HISTORIC HOMES JOIN FOR A MORE IMMERSIVE STORY
Six Albany institutions connect the dots in city’s narrative
The Capital Region has played a vital role in American history. It has been a place of trade, government, revolution and change. But history can be told different ways, from different perspectives, something six of Albany’s historic institutions have opened their doors to tell.
In a series of three different multi-site tours, visitors can explore mansions and their gardens, take a look at the roles of immigrants, study the lives of free Blacks and also the region’s Native American history. These tours include Ten Broeck Mansion, the Schuyler Mansion grounds, Historic Cherry Hill, the Irish American Heritage Museum, the Underground Railroad Education Center and the Albany Institute of History & Art.
According to Kathryn Kosto, the executive director of the Albany County Historical Association and Ten Broeck Mansion, each historic site has a relationship with the others.
“And what's unique about these tours is by going back to back within the space of an afternoon, you really immerse yourself,” said Kosto. “You're going to notice details, you're going to notice interconnections, you're going to notice developments over time that it would be very hard to remember if it's a few weeks or a few months, or even a few years, between your visits.”
Deborah Emmons-andarawis, the executive director of Historic Cherry Hill, said that the families were interrelated and of similar ideologies, which played its own role in connecting these sites and the roles they played in history.
Cherry Hill was owned by the Van Rensselaer family, by Phllip Killian Van Rensselaer. His first cousin, Catherine Van Rensselaer was married to Philip Schuyler of the Schuyler Mansion. His second cousin, Elizabeth Van Rensselaer was the wife of Abraham Ten Broeck. Later, the Ten Broeck's daughter Elizabeth went on to marry the son of Catherine and Philip Schuyler, Rensselaer
Schuyler.
These were interconnections that spanned generations from the mid-1600 to the mid-1800s. According to Kosto, all three families gained power through trade and political connections. The Van Rensselaers were the patroons (feudal lords) of over 700,000 acres of land. Abraham Ten Broeck served as co-administrator of this patroonship for his wife's
family from 1769-1784 and helped build it into one of the greatest fortunes in North American history.
Thus, it is no surprise that these three homes were pillars of local history. Ten Broeck Mansion is featured in each of the tours. The inhabitants of the mansion played a vital role in Albany under both its principal historic owners, the Ten Broeck family and the Olcotts, a banking family who purchased the house in 1848, renaming it “Arbor Hill.”
The first tour is a study of the mansions and their gardens. The tour features the Ten Broeck Mansion, Schuyler Mansion grounds and Historic Cherry Hill.
The second tour, titled “Freedom
Schuyler Mansion in the S
and Opportunity,” starts at the Irish American Heritage Museum, continues at the Ten Broeck Mansion and ends at the Underground Railroad Education Center at the Harriet and Stephen Myers House. This tour is aimed at exploring issues of enslavement, abolition, the lives of the servants.
“There were German, Irish and English immigrants who worked for the Olcott family,” said Kosto. “There's also, sadly, stories of enslavement. And so, we share those stories as well. And what's important to us is also sharing the names of these people. They are not nameless, they had full and rich life stories.”
The final tour is based on the original residents of the Capital Region, the Native Americans. The tour goes through the Ten Broeck Mansion, ending at the Albany Institute of History & Art. This tour focuses on Dirck Ten Broeck's role as a commissioner of Indian affairs, along with a display of Native American artifacts.
Sometimes one organization takes the lead and at other times another will. We always communicate very well about the details and any complications become history pretty quickly.”
— Heidi Hill
Through these tours, the organizers hope to help tell important stories of the region’s history by allowing visitors to connect the social, cultural and economic threads at actual sites.
Today, the homes are owned run by various bodies. Ten Broeck Mansion is owned and managed by the Albany County Historical Association, the Schuyler Mansion is owned by the state of New York and Historic Cherry Hill is owned and run by its own historic society. Other stops on these tours like the Myer’s Residence, Irish American Heritage Museum and the Albany Institute of History and Art are operated by their own administrations as well.
But this has not been an obstacle in trying to organize these tours, Kosto said, because all of them have the same goal: to serve their communities by welcoming and educating visitors.
“All of my fellow museum directors and educational directors were very positive and responsive about the collaborations,” she said.
Kosto explained that ticket prices were based on what each museum would normally charge. Hence, visitors support all
of the museums involved on the tour they choose to take. According to her, making sure that all the museums received a fair share of the ticket sales was important to the ACHA.
Heidi Hill, the historic site manager for the Crailo and Schuyler Mansion State Historic Sites, agrees with Kosto over their common goals. She went on to explain that working together isn’t something
new.
“We have written grants together, we have arranged programming together and we have presented at conferences together and so we are always able to find a way to work well together,” she said. “Sometimes one organization takes the lead and at other times another will. We always communicate very well about the details and any complications become history
pretty quickly.”
Andrawis of Cherry Hill agrees, saying that the only issue they have is coordinating a meeting, since they’re all so incredibly busy.
Ultimately, as Kosto says, it boils down what they are out to achieve with respect to these tours:
“One of the exciting and amazing things about these immersive tours is while we do present the information, it also allows the person on the tour to draw their own connections and to make their own conclusions. So, our role is to present the latest research and ultimately, we hope that people will be inspired to see history in new ways.”