by Don Rittner


Featured Image
Nott Memorial at Union College at Night.

by Don Rittner


Don's latest book in 2008, Remembering Troy
(History Press (http://www.historypress.com/)


Don's latest book in 2008, Schenectady's Stockade
(Arcadia (http://www.arcadiapublishing.com/)


Don's latest book in 2008, Albany Revisted
(Arcadia (http://www.arcadiapublishing.com/)


Don's latest book, Schenectady Then & Now
(Arcadia (http://www.arcadiapublishing.com/)


Don's latest latest book, Troy, Then & Now
(Arcadia (http://www.arcadiapublishing.com/)


Click here to Read Don Rittner's WebLOG


DON'S HISTORY WRITINGS ARE NOW ON THE BLOG SECTION OF THE ALBANY TIMES UNION




March-May 2007 Columns

Dutch Roots Still Here (5/8/07 )

American Railroading Begain Here (3/28/07 )

Hollywood on the Mohawk (3/01/07 )

February 2007 Columns

Can You Dig It? (Archeology of the Erie Canal Course) (2/8/07 )

Electrical Giant Began Here (2/8/07 )


January 2007 Columns


Standord Mansion Evokes Sense of Place (1/8/07 )

Electrical Giant Started Here (1/1/07 )

June 2006 Columns


Schenectady Top Ten List (6/8/06 )

How Do You Spell Schenectady? (6/8/06 )


April 2006 Columns

Binnekill - You Are Not Alone? (4/7/06 )

October 2005 Columns

The Onrust Project (10/8/05 )

An Ironclad Victory for Schenectady (10/8/05 )
Got History? (10/8/05 )



March 2005 Columns

History and the Media (3/8/05 )

Gillette a Pioneer Schenectady Woman (3/1/05 )



Every Tuesday Exclusively in the Troy Record

Photos courtesy of Rensselear County Historical Society, Warren Broderick,
and others as noted


February 2005 Columns

Albany's First Road Reaches Milestone (2/22/05 )

All Things Must Pass (2/15/05 )

Proctor's Not Forgotten (2/8/05 )

Preserving Rural History Important Too (2/1/05 )


January 2005 Columns

The View of a King (1/22/05 )

History in the Making (1/18/05 )

Same Old Swan Song (1/11/05 )

January Full of History (1/4/05 )

December 2004 Columns

History is a Matter of Time (12/28/04 )

History of the Blues (12/21/04 )

Yes, Virginia, there really WAS a Santa Claus (12/14/04 )

Helen of Troy, N.Y. - Act II (12/704 )




November 2004 Columns


Will the Real Helen Stand Up? (11/30/04 )


Gateway to the West (11/23/04 )


Serendipity Has Rewards (11/16/04 )


A "Shoddy" Building No More! (11/9/04 )


Local women wrote from experience (11/2/04 )


October 2004 Columns


A City With A Beat (10/26/04 )


Who's Minding the Store Now? (10/19/04 )


History is a Knick of Time (10/12/04 )


The Same Old Song (10/5/04 )


September 2004 Columns


A Misplaced "Rock" at Oakwood (9/28/04 )


Want A Free Lighthouse? (9/21/04 )


Read This Later (9/14/04 )


Peripheral Visions (9/7/04 )


August 2004 Columns


Visions for Troy #4 (8/31/04 )


Visions for Troy #3 (8/24/04 )


Visions for Troy #2 (8/17/04 )


Visions for Troy #1 (8/10/04 )


Looking for divine intervention? (8/3/04 )


July 2004 Columns


Benvenuto, Troy (7/27/04 )


A High Tech Barn Raising - Dutch Style (7/20/04 )


Speaking in Grave Tones (7/13/04 )


Dear RPI -Save Proctor's! (7/6/04 )


June 2004 Columns


Row, Row, Row Your Boat... (6/29/04 )


Troy's Contribution to the Wild West (6/22/04 )


A Trojan Snapshot (6/15/04 )


Moving the Past Forward (6/8/04 )


Recovered Stones Gather No Loss(6/1/04 )


May 2004 Columns


Rural Preservation Important Too (5/25/04 )


The HooSick Mess (5/18/04 )


Touring Troy a summer treat (5/11/04 )


Rumor's "Razing" Eybrow (5/4//04 )


April 2004 Columns


May Day Celebrates Troy Collar Maid! (4/27/04 )


It's the history, stupid! (4/20/04 )


A Hero's Welcome (4/13/04 )


The Green Way to History (4/6/04 )


March 2004 Columns


A City by the Falls (3/30/04 )


A Matter of View (3/23/04 )


New books on New Netherland (3/16/04 )


History has its value! (3/9/04 )


A Sense of Place (3/2/04 )


February 2004 Columns


Upstate missing out on tourism benefits (2/24/04 )


Saratoga Springs into auto history (2/17/04 )


Shoring up our roots (2/10/04 )


Dedication Translates Well (2/3/04)


January 2004 Columns


Racism is a bad deed (1/27/04)


Elelphants along the Hudson (1/20/04)


The Giant Hoax (1/13/04)


Bundle Up (1/6/04)


December 2003 Columns



Heads in the Clouds (12/30/03)


Unfinished Business (12/23/03)


Twas the Night Before Christmas (12/16/03)


Restoring Troy A Family Affair (12/09/03)


Troy's Mr. Phelps (12/02/03)


November 2003 Columns


Metropolis on the Hudson (11/28/03)


Making Past Mistakes (11/18/03)


Wars on the Net (11/11/03)


Minding our Manors (11/4//03)


October 2003 Columns


Synergy in Troy (10/28/03)


Troy's Urban Legends (10/21/03)


A Tonic for Troy (10/14/03)


Albany's Other Mascot (10/6/03)


September 2003 Columns


A Church With A Colorful History (9/30/03)


A "Clear" Choice (9/23/03)


When the Music Dies (9/16/03)


Back to School (9/9/03)


Selling Our Words (9/2/03)


August 2003 Columns


Lead Paint Not New (8/26/03)


A Spicey Neighborhood (8/19/03)


History 101 (8/12/03)


History on a Roll (8/5/03)


July 2003 Columns


Missing the Gravy Boat Again? (7/29/03)


Reviving Bits & Bytes of History (722/03)


A Dozen Reasons to Visit Troy (7/15/03)


"Community Police" Not New (7/8/03)


Government For Whom? (7/1/03)


June 2003 Columns


Dumb Along the Mohawk (6/24/03)


Double Trouble in '82 (6/17/03)


Troy's First "Copps" (6/10/03)


no column (6/3/03)


May 2003 Columns


no column (5/27/03)


Troy's Early Law & Order (5/20/03)


A Hollow Development (5/13/03)


Temples of Doom (5/6/03)


April 2003 Columns


Troy's Twit Twats (4/29/03)


Labor Day 2003 (4/22/03)


Honor The Earth (4/15/03)


Number 9 Just Fine (4/8/03)


A Tale of a Whale (4/1/03)


March 2003 Columns


You Ate It Here First! (3/25/03)


French Unjustily Fried? (3/18/03)


Making A Sharpe Decision (3/11/03)


The case of the glass toe (3/4/03)


February 2003 Columns


What happened to Proctor's Theater? (2/25/03)


Trojan rose to the occasion (2/18/03)


The Eccentric Trojan (2/11/03)


Exploration A Human Trait (2/4/03)


January 2003 Columns


Let The RiverSide Be (1/28/03)


Let the Bells Rings Once More (1/21/03)


Saving the Iron Giants (1/14/03)


Top Ten Endangered (1/7/03)


December 2002 Columns

Recognize NYS Scientists (12/31/02)


Twas the Night Before (12/24/02)


Why Not Here? (12/17/02)


Preservation Means Dollars and Sense (12/10/02)


Dejuvu all over again (12/3/02)


November 2002 Columns

no column (11/26/02

This Park Has Friends (11/19/02)

Sprawl Scores Again!(11/12/02)

The Arrogance of Power (11/05/02)



October 2002 Columns


Troy Carpenter Founded Kingston (10/29/02)


Welcome to Sprawlville (10/22/02)


Museum Made A Difference (10/15/02)


The Middleburgh Plan (10/8/02)


Troy's Little Village (10/1/02)



September 2002 Columns


"Trageting" Our History (9/24/02)


Happy Birthday Albany (9/17/02)


Diaster Linked to Troy (9/10/02)


Dead Issue Alive (9/3/02)



August 2002 Columns


Let's "Corner" The Markets! (8/27/02)


A "Grave" Concern (8/20/02)


"Monitoring" Our Resources (8/13/02)


Who's Accountable For This Mess? (8/6/02)


July 2002 Columns


A "Chip" Off The Old Block (7/23/02)


Historic Change is Needed (7/16/02)


The End of a Rolling Era (7/9/02)


Who's to Blame? (7/2/02)


June 2002 Columns


Troy's "Monitor Boys" (6/25/02)


You Don't know "Jack" About History (6/18/02)


A National Disgrace (6/11/02)


A Floating Idea for Troy (6/4/02)


May 2002 Columns


Troy Quips (5/28/02)


Neighborhoods R Us (5/21/02)


Girl Power Has Roots Here! (5/14/02)


The Little Park That Could (5/7/02)


April 2002 Columns



Trail Idea Finally Gets Some Action (4/30/01)


Troy Knows Labor (4/22/02)


Friends are History Too (4/15/02)


Blame It On the Weather (4/9/02)


Warping History (4/2/02)


March 2002 Columns


You NEED This Column! (3/26/02)


Whose "Green" Is It Anyway? (3/19/02)


Putting Troy Back on the Map (3/12/02)


A Saint of a Place! (3/5/02)


February 2002 Columns


TERMinology 101 (2/26/02)


The Ilium Roundatable Begins (2/19/02)


A Day in the Life (2/12/02)


The Snowflake Man (2/5/02)


January 2002 Columns



Democracy is for everyone (1/29/02)



Saving History Page by Page (1/22/02)



If I were Mayor... (1/15/02)



Preservation Makes a Great Troy! (1/8/02)



A New Year's Wish (1/1/02)


December 2001 Columns



'Twas The Night Before Christmas (12/25/01)



Up Against The (City) Wall! (12/12/01)


Let's Get Square Again (12/18/01)


Victorian Surprise for Strollers (12/06/01)

Exclusive Pix of Mural (12/06/01)


Troy's Secret Museum, Part Three (12/05/01)



November 2001 Columns




Troy's Secret Museum, Part Two (11/27/01)



Troy's Secret Museum, Part One (11/20/01)


Trojan Drug Wars Continue? (11/13/01)


Lose the Battle, Win the War? (11/6/01)



October 2001 Columns




The Political Graveyard, Part 3 (Final) (10/30/01)



Hollywood via Troy, Part 2 (10/23/01)



The Political Graveyard, Part 2 (10/16/01)



Hollywood via Troy, Part 1 (10/9/01)



The Political Graveyard, Part 1 (10/2/01)


September 2001 Columns



"Albany's Revered Scientist" (9/25/01)



"911" (9/18/01)



The Burgh - Part 4 (9/11/01)



The Burgh - Part 3 (9/4/01)


August 2001 Columns



It's The Economy, Stupid! (8/281/01)


Paying by the Mile! (8/21/01)


The Burgh - Part 2 (8/14/01)


The Burgh - Part 1 (8/7/01)


July 2001 Columns



The Collar City (7/24/01)


Troy's Steamboat Era (7/17/01)


Troy's Uncle Sam (7/10/01)


Underground Railroad Stopped Here (7/3/01)



June 2001 Columns



Having Lunch With The Famous (6/26/01)


Humble Beginnings? (6/19/01)


Getting Troy On Track Again (6/12/01)


Albany Off Track Again (6/5/01)

May 2001 Columns



Troy Kept The Nation Warm (5/29/01)


The Mother of Invention (5/22/01)


Is That Legal? (5/15/01)


City's Infrastructure Well Cast (5/08/01)


Let the Light Shine Through (5/01/01)



April 2001 Columns



Collar Maid Cuffed Bosses (4/24/01)



The Isles of Troy (4/17/01)



Don't Tread On Me! (4/10/01)


Distilling a New Albany Attitude? (4/3/01)


March 2001 Columns


Preserve History Not Parking Spots! (3/27/01)



Park It Elsewhere! (3/20/01)



EXCLUSIVE LOOK AT ALBANY 18th CENTURY ALBANY DISTILLERY DIG (3/17/01)




A Message From The Past (3/13/01)




A River Deep In History (3/6/01)



February 2001 Columns


Uncle Sam's Uncle Tom (2/27/01)



Historic Committee Speaks (2/20/01)



Troy's Gateway to History (2/13/01)



Remember When? (2/6/01)


January 2001 Columns


Dejavu All Over Again (1/31/01)


Play it Again, Helen! (1/23/01)


Yes Virginia, There WAS A Downtown (1/16/01)


A Yankee Doodle Mystery (1/9/01)


Entering Troy's New Millennium (1/2/01)


December 2000 Columns


A Year is History (12/19/00)



Bridge Over Hudson Waters (12/12/00)



Ho Ho History (12/5/00)


November 2000 Columns


Saving Dutch Barns (11/28/00)


Is South Troy Against The Plan? (11/21/00)


Tales of the Poestenkill Part II (11/14/00)


Tales of the Poestenkill (11/7/00)


October 2000 Columns


Troy's Hart Sisters (10/31/00)


Hollywood on the Hudson (10/24/00)


Fort Disney on the Hudson (10/17/00)


Government's Preservation Conspiracy? (10/10/00)


A Grave Column (10/03/00)


September 2000 Columns


Preserving our Heritage 101 (9/19/00)


The Ins and Outs of Troy's History! (9/12/00)


Apostle Don Speaks (9/05/00)

Aug 2000 Columns


History Is A Human Thing (8/22/00)


Historic Preservation Conference Set (8/15/00)


Did Grandpa Have Parking Problems? (8/8/00)


Troy's Village Green Still Green (8/2/00)

July 2000 Columns


End of Troy's Iron Age (7/25/00)

The Battle of Hampton Roads (7/18/00)

A Drive-In history (7/11/00)

June 2000 Columns


The Show Must Go On (6/27/00)

Can Dreams Come True? (6/20/00)


Troy's Contribution to the Civil War (6/13/00)


Proposal A Slippery Proposition (6/6/00)


May 2000 Columns


Diamond Rock Loosing Its Luster? (5/30/00)



Troy's Kids in the Hall (5/23/00)


Troy's Time in the Big Leagues (5/16/00)


Proctor's Still Proves Puzzling (5/2/00)


April 2000 Columns


Celebrating Labor History (4/25/00)


Troy Moves Forward on Past (4/18/00)


Troy's Boxing History -Round Three (4/11/00)


Troy's Boxing History -Round Two (4/04/00)


March 2000 Columns


Troy's Boxing History -Round One (3/28/00)


Appreciating Troy's Architecture Elsewhere (3/21/00)


(3/14/00)


Stone Faces of Troy (3/7/00)


February 2000 Columns


State Museum in Bad Shape (2/29/00)


Give Me Your Singles. I'll Sing You A Jingle (2/22/00)


Developers Not Exactly True To Form (2/15/00)


Nothing Finer Than Diners (2/8/00)


January 2000 Columns


Troy's 1st Inhabitants (1/31/00)


It All Looks The Same (1/25/00)


Bringing History Back To Life (1/18/00)


Saying Goodbye to Freihofer (1/11/00)


New Millennium, New Ideas (1/4/00)


December 1999 Columns


Troy Scientist Recognized (12/28/99)


History Repeats Itself (12/21/99)


Power of Local Science (12/14/99)


History Sparks Debate 12/7/99


November 1999 Columns


Say Goodbye to History (11/30/99)


Troy's Ancient Wonders (11/23/99)


Seven Man Made Wonders (11/9/99)


Seven Ancient Wonders of CapDist (11/2/99)


October 1999 Columns


Roll Up Yout Sleeves for Troy (10/19/99)


Taking the Red Line (10/11)


September 1999 Columns


The Right Approach to History (9/28)


Keeping Drugs Off The Corner (9/21)


Bridging The Hudson (9/14)


Holiday (9/7)


August 1999 Columns


Burleigh And His Lithographs (8/31)


Task Force Ready To Save Local History (8/23)


What Ever Happened to President Park? (8/16)


Vanderheyden and Lansing Project (8/9)


Play It Again Sam, Revive Proctors (8/3)


July 1999 Columns


Slavery Not Tolerated Here! (7/27)


Memorial to North First Street (7/20)


Troy, US Birthplace of Geology (7/13/)


You Can Learn A Lot From A Stroll (7/6/99)



June 1999 Columns


Will The Phoenix Rise Again? ( 6/29/99)


Monument Square Is Hip, Not Square! (6/22/99))


Paper Boats Made Waters Famous! (6/15/99))


Troy1s History Rings Loudly! (6/8/99)



May 1999 Columns


Public Markets Offrered More than Food! (5/11/99)


History Is For The Dogs! (5/18/99)


Troy1s Holy Corners (5/26/99)


Reusing Troy's History (5/4)



April 1999 Columns


Celebrating Labor History in Troy (4/26)
Cast Iron Leaves Lasting Impression! (4/19)
Troy's Roller Coaster Years (4/12)

Sounds Greek to Me? (4/6)

March 1999 Columns


"I'll Take Troy History for $500, Alex." (3/29)
Skeletons, Pigeons & Politics (3/22)
Plaques of Troy (3/16)
Watts Up Troy? (3/9)
Park the Bulldozers, Save The History (3/1)

Don's other books - Images of America:Troy or Images of America:Lansingburgh


can be ordered online at Barnes & Noble barnesandnoble.com


Also, Book Outlet and Clement Frame Shop in Troy has them.