In 1523, Francis I, King of France, commissioned Giovanni da Verrazano "to make discoveries of new countries." One year later, Verrazano discovered the Grande River (later known as the Hudson River). "Shortly afterward, it was ascended to its navigable height by French seamen trading for furs with the Indians living on its shores." France established its dominance in the area by building two forts: "one on the island where the city of New York is, and another on Castle Island, near the site of Albany."
This history encompasses many aspects of Albany's past, including descriptions of aboriginal settlements as well as early French, Dutch, and English ones; values and customs of the people who lived there; the Revolutionary War; business and commerce; the Erie Canal; and the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad. The addenda contains a historical summary covering the period 1821 to 1883; a synopsis of the churches; a listing of newspapers dating 1771 to 1883; a roster of mayors, 1686-1884; the names and addresses of banks; changed names of streets; and more. This is the first known separate history of Albany.
Arthur James Weise
(1881), 2017, paper, index, 580 pp.
ISBN: 9780788408625
101-W0862
