share of men to preserve the Union; over 30 men from the little valley
lost their lives; and
WHEREAS, During the 1860s the Harlem Railroad pushed an extension down
the valley and with it brought the hope of new prosperity; however, in
.SO DOC S R4648 RESO TEXT 2015
reality the advance of industry and transportation did just the oppo-
site; between 1880 and 1910 the population of Petersburgh dropped from
1,781 to 1,238; and
WHEREAS, Nevertheless, a number of businesses continued to thrive in
Petersburgh, including several shirt factories, a comb manufacturer and
even a book publisher; and
WHEREAS, Photographs of the Petersburgh area taken between 1880 and
1920 show a truly idyllic setting; the buildings and houses were clean
and simple, and the surrounding countryside is clear and well-tended,
and the people seemed content; and
WHEREAS, In 1911, a fire destroyed Horace Wells' mill and the Lower
Bridge in South Petersburgh; the Town fathers decided a modern structure
was needed, and after reviewing various designs, accepted a bid from the
Cole-Mortman Company for a concrete arch bridge; when completed, this
bridge was the longest concrete span in Rensselaer County; and
WHEREAS, The Town was so pleased with it that they had bridges of
similar design built to replace the Upper Bridge and the one over Coon
Brook; the new Upper Bridge, however, was replaced only a decade later

by the present structure because of the routing of the new Taconic
Trail; and
WHEREAS, This project, which was begun in 1926, probably did more to
alter the nature and appearance of South Petersburgh than anything else
during the 20th Century; buildings were torn down and road beds moved;
and
WHEREAS, On the other hand, the project provided jobs for local people
and when completed, the Taconic Trail made it easier for Petersburgh
farmers to sell their produce in Williamstown, where because it was a
college town, it was said they could get better prices than down in
Troy; and
WHEREAS, By the middle years of the 20th Century the population had
dropped below 1,000 citizens, and Petersburgh became a quiet, country
town; and
WHEREAS, Yet Petersburgh has continued to remain unique; at the end of
World War II, the Town chose to honor its veterans with something more
practical than a statue or stone monument, and so over the next eight
years the residents volunteered their efforts to build the Veterans'
Memorial Hall; and
WHEREAS, In the late 1950s New York State decided to widen Route 22;
as a result, the old Litcher Tavern (a.k.a. the Eldred House) in North
Petersburgh, which was built in 1766, was slated for demolition, after a
desperate fight to save the building, the bulldozers went to work, and
one of the last vestiges of Petersburgh's colonial history disappeared;
and
WHEREAS, On April 1, 1976, the Town Hall (formerly the old District
No. 4 School House) burned to the ground, and along with it went the
Firehouse and the Library; both buildings were replaced in 1978; and
WHEREAS, Then in 1981, one of the finest architectural landmarks in
the County, the Petersburgh Baptist Church, also went up in flames;
fortunately it too has been rebuilt, albeit on a more modest scale; and
WHEREAS, In 1991, as Petersburgh celebrated its two hundredth birth-
day, the Town faced many challenges, but it also had much to look
forward to; while some of its oldest structures had disappeared, and the
forest had reclaimed many a pasture and field, the independent, hard-
working and neighborly character of Petersburgh's citizens remained
unchanged; and
WHEREAS, Remaining fruitful over the ebb and flow of decades of growth
and change, the Town of Petersburgh continues its commitment to enhanc-
ing the quality of life of its citizens, ensuring a positive business,
institutional and educational climate, and providing all essential
services; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 225th Anniversary of the Town of Petersburgh, recogniz-
ing the significance of the role it continues to play in the life of the
community of the State of New York; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Peter Schaaphok, Supervisor, Town of Petersburgh.