A New York State Designated "Quality Community"

Feature Article     Past Feature Articles

LOOKING FOR INFORMATION

Underground Railroad - Do you know of any houses that were used before or during the Civil War as safe havens for slaves on their way to Canada? There is no documentation I am aware of about "safe houses" in the Town of Schodack, but there must have been routes through the town used by runaway slaves. The Hudson River was a known "highway" north, and known safe houses were located in neighboring towns, so it is probable slaves passed through the town. I would like to record possible home locations and then plot them on a map to determine possible routes through the town. I would like to hear from you even with "hearsay" about older homes that were "stops" on the Underground Railroad. Please contact me at historian@schodack.org if you have information to share.

Looking for Photos - Do any of you have old photographs of life in Schodack that you would like to donate to the historian's office? While I have several early photographs in the historian files, I would love to increase the photography collection. I am particularly interested in photographs from the 1950s or earlier showing places in the town such as houses, farms, old roads, early industries and businesses. In short, I am interested in collecting photographs showing what life was like in the "good, old days." The photographs can be any size including snapshots.

Schodack Yearbooks - The East Greenbush historian's office has a large collection of East Greenbush Central School (Columbia High School) yearbooks from centralization to the present. The collection was developed largely from donations by town residents. I would like to develop a similar collection of yearbooks from Schodack Central School (Maple Hill High School). I do not have any at the present time. Yearbooks are a useful reference in answering questions about when present and former residents lived in the town. So, if you have any old yearbooks you would like to donate, I would be happy to accept them for the historian's files. Stop in on Thursday morning, call me at 477-7939, extension 316 or email me at historian@schodack.org.

Back to History Page

Diane Hutchinson,
Town Historian

Home Page   Contact Us   Maps   Back One Page