Serendipity Has Rewards

By Don Rittner

Serendipity is the ability to see opportunity when it slaps you in the face, and smart enough not to turn the other cheek! It’s rewarding to be in the right place at the right time. A few months back, Jennifer and Dave Shea contacted me after they found the 16-mile marker for the Northern (Lansingburgh) Turnpike in their backyard in Darien, Connecticut.

On July 4th, the Shea family drove to Pittstown, and along with Mike Engle and myself presented the marker to Ellen Wiley, the 92-year-old Town Historian for Pittstown. It’s now part of the collections of the Town's historical society.

This past Thursday I was fortunate to preside over the donation of the Albany-Schenectady Turnpike 10-11 mile marker to the Schenectady County Historical Society. John Wolcott and I rediscovered it back in June. The milestone has been in storage at the Ingersoll Residence since about 1930. Ingersoll is an assisted living facility founded in 1928, and located on State Street in Schenectady.

My lucky streak continued. Jim McPhee, the administrator for Ingersoll Residence revealed to me that they had taken out two window panes over the years that had some interesting signatures scratched on them. He donated the two windowpanes with the mile marker during the artifact transfer last week.

This property has a history that dates back to the mid 18th century. In 1762, there was a transfer of 28 acres from the Dutch Church of Schenectady to John Duncan for 28 acres S.E. of " The Township of Schenectady." Records also show he bought the property in 1766 as leasehold of the same church. Sometime between 1761-66 a mansion was designed and built by local architect Samuel Fuller.

Fuller, a descendant from the Mayflower arrived to Schenectady during the French & Indian War in 1758. He was employed in the King's service at Schenectady and surrounds. He was engaged in the construction of boats, wagons, log houses and shelters for the use of the army commanded by General Abercrombie until July 31st, 1758. He went to Boston, then Halifax, where he arrived February 7th, 1759, and continued in the royal service in the navy yard there, until after the taking of Quebec by General Wolff in September 1759. He returned to Boston and then to Schenectady in July 1761.

He designed the “Hermitage" in Niskayuna for merchant John Duncan (c. 1762, or 1766-67). During the years from 1761, when he took up his permanent residence in Schenectady, until his death just prior to the revolution, he was constantly employed in construction and architectural work.

There is some mystery to the Hermitage. On the Vrooman Map of 1771, the building preceding the one standing today is depicted on the eastern side of Balltown Road, not where the present building is located. There may have been two residences on the same property.

The Hermitage burned down and was replaced by a mansion by Harmanus Schuyler around 1818. Schuyler was an Albany surveyor and many of his maps still exist. He called his property “Locust Grove.” Schuyler died 1822

One of the two donated windowpanes had the signatures of Philip Schuyler and Catherina Elizabeth Schuyler and dated AD 1828. We know Harmanus had a daughter Marianna, born July 27, 1800 who married John Varick on December 4, 1825. They moved to Norwalk, Huron County, Ohio. Marianna also had signed one of the panes.

The property went through other owners until around 1865 when it was purchased by Charles Stanford and renamed “Stanford Heights.” Sanford was a promoter of public utilities in Schenectady and from 1864-75 he was a NYS Assemblyman. In 1865, he founded the Schenectady Daily Union newspaper (sold it in 1883). He later became Senator from 1866-69.

Stanford was a brother of Leland Stanford, Governor of California (and graduate of Troy’s RPI), for whom Stanford University was named. Charles Stanford went to California where he had large commercial interests with branches in Australia and New Zealand. He returned in 1865 and acquired the mansion. He probably also made outside improvements to the building as it reveals modification in brickwork as well as the facade.

Sanford was an alternate delegate to the Republican National Convention from New York in 1868. Four years later, he organized a company to pump a water supply from the Mohawk River building a powerhouse was established at the foot of Ferry Street. The water soon spread typhoid to all parts of the city.

Stanford died on August 15, 1885 and was entombed in a mausoleum at Albany Rural Cemetery. The second donated windowpane has Thomas Norton Stanford, Nov. 27, 1859 scratched in it.

Ingersoll’s dedication to preserve this history obviously matches the care taken of their residents, including a 90-year-old historian who periodically leaves the premises to give talks about the history of Sir William Johnson.