HISTORIC IMAGERY
City's history told through new book
WATERVLIET, N.Y. » A new book is out about the history of Watervliet, telling the city’s story through a collection of images from over the centuries.
‘Watervliet Historic Images,’ by local author and historian Don Rittner, was released earlier this year as part of an ongoing collaborative project with the Watervliet Historical Society and Museum.
The photographs featured in the book bring to light some of the people, events, and institutions that made Watervliet an important and early manufacturing center in the Capital District.
This first volume presents Watervliet’s streetscapes: scenes from the many businesses, manufacturers and mom-and-pop establishments that give the city its rich history.
Readers may remember many of the stories each picture presents, while for younger folks it can provide historical context about the place they live and call home.
This aligns with the mission of the Watervliet Historical Society and Museum, which is located at 1501 1st Ave., just behind the Watervliet Public Library.
Museum founders Tom and Marylou Ragosta spend a great deal of their time making efforts to share the history of Watervliet, and the new book offers a handheld version of what they aim to present.
“There’s so much history in Watervliet,” Tom said, mentioning factors such as the Watervliet Arsenal, the Erie Canal and the many companies that chose Watervliet as their headquarters. “There’s so much history involved here it’s just unbelievable.”
Part of the city’s prominence was based on its location. “Watervliet was always a crossroads between Albany and Saratoga and Troy and Schenectady,” Tom continued. “We were that focal point — a crossroads for north, south, east, west.”
Leading up to this recent project, “We definitely wanted to have a book for Watervliet because it’s so rich in history,” said Tom, who helped provide much of the materials for Watervliet Historic Images.
Rittner has written several similar books about different cities and towns throughout the Capital Region, and was particularly excited about sharing the history of Watervliet — which, set along the Erie Canal and the Hudson River, was once home to Meneely Bell Company, John S. Tilley Ladders Company, trolley car maker J. M. Jones’ Sons Company, several popular theaters and, of course, is still the site of the Watervliet Arsenal.
“I’m always trying to get the history out there,” Rittner said. “This area is so underappreciated when it comes to its importance in American history … It’s just an amazing area.”
The Ragostas have that same eagerness to educate their community. “We just wanted that information, that history, to get out so people can be aware
of the importance of Watervliet to the local area,”
Tom said.
Beyond what’s in the first volume of Watervliet Historic Images, there’s still plenty more to share, said Rittner, who is already worked on additional volumes for the series focusing on topics like the Erie Canal, the Watervliet Arsenal and the 1913 flood in Watervliet. Copies of Watervliet Historic Images, Volume 1 are available for purchase at the museum for $29.95 each, as well as through other retailers including Amazon.
A portion of the book’s proceeds goes to the Watervliet Historical Society and Museum, which can ship the books if necessary.
More information about the Watervliet Historical Society and Museum is available online at watervliethistoricalsociety.org and www. facebook.com/WatervlietHistoricalSociety.
The museum is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, and Saturday by appointment.
The society and museum can be contacted by calling (518) 272-0715.