Historical Markers

Introduction

Historical markers are considered to be plaques and monuments dedicated to individuals, places, or events. These markers appear worldwide for a number of reasons and their construction reveals insight into values surrounding history. Troy has many historical markers, some put in by the state others put in by local organizations. RPI itself has a plethora of historical markers dedicated for a variety of reasons.

Troy Historical Markers

Description

In Troy various people/organizations have taken to installing markers to acknowledge the history of the area. The origins of many of these markers is hard to track down, yet they still provide insight into local history that might have otherwise gone unknown.

There are many markers which talk about the renowned Uncle Sam or other connections to him, markers: 1, 2, 8, 13, 31, and 45. This is a figure who plays a major role surrounding war in American history. The presence of Uncle Sam throughout Troy suggests a common trend in local history where an individual's significance is overplayed on the local scale to tie the area into the broader significance of American history. This is further emphasized by the presence of numerous other markers relating to war, markers: 27, 28, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, and 51.

Several markers aim at telling the industrial story of Troy, markers: 5, 8, 14, and 42. Given the impact industry had on Troy's history the lack of markers commemorating this aspect of history suggests a negative attitude attributed to this aspect of history. This likely could be the result since industrial decline has left the city struggling to this day.

List

1. "Uncle Sam" Marker
2. "Uncle Sam" Wilson's Home Marker
3. 90 First Street Marker
4. 92 First Street Marker
5. A Panoramic View of American History Marker
6. Amos Eaton Marker
7. Church of the Holy Cross Marker
8. E. & S. Wilson Brick Manufactory Marker
9. Edith McCrea House Marker
10. Emma Hart Willard (campus) Marker
11. Église Saint Jean Baptiste Marker
12. Emma Hart Willard (cemetary) Marker
13. First Baptist Church of Troy Marker
14. First Female Labor Union 1864 Marker
15. Fredericka Voorhaar Slingerland Alumnae House Marker
16. French House Marker
17. Gardner Earl Memorial Chapel & Crematorium Marker
18. George Henry Thomas Marker
19. Historic Oakwood Cemetery Marker
20. History of 1819 Fifth Avenue Marker
21. John Paine Marker
22. Julia Howard Bush Memorial Center Marker
23. Kate Mullany House Marker
24. Lansingburgh Marker
25. Liberty Street Presbyterian Church Marker
26. Locking Through Marker
27. Major General Joseph Bradford Carr Marker
28. Michael Burke Marker
29. Mills on the Wynant's Kill Marker
30. Oakwood Cemetery Marker
31. Rensselaer County's First Courthouse Marker
32. San Francisco Giants Marker
33. St. Peter's Cemetery Marker
34. The Conservatory Marker
35. The Great Fire of 1862 Marker
36. The Rescue of Charles Nalle Marker
37. Third Street Burial Grounds, 1824 Marker
38. Troy, N.Y. Hall of Famers Marker
39. T'was The Night Before Christmas Marker
40. Uncle Sam Monument Marker
41. Unity House Founded Marker
42. W & L.E. Gurley Building Marker
43. Warren Family Mortuary Chapel: 1861 Marker
44. Welcome to the Collar City! Marker
45. William Henry Freeman Marker
46. Wilson Farmhouse Marker
47. Major General John Ellis Wool Memorial
48. Second Ward World War II Memorial
49. September 11th Memorial
50. Veterans Memorial
51. World War Memorial
52. Rensselaer County Spanish-American War Memorial

New York State Historical Markers

Description

NYS markers are installed around Troy, representing a more narrow view of history. Many of these markers aim at disclosing a unique aspect of Troy's history rather than attempting to tie the region into the broader category of American history.

A majority of these markers tie into prominent local figures, markers 1, 3, 5, 6, 9, and 12. This supports the "great man" take on history, where the history of an area is told through the lens of successful individuals.

List

1. Albert Pawling Marker
2. Burden Iron Works Marker
3. Emma Willard Marker
4. Gasholder House Marker
5. Herman Melville Marker
6. Norman Rockwell Marker
7. Old Mount Ida Cemetery Marker
8. On This Site Marker
9. Rev. Peter Havermans Marker
10. Suffragist Marker
11. The Poestenkill Marker
12. Uncle Sam Marker
13. Washington Park Marker

RPI Historical Markers

Description

RPIs markers are fairly easy to group and fall into two general categories, those for individuals that went above and beyond in their line of work and those for individuals who contributed to institute development financially. An interesting aspect of these categories is while markers commemorating donations are present since the beginning of the institution, many of the markers commemorating excellence in work are from the period of academic prosperity following the introduction of the GI Bill.

List

1. North Hall and ECMPLX Markers
2. West Hall Marker
3. Ebenezer Emmons Marker
4. 87 Gym Marker
5. Palmer C. Ricketts Marker
6. Sage Hall Markers
7. Frances Delaine Anderson Marker
8. Carnegie Building Markers
9. Amos Eaton Hall Markers
10. Greene Building Marker
11. Theta Xi Marker
12. Richard Gilman Folsom Library Marker
13. The Henry A. Rowland Physics Marker
14. J. Erik Johnson Marker

Map of Historical Markers

Embedded Map

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<iframe src="https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1ML6vtUgJh6y3U6r97L9B0JIX3GgvJvI&ehbc=2E312F&noprof=1" width="640" height="480"></iframe>

Map Resources

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lm3h8fNf0Q5SGkjMGXScKsNxwXQar6id?usp=drive_link

Future Improvements

• Obtain better pictures for some of the markers
• Embed map onto site
• Dive into more of the markers histories
• Find more markers on campus

References

[1] https://www.hmdb.org/results.asp?Search=Town&FilterCountry=United%20States%20of%20America&FilterState=New%20York&FilterCounty=Rensselaer%20County&Town=Troy&u=